Sport
Wells Fargo Championship/British Masters preview: Aussie Leishman looks poised for a bold showing
There’s some great action on both sides of the pond this week as defending champion Rory McIlroy headlines the field at the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour, while it’s off to the iconic Belfry for the British Masters on the DP World Tour.
Here are our previews of both events.
Wells Fargo Championship: Leishman can make a Marc on TPC Potomac
McIlroy is very much the one to beat this week and this is a tournament he has done well in having won it three times. The only difference this year is that it’s not being played at his favourite Quail Hollow – scene of this year’s Presidents Cup – and instead it moves to TPC Potomac. That has to be a negative for the Northern Irishman and although he comes into this off the back of a sterling finish at the Masters, he looks short at 17/2.
The stats suggest TPC Potomac will be hard work for the players with the 2017 staging of the Quicken Loans National, won by Kyle Stanley, the hardest non-Major course on the PGA Tour that season. And while Francesco Molinari somehow managed to shoot 21-under-par the following year en route to an eight-stroke victory, that was very much an anomaly, with all the Major tournaments played here requiring less than 10-under to emerge victorious. It’s certainly a course where accuracy and precision outweigh power, so stats like Driving Accuracy and Greens In Regulation will be key.
With course form of fifth in 2017 and 13th in 2018, Marc Leishman has fond memories of this track and the big Aussie looks poised for a bold showing on his third visit. The 38-year-old has been solid if not spectacular this year, making 12 of 13 cuts, but with just one top 10 in 2022, he hasn’t really contended. However, this week’s test looks a fine place to change that given it’s a course that should suit.
Both Stanley and Molinari ranked highly in Greens In Regulation – a stat which Leishman ranks 34th for this season. And while given it’s almost certain to play tough, avoiding mistakes is going to be crucial, so the fact Leishman ranks 24th in Bogie Avoidance this term is another feather in his cap.
He’ll be keen to cement his place in the international Presidents Cup side for later in the year and what better way to do that by winning this week. The Aussie looks a solid bet at 40/1.
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British Masters: Detry’s time to shine
Quite how Thomas Detry has failed to win a professional event is a mystery to most of the golfing world and his time might finally come at this week’s British Masters.
The Belgian is clearly a supremely talented golfer, but with seven seconds to his name in his career, he has always been just one bad swing or putt away from gaining that elusive first victory. Granted, he hasn’t done much this year to warrant enthusiasm, but he’s made six of seven cuts and was last seen finishing in a tie for 15th at the Corales Puntacana Championship. That came back in March and he’s clearly been saving himself for a big tilt at this time of the year.
He has a good record in England having finished second twice in the space of three tournaments back in 2022 and he didn’t play too badly to finish 43rd at this course last year.
The fresh and hopefully confident Belgian should go well at 33/1.
