Wells Fargo Championship: Steve Palmer's betting preview, lowdown & TV details

TV: Sky Sports Golf, noon Thursday

Rory McIlroy must put his Grand Slam ambitions on hold for another year and get back to the bread and butter of his US Tour career. Attitude, the variable on which it is most difficult for punters to get a strong handle, must be the key to how the Northern Irishman performs in the Wells Fargo Championship this week.

Can McIlroy get over being a flopping favourite at Augusta by winning for a third time at Quail Hollow? He tied for 21st spot in the Masters, the first time all year he had finished outside of the top ten. His Quail triumphs have been by margins of four and seven shots, and he lost a playoff in 2012, so this is terrain he relishes. A best-price 6-1 gives nothing away, though, and value hunters must look elsewhere.

Palmer's top tip
Rickie Fowler 12-1
The man who beat McIlroy in a playoff at Quail Hollow to claim a maiden US Tour title is double the price of the favourite this week and a more attractive option. Rickie Fowler, who birdied the first extra hole to become Quail champ seven years ago, can regain the trophy.

Fowler, who turned 30 in December, got back to winning ways with a gutsy Phoenix Open success at the start of February and is threatening to become a more prolific Stateside champion. He almost managed a quick follow-up a month later in the Honda Classic, beaten only by a final-hole Keith Mitchell birdie, and four under-par rounds for ninth place in the Masters last time out was a decent effort. A seven-under-par Augusta weekend has set him up well for the rest of the season.

Fowler has always shown a liking for Quail Hollow and for North Carolina in general. He finished sixth on his Quail debut in 2010, closing with a 67, then 16th the following year. In the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst, NC, he shared second place, then his next visit to the state resulted in fourth spot in the 2016 Wells Fargo, before a tie for fifth in the 2017 US PGA at Quail.

There are no chinks in his armour and Fowler, who lies 39th in the US Tour greens in regulation stats and seventh for putting, has the all-round class to rate him a rock-solid proposition to hang tough at a difficult, drying track in sweltering conditions.

Next best
Hideki Matsuyama 20-1
It is possible the sense of expectation got to Hideki Matsuyama in the Masters – his form suggested that he could make a bold bid to become Japan's first Major champion – and he opened the event with three consecutive bogeys on his way to a 75.

There were glimpses of the brilliance Matsuyama had been showing – he carded eight birdies in round three – but not enough for him to contend. Expect better at Quail Hollow from a man who is performing as well as anyone from tee to green.

Matsuyama, third at Torrey Pines in January, 15th in Phoenix, ninth at Riviera, eighth at Sawgrass and conqueror of Dustin Johnson in the WGC-Match Play, had progressive Quail Hollow form figures of 38-20-11-5 until arriving last year labouring with a wrist niggle and quickly tailing off. A year later, he is fully fit and firing to tackle a course which greatly suits.

Other selections
Webb Simpson 20-1
Aaron Wise 55-1
The extreme temperatures in Charlotte and the run on the ball will greatly encourage Webb Simpson that this could be the week when he finally gets over the line in front in a tournament he badly wants to win. The Quail Hollow resident and course member will be sleeping in his own bed at an event where he finished fourth in 2012, losing by a shot after a final-round 73, and second to a rampant McIlroy in 2015.

Lack of length will not be such a disadvantage for Simpson this time and his confidence is at an all-time high, with his irons and short-game in mint condition. He has become one of the most consistent performers on the planet.

Simpson won his maiden US Tour title in his home state of North Carolina – the 2011 Wyndham Championship – and was second in that event last year. The 2012 US Open champ, runaway winner of the Players Championship last year, has just posted a Masters personal-best – fifth spot behind Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele – and everything points to the potential for home-city success on Sunday.

Aaron Wise looks the best of the bigger prices. The 2018 US Tour Rookie of the Year, bursting with potential at the age of 22, made a slow start to this year before finishing 17th on his Masters debut. That superb effort at Augusta, where he improved his score each day (75, 71, 68, 67) and was beaten by nobody in round four, should trigger a form resurgence. Quail Hollow, where he finished second on his debut 12 months ago, has come at an opportune time.

Others to note
Sam Burns
The recently engaged youngster threatened to win the Heritage the week before last before finishing ninth. He has found his A-game over the last month and could be extremely dangerous at Quail at a juicy price.

Tony Finau
The giant Utah man suffered a chipping debacle alongside Kyle Stanley early in the Zurich Classic foursomes last week, carding an eight at a par-five they almost hit in two shots. Finau, though, was fifth in the Masters and has some solid Quail form in the book, so could bounce back immediately from the Zurich flop.

Sergio Garcia
The Spaniard missed a short par putt at a decisive stage on Sunday, just when it seemed he and Tommy Fleetwood were going to win the Zurich with a foursomes masterclass. Garcia is not a regular starter in this event and the last time he made the cut at Quail was 2013.

Gary Woodland
The Kansas man is a quality ball-striker who was fourth in the 2015 Wells Fargo and will appreciate the stiff tee-to-green test laid out before him this week.

Kyle Stanley
The comments for Woodland could also apply for Stanley, a greens-in-regulation machine who finished sixth in 2013 and 13th last year.

Justin Rose
The world number two is looking to bounce back from a shock missed cut in the Masters. His Quail record is patchy and his caddie is making only his second start back from heart surgery.

Staking plan
R Fowler
3pts each-way 12-1 Betfair
H Matsuyama
2pts each-way 20-1 BoyleSports
W Simpson
2pts each-way 20-1 Betfair, BoyleSports, Power
A Wise
1pt each-way 55-1 bet365

The lowdown

Course Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
Prize money $7.9m ($1.386m to the winner)
Length 7,554 yards
Par 71
Field 156
Course records - 72 holes 267 Rory McIlroy (2015) 18 holes 61 Rory McIlroy (2015)

Course winners taking part Rory McIlroy (twice), Lucas Glover, Rickie Fowler, JB Holmes, Jason Day

When to bet By midday Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from midday Thursday

Time difference North Carolina is five hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - Zurich Classic 1 J Rahm & R Palmer (16-1), 2 T Fleetwood & S Garcia (9-1), T3 K-H Lee & M Every (175-1), B Gay & R Sabbatini (80-1), T5 S Power & D Hearn (150-1), R Castro & C Tringale (175-1), K Kisner & S Brown (33-1), H Lebioda & C Luck (250-1)

Course overview Laid out by George Cobb in 1961, tweaked by Arnold Palmer in 1986 and redesigned by Tom Fazio in 1997 and 2003, Quail Hollow slowly became the finished article, annually attracting the best players.

The US PGA Championship was staged there in 2017, won by Justin Thomas at just eight under par, so Eagle Point Golf Club stepped in to cover for the Wells Fargo that year.

This event has run since 2003 and was first called the Wachovia Championship. Low scores are hard to come by, although Rory McIlroy has a 61 and a 62 to his name there. The closing three holes, known as the Green Mile, are particularly difficult.

The 223-yard par-three 17th is sandwiched between awkward par-fours of 506 and 494 yards. These three holes typically average almost a shot over par. The par-fives (seventh, tenth and 15th) are where birdies are freely available and the champion will almost certainly need to play them under par.

Further course tickles have taken place over the last few years, the most significant change after the 2013 renewal being the greens. The bentgrass greens were torn up and replaced with more heat tolerant Bermuda grass. Some trees were removed prior to the 2014 renewal, making the track more appealing to big-hitters.

Story of last year Magnificent birdies at the 16th and the 17th in round four meant Jason Day took control, the Aussie seeing off Aaron Wise and Nick Watney for a two-shot triumph.

Weather forecast Clear, calm, sunny and baking hot, with record high temperatures expected for the event.

Type of player suited to the challenge All types of player have won on this track, from cautious operators like David Toms and Jim Furyk to mavericks like Anthony Kim and JB Holmes.

Course changes over recent years have aided the powerhouses, but scorching conditions this week should deliver a dry, fast-running track on which shorter hitters can compete.

Key attribute Accuracy

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