After backing up a strong start with an equally solid performance, it’s now Xander Schauffele vs. the field at the Wells Fargo Championship.

An opening 64 gave Schauffele a three-shot lead, and he kept his foot on the gas in the second round at the Quail Hollow Club. Through 36 holes, Schauffele has only made two bogeys (No. 18 both days), and at 11-under, he sits four shots clear of former Wells Fargo winners Rory McIlroy and Jason Day.

After opening at +1000 at BetMGM Sportsbook, Schauffele is now listed at less than even money to take home the title that narrowly got away from him in the Queen City last year.

Updated odds to win Wells Fargo Championship (via BetMGM Sportsbook):

• -135: Xander Schauffele (11-under)
• +400: Rory McIlroy (7-under)
• +1400: Jason Day (7-under)
• +2000: Sungjae Im (6-under)
• +2200: Collin Morikawa (5-under)
• +2500: Byeong-Hun An (4-under)
• +3000: Taylor Moore (6-under)
• +4000: Sahith Theegala (4-under)

Schauffele is undeniably in the driver’s seat, but this is a course where big shifts in the leaderboard are never far away. Here’s a look at how I’m viewing the standings at the halfway point in search of line value:

Draws

Jason Day (+1400)

No, this article is not written by Ben Everill. But I’m bullish on the Aussie at this point, considering his affinity for the course and position on the leaderboard – combined with this price.

Yes, Schauffele stands a great chance to win. But should he falter, I love the prospect of getting Day at more than triple the price of McIlroy when they both head into the weekend at 7-under and T2. Day won here back in 2018 and also contended at the 2017 PGA Championship during the height of his powers, and when his game is firing on all cylinders it’s the sort of place where he should have great success.

Day leads the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and sits fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green. He’ll need to keep the driver in line, as he lost strokes off the tee during Friday’s 3-under 68. But he certainly won’t blink at an opportunity to add another trophy to his collection should Schauffele open the door.

Taylor Moore (+3000)

On a board filled with household names, perhaps Moore is being offered at a discount despite his 36-hole position. Already a winner on TOUR at last year’s Valspar Championship, Moore has put up some solid results in the year-plus since that include a runner-up finish at the Texas Children's Houston Open.

Moore has been solid in nearly every aspect at the halfway point, highlighted by a field-best, 12-of-15 scrambling performance. He’s also fifth this week in SG: Putting while hitting it long enough to handle the burly par 4s at Quail Hollow. Moore was trading in the +9000 range before the tournament began, but this is still an attractive price given his leaderboard position and the fact that there are only three players above him in the standings.

Fades

Xander Schauffele (-135)

Can’t back the price, even if Schauffele is in the driver’s seat. This one got away over the weekend a year ago, as he played with eventual champion Wyndham Clark in each of the final two rounds. So there’s definitely a revenge factor in play, on top of the fact that Schauffele has now gone nearly two full years since his most recent victory.

But it’s hard to close on TOUR, with Ben Kohles’ collapse last week in Dallas just the latest example. There are also two trends going against Schauffele at this stage: He’s just 1-for-5 in converting 36-hole leads in his career, with the lone victory coming at the 2022 Travelers Championship. He’s also now the fourth player to lead by at least four shots at the halfway point this season, but only one (Akshay Bhatia at the Valero Texas Open) turned that into a victory: Patrick Cantlay coughed up a five-shot lead at Riviera, while Wyndham Clark couldn’t close out THE PLAYERS despite leading by four at this stage.

It's all to say that if you’re sitting on a Schauffele +1000 ticket from before the tournament began, you have reason to feel good. He’ll win a good percentage of permutations from here. But there are too many variables in play, and too many top-tier names trying to chase him down, to consider laying a price like -135 with two rounds to play.

Sungjae Im (+2000)

It’s been a sluggish 2024 season for the two-time TOUR winner, who has dropped from 27th to 38th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Im won in his native South Korea two weeks ago but promptly withdrew from THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson upon his return. Now he’s back in the mix, but largely on the heels of an unexpectedly hot putter. Im is third this week in SG: Putting despite the fact that he ranks 129th on the greens this season. He’s a better putter than his 2024 stats indicate, but he’s likely rolling them in at an unsustainable pace in Charlotte, North Carolina. Look for ways to take the other side in weekend head-to-heads, and I far prefer Moore at the same price at this stage.

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