The First Look: Wells Fargo Championship

The Wells Fargo Championship, a Signature Event on the PGA TOUR schedule, will bring almost all the TOUR’s best to Quail Hollow Club.

While Scottie Scheffler – still awaiting baby No. 1 – is not scheduled to tee it up this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, the rest of the field consists of the TOUR’s top talent including those who earned their way via the Aon Next 10 and the Aon Swing 5.

We are set for another dramatic week with the 69-player field sprinting to the finish – trying to navigate the tricky "Green Mile" stretch, to boot – with the winner earning 700 FedExCup points.

With a reinvigorated Rory McIlroy going for his fourth win here and Wyndham Clark set to defend his first title, it’s set to be a great week.

Here’s everything you need to know as the TOUR returns to Charlotte.

Editor's note:Ludvig Åberg announced his withdrawal from the Wells Fargo Championship on Monday afternoon.

FIELD NOTES: McIlroy returns to a course where he’s had plenty of success, and once again with momentum. McIlroy teamed up with Shane Lowry (also in the field) to capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans two weeks ago and has made Quail Hollow a home away from home. It’s the only TOUR event he’s won three times… Last year’s winner, Clark, returns to the Wells Fargo Championship looking to become the first man to ever go back-to-back. Clark captured the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this season… Max Homa is looking to continue his fine form at Quail Hollow. Homa finished T8 a year ago, and he’s won two of the previous four editions of this event. Homa and McIlroy are the only multiple champions of the Wells Fargo. Homa also went 4-0-0 at the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in 2022… Viktor Hovland returns to action for the first time since missing the cut at the Masters. Hovland’s best result at Quail Hollow came in 2021 when he finished T3… Scheffler is the only eligible player electing not to tee it up at the Wells Fargo Championship as he and wife Meredith are awaiting the arrival of their first child… The latest TOUR winner, Taylor Pendrith, returns to Quail Hollow after playing in the Presidents Cup in 2022. He qualified for this week via the Aon Swing 5 after breaking through for his first TOUR title at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Quail Hollow resident Webb Simpson will tee it up at his local TOUR event. He’s finished second and fourth at this event… Gary Woodland continues his comeback after brain surgery at the end of last year. He finished 14th the last time he teed it up at Quail Hollow and had a career-high fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship in 2015… Adam Scott has had a steady 2024 campaign with five top-25 finishes in eight starts. He finished fifth the last time he teed it up at the Wells Fargo Championship… Nine-time TOUR winner Matt Kuchar, whose career-best at Quail Hollow is a T23, rounds out the sponsor exemptions.

SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: Wells Fargo is the sixth Signature Event on the 2024 PGA TOUR schedule… Kevin Tway, who finished No. 154 on last year’s FedExCup Fall standings – meaning he'd compete on Past Champion status in 2024 – took full advantage of the chance provided by the Aon Swing 5 over the last few weeks. He finished third at the Corales Puntacana Championship (after getting in on his number), partnered with Kelly Kraft for a T11 at the Zurich Classic, and finished ninth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. He outlasted Chad Ramey, Wesley Bryan and Martin Trainer for the fifth spot… Pendrith (winner of THE CJ CUP), Ben Kohles, Billy Horschel and Alex Noren rounded out the Aon Swing 5… No player moved inside the Aon Next 10 at THE CJ CUP with Ludvig Åberg, Matthieu Pavon, Lowry, Stephan Jaeger, Will Zalatoris, Akshay Bhatia, Jake Knapp, Justin Thomas, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Austin Eckroat the qualifiers there… The next Signature Event on the TOUR schedule is the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. The next round of the Aon Swing 5 kick-starts this week at the Myrtle Beach Classic, played alongside the Wells Fargo Championship.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: Thanks to his T4 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Byeong Hun An moved up one spot in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 to No. 8, with Pavon moving into the No. 9 spot… There was no other movement in the TOUR TOP 10 with Scheffler continuing his stranglehold on the top… Last year’s winner of the Wells Fargo Championship, Clark, remains No. 2… Pendrith’s win at THE CJ CUP saw the Canadian move to No. 34 in the standings… An and Chris Kirk remain the only players who have been in the TOUR TOP 10 every week so far this season.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 700 FedExCup points.

COURSE: Quail Hollow Club, par 71, 7,558 yards. After last year’s Wells Fargo Championship, the club closed for a few months for a renovation to prepare for this year’s TOUR event and next year’s PGA Championship. The club redid all the tees and greens, installed a new drainage system and, for the first time in 16 years, overhauled the bunkers. Laid out by George Cobb in the early 1960s, the club was re-worked by Tom Fazio as it prepared for the PGA Championship in 2017. Its "Green Mile" closing stretch (Nos. 16, 17, 18) continues to be one of the toughest on TOUR.

72-HOLE RECORD: 265, Clark (2023). McIlroy’s 21-under 267 in 2015 came when par for the course was 72.

18-HOLE RECORD: 61, McIlroy (Round 3, 2015).

LAST TIME: Clark won by four shots – and set the tournament scoring record in the process – for his maiden PGA TOUR title to kick-start an incredible run on the game’s biggest stages. Clark opened Sunday with a two-shot lead, surrendered it to Xander Schauffele after seven holes, and stormed back to play his final 11 holes in 4 under for the win. Clark finished at 19 under, four strokes clear of Schauffele. Clark was trending in the right direction heading into the week in Charlotte, having finished in the top six in three of his previous five tournaments. He would go on to win his first major, the U.S. Open, in June. Harris English and Tyrrell Hatton tied for third, with Tommy Fleetwood and Adam Scott sharing fifth place.

HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET):

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
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• Special programming alert: 'Live on the Range,' this Wednesday: Get up close and personal with your favorite PGA TOUR stars as they dial in their game ahead of the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship during PGA TOUR Live's "On the Range." Tune in this Wednesday for expert analysis, Golfbet previews, DraftKings betting insights, player interviews and more.

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