Wells Fargo Championship 2012 - Results

This week the PGA tour rolls into Charlotte, North Carolina. Quail Hollow is one of the finest golf courses in the South East United States and offers up a big challenge over its 7442 yards. The length of the course benefits the longer hitters however the ability to scramble well and sink the longer putts is also key to getting a good result here...

The Wells Fargo Championship has attracted a very strong field this year with a lot of shorter odds big name players heading up the field. I can usually find a few big priced players who have a good shot of winning the tournament but not so much this week... 

Phil Mickelson - 5pts E/W @ 11/1 (Widely Available) 

Despite his fairly short odds & lack of wins at this track, I just can't overlook Phil Mickelson this week! He comes into this tournament off the back of a T4 & T3 in his last two starts & his record at Quail Hollow speaks for itself - No worse than 12th in his last 5 starts here - A win here is surely just around the corner?!

Result: T26 - Phil just wasn't himself this weekend. 

Jim Furyk - 3pts E/W @ 22/1 (Sky Bet or Paddy Power) or 24/1 on Betfair. 

I really struggled to pick between Jim Furyk & Hunter Mahan as my 2nd pick this week . They both match up very similarly. Mahan has the slightly better form coming into this week and already has 2 wins to his name this season however Furyk is also in very good form having not finished outside of 11th in his last 4 starts on tour. Furyk has the slightly better results at Quail Hollow however having won here in 2006 & been in contention most years thereafter. Furyk also performs well in Scrambling, ranking 15th o/a, which is an important skill to possess on this track.

Result: T26 - Never really threatened the leaders

Carl Petterson - 3pts E/W @ 60/1 (Bet365) or 70/1 on Betfair

Despite coming off the back of a MC in the Zurich Classic, Petterson is showing some very good form - two 2nds and a win from his 10 starts this year! He also has some decent course form having finished T9 here last year. Petterson has good distance off the tee (ranked 26th) and some solid scrambling stats to back that up (39th). Petterson really seems to be coming into this week under the radar but has all the tools required to mix it with the big names at the head of the field. Definitely one to watch!

Result: T46 - Biggest disappointment for me. He started strong with a 69 but just fell away over his next 3 rounds 

Zach Johnson - 2pts E/W @ 34/1 (Widely Available)

Johnson comes into this weeks tournament off the back of a few solid results including a 2nd place finish last time out at the RBC Heritage. Despite his consistent results, Johnson hasn't won on tour since his 2007 Masters victory however that's no reason to count him out. He's over due a good result and his fairly solid results here in recent years suggest that he could well get it this week! He may not be longest driver on tour but what he lacks in distance off the tee (151st), he more than makes up for with his scrambling ability (10th on tour).

Result: T69 - Never really featured

Kevin Na - 1pt E/W @ 60/1 (Bet365)

A slightly risky pick given that Na withdrew from last weeks Zurich Classic after a poor first round citing back discomfort as the reason. That said, Na remains entered into this weeks tournament so i can only presume it isn't anything serious and he is back to full fitness. Prior to last weeks withdrawal, Na had been playing well with 4 top 10s from his 12 starts so far this year. Na's record at this track is also very promising with a T14 in 2010 & a 5th place finish last year. Certainly one to keep an eye on if he's fully fit. If you know something i don't and he isn't 100% then consider Rickie Fowler as an alternative bet.

Results: MC - Na never looked in the running shooting a 73 then a 76... Clearly not 100% at the moment. Hopefully you took my alternative bet instead! :)

Matt Every - 0.5pt E/W @ 150/1 (Bwin) or 265/1 on Betfair

My outside pick for the week. Matt Every has never played at Quail Hollow previously however his results this season on the PGA tour speak for themselves - 4 top tens and 2 top threes from his 11 starts. 

Prior to lasts weeks MC, he had a T2 and a T8 and will surely be looking to bounce back this week. As with Zach Johnson, he may not be the longest off the tee (130th on tour) but his solid scrambling (41st) should make up for it. His first win surely isn't too far off...

Result: NE - Every pulled his entry last minute so bets were refunded.  

Others to consider... 

Hunter Mahan 1pt E/W @ 20/1 - As i mentioned above, Mahan only just missed out on getting on my main pick list this week - shouldn't be counted out. 

Result: T53

Jonathan Byrd 1pt E/W @ 80/1 - 2nd place last year only narrowly missing out on the win. Not the best form this year so far but last years 2nd place came off the back of 2 MCs. 

Result: T9 - Let down by a poor 3rd round else he'd have been up there!

Rickie Fowler 1pt E/W @ 50/1 - Another who only just missed out making my main list. Although he's never won on tour, Fowler is beginning to look threatening and is due a big result soon! 

Result: 1st - Rickie finally got his first PGA tour win after beating Mcilroy & Points in a 3 way play off. He birdied the 18th after a lovely approach shot leaving him a 4ft birdie putt for the win which he duly sank. First of many wins to come!

Chris Stroud 1pt to finish Top 10 - Not expecting Stroud to win the event but could be a reasonable shout as a place bet or top 10 finish given his solid form this season and his consistent if not spectacular results at Quail Hollow. 

Result: MC

Overall Result this week: +28.5 points