Our selections for the opening round at Quail Hollow this week include the Masters champion and a three-time PGA Championship winner.
The second Major of the year gets underway on Thursday, when the world’s top players head to Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship.
All eyes will be on the world’s top two in the rankings, as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy battle it out for favouritism to lift the Wanamaker Trophy.
A good start is always key in the majors and we have selected our top four players to consider in the golf betting market for first-round leader.
Rory McIlroy (each-way) /
Nobody has a better record at Quail Hollow than McIlroy, who has won on four separate occasions at the North Carolina course.
That stat, coupled with his epic victory at the Masters that helped him achieve the Grand Slam, also sees him head into the PGA Championship in a perfect mindset.
A two-time PGA Championship winner, McIlroy couldn’t have hoped for a better track for the second Major of the year.
The Northern Irishman currently holds the course record at Quail Hollow – shooting a 61 in the 2015 Wells Fargo Championship.
Xander Schauffele (each-way) /
En-route to winning this major last year, Schauffele carded 263 for the four rounds, to leave him -21, the lowest winning score since the tournament turned into a strokeplay event in 1958.
The Californian also fired the lowest 18-hole score at the PGA Championship, when shooting a first-round 62 at Valhalla.
It’s also worth noting that Schauffele has twice finished second in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, in 2023 and 2024.
Brooks Koepka (each-way) /
Only Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have won more PGA titles than Brooks Koepka, who has lifted the Wanamaker Trophy on no fewer than three occasions.
His form on the LIV Tour has not caught the eye of late, with one top-five finish in the seven events to date so far this year, but Koepka has a reputation for turning up in the biggest event with five Major victories on his CV.
Koepka has consistently performed well in this event, with a tie for second and two top-five finishes to go along with his three triumphs.
Sinking putts is often a crucial department when it comes to landing a Major and Koepka ranks tied-fifth in putting average on the LIV tour this season, offering hope of a strong showing this week.
Max Homa (each-way) /
He may have dropped outside the top 50 in the world rankings, but there have been some better signs from Max Homa in recent weeks.
The American missed five consecutive cuts earlier in the year, but a T12 finish at the Masters in April looks to have got him back on track.
Homa followed that up with a T30 finish at the Truist Championship last week, when he carded a first round 66 before falling away over the next three days.
The 34-year-old is also a two-time winner at Quail Hollow, claiming the Wells Fargo spoils in 2019 and 2022, and those happy memories could bring the best out of him.
