Good morning folks and welcome to Wells Fargo week. After last week’s partner event, we return to individual, 72 hole stroke-play golf. With its move to May, the PGA Championship is now around the corner, so many of the game’s best will be looking to dial it in as the 2nd major of the year approaches. This tournament consistently turns in stacked leaderboards and plenty of exciting finishes, and I expect this week to be no different. Let’s get into the rankings.

The Rankings

Standard Disclaimer: For non-major Championships I will be ranking 12 golfers a week, and for the Majors I will be going 20 deep. I don’t rank for guys that I think will be in the mix, I rank solely on likelihood of winning the golf tournament. Thus, whoever I give the #1 spot to each week, is the guy I feel is most likely to reach the winner’s circle, and so forth down the list. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. Rory McIlroy- Hard to put this man anywhere but the top spot with the form he’s shown of late. Will be interesting to see how he comes out after his relatively pedestrian performance at Augusta. A winner here in both 2010 and 2016.

2. Phil Mickelson- Very few love Quail Hollow as much as Lefty. A course that has always hit his eye, and showed some positive signs two weeks back at the Masters. Will be eager to fine tune his game as Bethpage approaches.

3. Hideki Matsuyama- Never finished better than 11th at the Wells Fargo Championship but was right in the thick of things here at the 2017 PGA. Continues to tear up golf courses tee-to-green but has yet to put it together for four rounds on the green.

4. Rickie Fowler- The site of Rickie’s first career win on the PGA TOUR will always hold a special place in his heart. Fresh off another rock-solid performance at the Masters, Rickie comes into this week hungry to add another title here.

5. Tony Finau- After a bit of a dry stretch to start 2019, Tony found himself in the final group on Sunday of the Masters. I don’t expect much of a hangover from him this week in his next start out. Finau will be motivated to carry that type of golf with him as the bulk of the season approaches.

6. Sergio Garcia- Sergio missed the cut for the 2nd year in a row at the Masters but rebounded nicely last week alongside Tommy Fleetwood. The two ended up finishing second and played great golf throughout. Sergio has a strong history at Quail Hollow, but he hasn’t appeared since 2013.

7. Jason Day- Always proceed with caution when it comes to JDay given the recent back scares, but if healthy this is a man who has been playing very solid golf all season. Has tasted plenty of success at Quail and is rested since his top 10 finish in Augusta.

8. Justin Rose- Rosey was a huge disappointment at the Masters and even said in a press conference that he has no idea where his game is at right now. With all of that being said this is still one of the most consistent golfers of the 2000’s and he is never down for very long. A return to good form this week would shock nobody.

9. Patrick Reed- Continues to be one of the games most unpredictable players. Many times with Patrick when it feels right on paper it doesn’t end well, and when he becomes forgotten he pounces. Was right there on Sunday at the PGA Championship in 2017.

10. Webb Simpson- A home game for Webb, and he comes in off of mixed results from the Masters and RBC Heritage. Gotta think he rebounds nicely at a course he knows as well as anyone in the entire field.

11. Charles Howell III- CH3 continues to be a man of supreme consistency on Tour without ever really getting much buzz. Has never finished in the top 5 at Quail Hollow but also has only missed the cut twice. Expect him to be right in the mix.

12. Gary Woodland- Rested since a middle-of-the-road finish at the Masters, but Quail Hollow is a place where Gary has contended previously. At a course where finding the fairway is of utmost importance, one would think his tee-to-green game will pay heavy dividends.

Honorable Mention

Sam Burns

Keith Mitchell

Daniel Berger

Luke List

Aside from Majors, WGC’s, and the Fedex Cup Playoffs, this is consistently one of the best tournaments of the season. This year brings another good field to Charlotte, with plenty of the game’s biggest stars teeing it up. The Green Mile will be a stiff test as always, and finding fairways will be a key in determining who finds the winner’s circle. Here’s to an entertaining week at Quail!

Cheers,

-Mike