Wells Fargo Championship 2024 First Round Leader Tips: Three to start fast on Thursday

Our golf tipster Jamie Worsley has already published his Wells Fargo Championship Betting Tips (click to read if you missed it) in his full preview earlier in the week, where he's picked out four players at good each-way prices to win. Now, he's focused on the opening round on Thursday where he has given us three more picks, with his Wells Fargo Championship First Round Leader Tips.

The Wells Fargo Championship begins tomorrow and having looked at the extras, I’ve decided to dip back into the first-round leader market.

The weather forecast is still showing the potential for thunderstorms tomorrow; however, with just two hours separating all of the tee-times in this limited field, it’s unlikely we’ll see any kind of bias.

This means we can pick freely across the playing pool for tomorrow and having made a promising start on his debut at Quail Hollow last year, I’m taking Sahith Theegala to again start strong this week.

1.25 pts Sahith Theegala each-way (1/4, 5 places) – (First-Round Leader) @ 30/1

Start time: 12:28

Sahith’s debut effort in 2023 ultimately resulted in a 56^th-place finish, though after opening with a 4-under 67 he sat 7^th after the first round. Showing his ability to score well at the venue.

He’s been in excellent form this year and comes into this having finished 2^nd on his previous solo start in the RBC Heritage; an event in which he opened with a 5-under 66 to sit 4^th after round one. These quick starts have been somewhat of a trend for his season as a whole, as he sits 32^nd in round one scoring and this has taken him to several other first-round top 5s, such as leading after 18 holes of The Sentry and sitting 2^nd following the close of round one in the Phoenix Open.

Theegala’s combination of strong ball-striking and a hot putter sets him up perfectly for low scoring. Ranking just 2^nd in this field over his last twenty rounds when combining these areas, there are few players as well-equipped to hit the front on Thursday at Quail Hollow.

1 pt Hideki Matsuyama each-way (1/4, 5 places) – (First-Round Leader) @ 35/1

Start time: 12:28

Hideki Matsuyama has been the best tee-to-green player in this field over recent starts and as a player who has often performed well fresh, I fancy him to begin quickly in North Carolina.

His ability to go incredibly low at demanding courses was well on show in that scintillating final round at the Genesis Invitational, where he fired a 62 to go from six behind at the start of the day to a comfortable three-stroke winner.

Since then he racked up several strong finishes in Florida, finishing 12^th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and 6^th in THE PLAYERS Championship; then after finishing 7^th in the Texas Open he went into Augusta well fancied. Though not living up to expectation there, there was little wrong and after a month off he should be feeling rejuvenated for Quail Hollow.

Hideki has had some good performances here, including finishing 5^th in the 2017 PGA Championship, with his second-round 64 tying the best round of the week.

Just four starts ago in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he returned from a three-week absence to shoot 67 and sit 2^nd after the opening round. I’m expecting him to start similarly well this week in comparable circumstances.

0.75 pts Emiliano Grillo each-way (1/4, 5 places) – (First-Round Leader) @ 70/1

Start time: 12:17

Emiliano Grillo has recorded several low rounds at Quail Hollow and ranks top 40 in round one scoring. I’m hoping he can combine the two this week to hit the top of the leaderboard on Thursday.

Grillo has been rock-solid all season, recording just the one missed cut in The Masters. He’s largely been hitting the ball well – something we expect of the Argentinian – but most impressive has been his continued improvements with the putter, ranking 16^th in this field on the greens over the last six months.

These skills have been well on show in the opening rounds, with him ranking 39^th this season in round one scoring. He’s hit the top 10 in the opening round four times in eleven starts, with his best first-round result coming with a 4^th at Pebble Beach.

Grillo has finished inside the top 25 at Quail Hollow in each of his last three visits, over which time he has fired rounds of 66, 67 and two 68s. Sitting 7^th after the opening rounds in 2018 and 2023, he’s also shown he can start fast here and he looks a decent each-way price to do so again.

You can find all Jamie's latest Golf Betting Tips over on our dedicated golf Insights hub.