Wells Fargo Championship 2024 Tips: Trio of names to back in North Carolina

The sixth signature event of the PGA Tour season takes place at Quail Hollow Club, North Carolina this week with a star-studded limited field battling it out for Wells Fargo Championship glory.

With the second Major of the year, the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Course just a week away, the world's leading players will be eager to get their eye in ahead of that trip to Kentucky.

Reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler has opted to skip this week's action, as he and wife Meredith await the birth of their first child, while Swedish star Ludvig Aberg has withdrawn due to soreness in his knee.

Record three-time Wells Fargo champion Rory McIlroy tops the betting at 7/1, just ahead of 9/1 Xander Schauffele, while Patrick Cantlay and defending champion Wyndham Clark are both priced at 16/1.

No player has successfully defended the Wells Fargo Championship, while McIlroy (three) and Max Homa (two) are the only multiple winners, but Wyndham Clark could change all of that this week.

The 30-year-old American has enjoyed a sensational 12 months and it all started at last year's event, when he romped to a four-stroke victory over Schauffele with a tournament record aggregate score of 265.

Clark picked up his maiden Major at the US Open a month later, holding off McIlroy by a shot, before clinching his third PGA Tour success at February's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Ranked a career-high third in the world, the Colorado-born ace's last five outings have yielded results of second, tied-second, T31, MC and T3, the most recent result coming at the RBC Heritage.

Measuring over 7,500 yards, Quail Hollow Club is a beast of a track and Clark's driving distance ranking of sixth should have him in good stead, while he is in the top 15 for strokes gained: off-the-tee and tee-to-green.

A hot putter has also proved crucial to success in this tournament and Clark is ninth in strokes gained: putting, and sixth in putting average, strengthening his chances of coming out on top for the second year in a row.

Germany's Stephan Jaeger took his game to the next level in March when he landed the Houston Open, and after missing the cut at the Masters on his next outing, he has since returned to form with back-to-back top-20 finishes at the RBC Heritage and CJ Cup.

The 34-year-old, who is 20th in driving distance, recorded his best result at Quail Hollow last year when T27 and it would be no surprise to see him in the mix this week.

Akshay Bhatia landed his second PGA Tour title in April's Texas Open and his solid all-round game should give him a chance of competing at Quail Hollow, which is just a couple of hours from where he resides in Wake Forest.

The 22-year-old Californian is in the top 10 for strokes gained: total, and approach-the-green, while his vastly improved putting has helped elevate his game to the next level.