A 156-golfer field is set to take on Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte N.C. for the Wells Fargo Championship. The course is a 7,554-yard par 71 that demands length and accuracy off the tee.
Here, we rank the field's top 10 players.
10. Luke List
List remains a relative unknown, likely due to the fact he is winless on the PGA Tour. The 33-year-old ranks sixth in strokes gained: tee to green in 2018 - making him one of the best ball-strikers in the world. If he putts average this week, a win would not be shocking.
9. Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau is quietly putting together an impressive season, with three top-5 finishes in his last six tournaments. He ranks 14th in strokes gained: off the tee and second in par-5 scoring in 2018, two key areas that will lead to success at Quail Hollow.
8. Paul Casey
Casey's consecutive cuts-made streak was snapped at 30 after the world No. 13 missed the cut at the RBC Heritage. The 40-year-old will look to start a new streak at Quail Hollow, where he finished in a tie for 13th at last year's PGA Championship.
7. Phil Mickelson
Dating back to 2007, Mickelson's results at Quail Hollow include a string of 10 straight cuts made, six top-5 results, and only two finishes outside the top 15. Lefty is playing excellent golf, making seven consecutive cuts and winning the WGC - Mexico Championship in March.
6. Patrick Reed
The Masters champ shook off his post-Augusta hangover last week at the Zurich Classic, finishing tied for seventh, giving Reed five straight top-10 finishes. The 27-year-old was a runner-up at Quail Hollow last year, which seems to have been forgotten.
5. Rickie Fowler
Fowler picked up his first win on the PGA Tour at Quail Hollow, defeating Rory McIlroy in a playoff in 2012. He's coming off a runner-up result at the Masters and will look to extend his streak to eight events gaining strokes off the tee.
4. Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood ranks third in strokes gained: off the tee and forth in strokes gained: tee to green for the 2018 season. The Englishman is a world-class ball-striker and owns all the tools required to claim his first PGA Tour title this week.
3. Tony Finau
Finau impressed the world with his Masters performance after dislocating his ankle, finishing tied for tenth. His form continued last week, carrying teammate Daniel Summerhays to a sixth-place result. Finau's length will be a major factor this week and his first marquee tour win may be in the cards.
2. Justin Thomas
Thomas won the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, the only golfer to claim victory here after a few holes were redesigned in 2016. The course's length plays right into the Kentucky native's wheelhouse, as Thomas ranks eighth on tour in driving distance.
1. Rory McIlroy
Rory and Quail Hollow go together like peanut butter and jelly. He's a two-time winner at this track, 2015 and 2010, with four additional top-10 finishes in eight attempts. The 28-year-old set the course record in 2015 en route to setting a tournament scoring record at 21-under. Anything but a win would be a disappointment.
Special mention: Tiger Woods did not crack the top 10 due to unanswered questions about his ability to drive the ball. Tiger's high finishes this season were at courses where hitting driver was not a necessity. Quail Hollow's length will force Tiger to hit the big stick more often than he would like.
The Wells Fargo Championship begins Thursday at 7:00 a.m. ET.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
