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McIlroy 8-1 for another Quail Hollow victory

By max oram 5:48PM 1 MAY 2012

CURRENT World No. 1 Luke Donald is taking a break this week after regaining top spot in the rankings with his third place behind Jason Dufner (and Ernie Els) in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Sunday.

So Rory McIlroy, a winner at Quail Hollow two years ago following a wonderful 16-under par weekend, will no doubt be zeroing in on a top-five Wells Fargo Championship finish.

And bookmakers make the current US Open champion is 8-1 favourite in a hot-looking North Carolina betting heat.

Tiger Woods is McIlroy's nearest market rival at 10-1 while Phil Mickelsonis 11-1 and Lee Westwood, also seeking top spot in the rankings, at 14-1.

Hunter Mahan, Jim furyk, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Bo Van Pelt, PGA champion Keegan Bradley and Fed Ex Cup-winner Bill Haas are next in the lists on offer between 20-1 and 40-1. And title-holder Lucas Glover, following a play-off with Jonathan Byrd, is 100-1 for a successful defence.

Big-hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Franciso Molinari are 16-1 joint-favourites in the Spanish Open betting.

They are followed in the Royal Seville Golf Club lists by Matteo Manassero at 22-1 and Miguel Angel Jimenez and George Coetzee at 25-1.