Can Rory McIlroy win again in North Carolina?
Finally! The monkey is off the back for Jason Dufner as he captured his first career PGA Tour win last week in a playoff over Ernie Els at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. It took two extra holes, but Dufner finally got the win that has eluded him these last two years. Although Els came up short, his runner-up finish did move him up to 40th in the world golf rankings, moving him closer to locking up a spot in this years U.S. Open. As the Tour leaves the bayou, we head East to the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina for the Wells Fargo Championship, where Lucas Glover will look to defend his 2011 title. A favorite destination among Tour players, the WFC annually draws one of the deeper fields in golf. The gathering of marquee names such as Woods, McIlroy, and Westwood is the main reason this has become the second biggest non-major event on the schedule behind The Players Championship. There’s many big names who should contend this week, but don’t overlook some dark horses who just may steal the show. It’s time to take a look at who to target in your fantasy golf games this week.
Webb Simpson – My pick to win last week, I’m feeling good about Simpson again here. I just can’t overlook a guy who leads the PGA Tour in birdie average (4.39). He’s been solid all year and is coming off a T16 finish last week in New Orleans. The guy was born in Raleigh, went to Wake Forest, and lives in Charlotte…can you say ‘crowd favorite’? In a tournament featuring the who’s who of golf, don’t be surprised if Simpson steals the spotlight this weekend.
Bill Haas – Another Wake Forest product, Haas already has two top-5 finishes this year, including a victory earlier this year in California at the Northern Trust Open. He ranks 12th on Tour in par-4 scoring, 25th in final round average (70.13), and proved at The Tour Championship last season that he can get up and down from ANYWHERE. Call it a fluke if you want, but that up and down he made to win the FedEx Cup last year showed me that this guy has the clutch gene, a threat to win each and every week. One of the most consistent players on Tour, look for Haas to be in the hunt come Sunday.
Bobby Gates – Fantasy Golf sleeper alert! Gates’ 6th place finish here in 2011 was his second best finish of the year. Coming off his second top-25 of the year last week, Gates is looking to gain momentum, and a return trip to Quail Hollow should help him do just that. A bomber off the tee, Gates leads the Tour in eagles made, and you can never go wrong with a guy who makes a lot of those. On a side note, his Texas A&M golf team just won the Big XII Championship last week, giving Gates another reason to smile. Feel good, play good right? You bet.
Rory McIlroy – Let’s see, which stat should you go with to back Rory as a solid pick this week. Hmm, how about the fact that he’s won here before (2010)? What about that course record he holds here (62)? Ok, well how about his three top-3 finishes in only 4 starts in the U.S. this year? While tempting, I’m not going with any of those options. Instead, I’ll go with a more basic fact; he’s the best golfer in the world…period. When Rory is on, nobody can beat him, and it’s very rare that he’s not on. Every time he tees it up he’s a virtual lock for a top-5 finish. Expect nothing different here this week.
Cullen’s Call – No question here, I’m going with Rors to win it this week. The guy leads the Tour in scoring average (69.58), and it’s his birthday this Friday as well! Expect McIlroy to blow out the candles on another victory at Quail Hollow.
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