Rory McIlroy headlines a strong field of PGA Tour players who will start to gear up for the PGA Championship at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship. The event tees off Thursday at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, which is filling in while usual host Quail Hollow preps for the Presidents Cup. McIlroy has won the event three times, but not on this course, which last hosted a PGA Tour event in 2018. Still, the Northern Irishman is listed as the 7-1 favorite in the latest 2022 Wells Fargo Championship odds from Caesars Sportsbook. No player has won consecutive Well Fargo titles, but McIlroy shot 64 in his most recent round, tying a Sunday Masters record to finish as runner-up. Corey Conners (20-1), Tony Finau (22-1) and Matt Fitzpatrick (22-1) are among the other favorites from the Wells Fargo Championship 2022 field.
Should you expect big things from McIlroy this week and pay the price to have him as the anchor for your 2022 Wells Fargo Fantasy picks? Or will Conners finally break through and give you a better chance to win? Before you lock in any Fantasy golf rankings or make any bets on the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship, be sure to check out the Fantasy golf projections and lineup advice from SportsLine fantasy expert Riley Gates.
Gates is a writer for 247Sports and has covered a range of sports for nearly five years. He has followed golf closely for much longer and has a profound knowledge of the sport. He also knows what it takes to win, on the course and in fantasy sports.
At last week's Mexico Open, he nailed the winner, backing Jon Rahm as his top choice despite the Spaniard's recent slump. The Fantasy expert knew the "softer field" would benefit the former world No. 1 and allow his talent to shine.
The result? The 27-year-old led wire-to-wire and finally closed the deal for his first victory since his U.S. Open triumph nearly a year ago. Rahm had at least a share of the lead seven other times heading into the final round over that span. He finished it off Sunday, and anyone who followed Gates' advice cashed in.
The expert has been on a roll all season. At the Masters, eight of his 20 picks finished in the top eight, including winner Scottie Scheffler and runner-up McIlroy. In fact, the top four players on the final leaderboard were among his picks.
At the Valspar Championship, seven of his picks finished in the top 12, and he was on the money at Phoenix, where his five top selections all ended up in the top 10. He also nailed his picks at the Sentry, with four of his top seven picks posting top-five finishes, and he duplicated that at the Hero World Challenge. Anyone who has followed Gates is way up.
Now, Gates has ranked his top golfers for the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship, and you'll really want to see what he has to say. You can only see his Fantasy golf rankings and Wells Fargo Championship picks at SportsLine.
2022 Wells Fargo Championship expert picks
Gates isn't hesitating to go with the obvious this week and is strongly backing McIlroy. The 32-year-old has dominated in this event, finishing in the top 10 eight times in 10 appearances, including the three victories. He also has far more confidence than he did before breaking an 18-month victory drought with last year's victory. McIlroy won the CJ Cup at 25 under par in October and has seven top-20 finishes in his nine worldwide events since then. His length off the tee – he was second in driving distance last season – should give him a clear advantage.
On the other hand, Gates is fading Ancer, who is among the favorites but doesn't crack the expert's top 15. The 31-year-old was the runner-up at last year's Wells Fargo and shares the Avenel course record (62 in 2018). However, Francesco Molinari matched that in the final round in that 2018 Quicken Loans National, while Ancer shot 72 to finish fourth, 10 strokes back. Ancer has not been in strong form and is 133rd on tour in scoring average (71.4). He made it to the Match Play quarterfinals, but his last top 10 in a stroke-play event came back in November.
How to set your 2022 Wells Fargo Fantasy golf rankings
For this week's event at TPC Potomac, Gates is backing a long shot among his top 10 who comes in at around 50-1. This player has been crushing it off the tee and posting solid results, and he should be a strong piece for your Fantasy golf lineup. You can find out who it is, and check out all of Gates' top Wells Fargo Championship Fantasy golf picks, at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship at Avenel? Who are the top PGA Tour players to target for your Fantasy picks? And which overlooked players can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Riley Gates' Fantasy golf rankings for the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship, all from the fantasy expert who has been on fire with his picks, and find out.
