Steve Palmer's Wells Fargo Championship first-round preview and free golf betting tips

Where to watch the Wells Fargo Championship

Sky Sports Golf, 4pm Thursday

Best bets

Hideki Matsuyama to win 5.28pm threeball
3pts 9-5 Hills

Collin Morikawa to win 4.33pm threeball
2pts 7-5 BoyleSports

Tommy Fleetwood top Englishman
2pts 6-5 Betfair, Paddy Power

Rory McIlroy and Max Homa dual forecast
1pt 100-1 bet365

Wells Fargo Championship first-round preview

Three weeks off after the Masters has probably done Hideki Matsuyama the world of good, allowing the Japanese ace to heal the little niggles which so often bother him, and the former world number two looks an excellent first-round threeball option for the Wells Fargo Championship.

Matsuyama, who finished fifth in the 2017 USPGA Championship at Quail Hollow, possesses the ball-striking class to handle a course this week which is playing soft and long. The 2021 Masters champion is much preferred to Viktor Hovland and Sahith Theegala.

Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational in the middle of February, carding a sensational final-round 62, and he followed up with 12th place at Bay Hill, sixth at Sawgrass, seventh in the Texas Open and 38th at Augusta.

Hovland, in contrast, has been working on swing changes this year with a new coach and has miserable 2024 form figures of 22-58-19-36-62-MC. Theegala seems a bigger threat to Matsuyama in this group, but the Californian finished 56th on his Quail Hollow debut last year and may lack the long-game solidity to stay out of trouble.

Collin Morikawa also appeals as a day-one investment. Morikawa suddenly found top gear in the Masters, finishing third, then followed up with ninth place in the RBC Heritage. He showed he could handle Quail Hollow when scoring two points from three matches in the 2022 Presidents Cup.

Rickie Fowler has been generally ragged this season, while Jordan Spieth continues to battle a wrist issue and has missed four of his last five cuts, so Morikawa can boss the 4.33pm contest.

Tommy Fleetwood will be looking forward to this tournament, having tied for third in the Masters last month, and 6-5 seems generous about him ending the Wells Fargo as top Englishman. Fleetwood finished fifth in last year's Wells Fargo and is suited to the challenge. He has only Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose to beat in this section.

Rory McIlroy and Max Homa, who both adore Quail Hollow, have been drawn in the same group for the first two days. The 100-1 dual forecast price about these two prolific Wells Fargo champions is too juicy to resist.

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