PGA Tour Fantasy Golf: Wells Fargo Championship Preview

To kick off the month of May we are in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Quail Hollow Country Club for the Wells Fargo Championship. Lucas Glover is the defending champion. The winner will take home $1,170,000 and 500 FedEx Cup Points.

Quail Hollow is another course that puts a premium on accuracy and the short game. Putting is crucial (seriously, when isn't it?) along with scrambling, GIR (Greens in Regulation Percentage) and hitting fairways. Distance off of the tee is not a primary concern here; you're better off going with a player who has a strong short game than a power player or shot maker.

After a less star-studded field last week, we have a very solid field this week. We're going to have to make some tough choices here. Quail Hollow is not an easy golf course by any stretch, so don't expect a ton of players to be under par. With almost $1.2 million going to the winner, this is a good spot to use your elite players.

Yahoo! Weekly Lineup Game

Group A

Phil Mickelson (Starting)—Mickelson hits all of the right notes here. He's ranked 1st on the PGA Tour in Scrambling and 3rd in Strokes Gained-Putting. He finished T4 and T3 in the last two events he has played this season. And his history here? Check out his recent finishes at this event: T9, 2nd, T5, T12 and T3.

Jim Furyk (Bench)—Furyk is another player who is an excellent fit here. He ranks 1st on the PGA Tour in Driving Accuracy Percentage, 27th in Strokes Gained-Putting and 15th in Scrambling. After a bit of a slow start to being 2012, Furyk has finished T8, 11th, T11 and T2 in his last four appearances. He also has an excellent history here. His recent finishes at this event: T24, T7, T11 and 7th.

Also worth using: Keegan Bradley  

Group B

Rory McIlroy (Starting)—Despite a disappointing finish at the Masters (T40), McIlroy has been stellar in his other Tour events this season finishing 2nd, 1st and 3rd in his other three appearances. He's playing golf as well as anybody else on the planet and he plays a limited PGA Tour schedule. He also ranks 20th on Tour in Scrambling, which will be an asset at Quail Hollow.

Lee Westwood (Starting)—Westwood is another European player who doesn't get enough credit for his game. In five PGA Tour appearances this season, Westwood has finished 4th, 4th, T29, T21 and T3. He is extremely accurate, ranking 1st on Tour in GIR and 11th in Driving Accuracy Percentage. Due to his limited PGA Tour schedule, it is wise to use Westwood when you can.

Tiger Woods (Bench)—Quite frankly, Tiger's game scares the hell out of me. His outstanding history at Quail Hollow makes me want to use him, but there is just too much risk right now. Tiger has been more consistent with his putter this season, ranking 9th on Tour in Strokes Gained-Putting. But he can be very erratic off of the tee and is prone to a meltdown and/or mid-round injury. He's on the bench for me for at least this weekend.

Hunter Mahan (Bench)—Mahan jumps out as another excellent option here. He ranks 5th on Tour in Driving Accuracy Percentage, 5th in GIR and 39th in Strokes Gained-Putting. Mahan has already won twice on the PGA Tour this season and he finished T12 in his last appearance which was at Augusta.

Also worth using: Bill Haas 

Group C

Ben Curtis (Starting)—Another hot player, Curtis won the Valero Texas Open two weeks ago and then followed that up with a T13 at the Zurich Classic last weekend. He's been extremely accurate this season, ranking 1st in Driving Accuracy Percentage and 3rd in GIR. His putting hasn't been too shabby either as he ranks 7th on Tour in Strokes Gained-Putting.

Cameron Tringale (Bench)—One truism that has been hammered into my head by writing about this every week is "go with the hot hand." Not many are hotter than Tringale right now. He has finished in the Top-10 (T8, T8 and T7) in his last three appearances. Given that Group C isn't particularly strong this week, there is no reason to bet against him.

Also worth using: Carl Pettersson and John Huh 

Picks for The Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge

GROUP 1: Phil Mickelson

GROUP 2: Ben Curtis

GROUP 3: Chris Stroud

GROUP 4: James Driscoll

Who to choose in your Weekly Survivor/Eliminator/Earnings League?

Here's who I would consider this week: Mickelson, Furyk, McIlroy, Westwood and Mahan.

Since I've already used McIlroy, Westwood and Mahan, that leaves just Mickelson and Furyk. Both of those golfers are excellent fits at Quail Hollow. I'm going to go with Jim Furyk because if Mickelson continues to play at a high level, I can use him in more places than I can use Furyk.

Already Used: Bryce Molder, Steve Marino, Bill Haas, D.A. Points, Martin Laird, Hunter Mahan, K.J. Choi, Rory McIlroy, Jarrod Lyle, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Charl Schwartzel, John Senden, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Bo Van Pelt, Fredrik Jacobson and Charles Howell III.

NOTE: Pay attention to your league rules/format. For instance I am in an Earnings League that has two seasons. One is from the beginning of the year until the US Open and the other is everything after the Open until the end of the season. In such a format there are only 7 events left in Season 1, so if this applies to you, now is the time to use your best golfers.

Good luck to all this week. If you have any comments or questions, please use the comments feature or reach out to me on Twitter.

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