Three-time tournament champion Rory McIlroy headlines a field of just 69 players at this week's Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.
The $20 million signature event is the last tune-up for some of the best players in the world before the PGA Championship next week. McIlroy, the Wells Fargo champion in 2010, 2015 and 2021, is the highest-ranked player in the field (No. 2) and the tournament favorite after he teamed up with Shane Lowry to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans two weeks ago.
While McIlroy is entangled with the latest off-the-course news -- a plan for him to take over Webb Simpson's seat on the PGA Tour policy board garnered resistance from some of his peers -- he feels winning the team event in New Orleans "freed" him up a bit.
"I think it did a world of good for both of us, for Shane and I, just in terms of setting us up for the rest of the season, giving us some confidence knowing that we could get the job done whenever we needed to," the Northern Irishman said.
The only player ranked higher in the Official World Golf Ranking, Scottie Scheffler, is taking another week off as he and his wife Meredith Scheffler await the birth of their first child. Sweden's Ludvig Aberg (the World No. 6) also backed out to tend to a knee issue, but seven of the world's top 10 are in Charlotte to prepare for the next major championship while also chasing a major payday.
"This is one of my favorite tour events, one of my favorite golf courses," defending champion Wyndham Clark said. "If there's anything that I before the year get excited about, it's this event. So I'm really focused on this week. It's fun, it's my first chance to defend. I don't know what that's like, so it's been exciting."
Clark shot a course-record 265 last year en route to beating Xander Schauffele by four strokes. Six weeks later, the previously anonymous Clark broke through and won his first major at the U.S. Open.
A lot has changed for the 30-year-old, who entered last year's Wells Fargo ranked No. 163 in the world. He's now No. 3.
"It's honestly really humbling and fun to be in this position," Clark said. "I'm just really looking to continue to grow and get better. I like to think this is just the beginning, and hopefully it's the start of a lot of really good golf in the future years."
Clark, Schauffele and Lowry make up one threesome that will tee off on the back nine of Quail Hollow on Thursday. The tournament moved first-round tee times back three hours in reaction to thunderstorms in the weather forecast. The first groups will go off at 11 a.m.
That won't be a problem for such a small field, a distillation of the best players on the PGA Tour and the players who've earned their way into signature events via the Aon Swing 5. Last week's winner of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Taylor Pendrith of Canada, and last week's runner-up Ben Kohles are in the field via that pathway.
Another player to watch is Max Homa, who not only won the event in 2019 and 2022 but also went a perfect 4-0-0 at the 2022 Presidents Cup held at Quail Hollow.
"Yeah, always one of my favorite cities that we go to," Homa said. "I love this place, love the food, got family, friends here, love the golf course, have some cool memories that I always get to kind of reminisce on. ... Unfortunately might not get the best weather, so I'm soaking in what we've got today."
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The Indianapolis Colts must have zero belief that Anthony Richardson is capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL. That is the only logical conclusion one can draw from their decision to go with Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback for the 2025 season, while also giving him a lengthy leash to play through. It's not only nonsensical, but it sets the stage for what could be a completely wasted season of football where they do not get anything from it. Whether the Colts decided to go with Jones or Richardson, their ceiling was unlikely to change. They're not a Super Bowl-contending team, and they may not even be a playoff team. The Colts have a very flawed roster that is probably more than just one quarterback away. But that's part of the reason why it would have at least made sense to give Richardson one more run at it. While the early part of his career has been filled with injuries and inconsistency, he is still a player they used a No. 4 overall pick on. He is also a player who is still full of talent, a big arm and — in theory — a lot of potential. He is in a lot of ways still a mystery and something of an unknown as an NFL player. He's played only 15 games, thrown just 348 passes and is still 23 years old. There is still something there that a team can dream on. It would make sense to try to see if he can figure it out given that unknown potential and upside. Jones, on the other hand, is the complete opposite in every way. He is a mostly known commodity in the NFL. He has appeared in 70 regular-season games and thrown 2,241 passes, and he is going to be 28 years old when the season begins. There are no secrets here. Everybody knows what he is: veteran mediocrity. Sure, there is a chance he could follow the path of Geno Smith and finally put things together and become an above-average starter after washing out with the New York Giants. But those types of success stories are the exception and not the rule. After six years and nearly 2,500 passes in the NFL you start to get a sense for what a quarterback is and what they can do. Jones has shown everybody who and what he is as an NFL starting quarterback: not good enough. What are the Colts hoping to accomplish here? Maybe Jones is a marginal upgrade over Richardson right now. But is he enough of an upgrade to take them from a mid-level, average team to a playoff team or a contender? Not likely. Not in a stacked AFC. Due to Richardson's upside, if he can reach it, he might actually have the ability to do that. That alone should have been the incentive to give him one more run at it. If he washes out, then you might know for sure that he is not your answer and that you need to seriously look at the position again in 2026. The season might not go well, but it at least wouldn't be a waste. Right now, the Colts just seem to be hoping that Jones can get them to another eight- or nine-win season that keeps them squarely in the middle of the NFL standings. Nobody wants to see that. Nobody wants to watch that. They should have at least given Richardson one more swing at it. Now they have pretty much already written him off as a potential option without ever really knowing for sure if he could do the job or reach his potential.
For the first time since early July, the Milwaukee Brewers have lost back-to-back games, dropping both contests of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. They lost the first game 6-4 and the second 4-1. In both games, their starting pitchers, Chad Patrick and Brandon Woodruff, failed to keep their pitch counts low and Cubs hitters off the basepaths. The second game was especially frustrating as Milwaukee’s offense forced Cubs starter Jameson Taillon to throw 30 pitches in the first inning, a frame that saw them score their only run, only to swing early and often after the opening frame, allowing Chicago’s starter to get through six innings. Taillon threw just 62 pitches between the second and sixth innings, and at one point retired 11 Brewers hitters in row. But the two games were not the only things Milwaukee lost on Tuesday. It appears they will be without their starting shortstop, Joey Ortiz, tomorrow and perhaps longer. Milwaukee Brewers Shortstop Joey Ortiz Has a Bone Bruise in His Knee Ortiz was 0-2 with a walk in the Game One of the doubleheader, but was pinch hit for later in the game by Anthony Seigler, who struck out. In Game Two, Ortiz was 1-3, but was not able to finish the game. He fouled a ball of his knee during his last at bat, prompting the Brewers to replace him Andruw Monasterio. Of course, Brewers fans’ minds immediately went to 2019 when Christian Yelich broke his knee cap when he fouled a ball off of it late in the season. Fortunately, x-rays revealed that Ortiz did not break any bones. Rather, he has a bone bruise which, in addition to some stomach issues, will keep him out of the lineup on Wednesday: Ortiz is hitting .233/.285/.329 with seven home runs and 43 RBI this season. It is likely that Monasterio will start in place of Ortiz.
After reports surrounding Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr.’s imminent exit amid trade interest, that notion was confirmed this week. Coach Dan Quinn confirmed the Commanders’ plans for Robinson Jr. as he was also inactive in Monday’s 31-17 preseason loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. After the loss, Quinn released a statement that the Commanders and Robinson Jr. would be going their separate ways, which means a potential trade should be coming down the pike soon, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “Brian Robinson Jr. did not play, and Dan Quinn pretty much, confirming that they’re going to move on from Robinson here,” Garafolo said. “He is set to make a total of $3.5 million per this season in the final year of his deal. So, it’s looking like a potential trade. Both sides agreed he’s not going to play to play in that game to keep a trade alive — didn’t want him to get hurt in that case.” Still, there isn’t an apparent reason why the Commanders are actively shopping Robinson Jr. for potential suitors. “I know there’s interest because, as I’ve reported this, I’ve heard from teams that are saying, “What happened there?” How did he fall out of favor? Does he want a new contract? Yeah, I mean, eventually he does,” Garafolo added. “But this is a contract year, and right now, given this situation, my understanding is he wants the best possible situation for him to have the best possible season to set him up for a payday this offseason as a free agent. “So, right now, all about fit for Brian Robinson. I believe he’s going to have a new home. If it’s not via trade and they got to cut him, he’ll have a new home in short order,” Garafolo concluded. Dan Quinn hints at Brian Robinson Jr’s Commanders exit The plans to sit Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. against the Bengals only fueled trade interest until head coach Dan Quinn’s public interest confirmed suspicion. “There’s just a lot of moving parts this time of year,” Quinn said via a team transcript. “Those things take place. And so I just wanted to make sure that’s my responsibility to let the team know whenever I can, so they’re not hearing any information from anywhere else. So that was all more of the standard operating procedure for me.” Quinn added that he has too much respect for Robinson Jr. to reveal what led to the Commanders’ decision to part ways with their veteran running back.
The San Francisco 49ers recently attempted to trade for Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III but were beaten out by the Philadelphia Eagles, who reportedly made a stronger offer. Wide receiver remains a pressing need for the 49ers, with Deebo Samuel gone and Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Jordan Watkins all working their way back from injuries. However, Bleacher Report's Moe Moton argues that another position may need immediate attention—running back. He floated five potential trade packages for Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr., who, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, is being shopped around the league. Robinson has been a reliable starter, appearing in 41 games with 37 starts over three NFL seasons. He's rushed for 2,329 yards (4.1 yards per carry), caught 65 passes for 587 yards, and scored 20 total touchdowns (15 rushing, five receiving), per Pro Football Reference. Interestingly, Moton compared Robinson's value to former 49ers running back Jordan Mason, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in March. In his hypothetical scenario, San Francisco would send 2026 fourth- and sixth-round draft picks to Washington in exchange for Robinson, giving the 49ers proven depth behind star running back Christian McCaffrey. "Head coach Kyle Shanahan expects Isaac Guerendo to miss a few weeks with a shoulder injury," Moton noted. "Going back to last year, he's missed time because of minor injuries. Rookie fifth-rounder Jordan James underwent surgery on a broken finger." Additionally, two running backs suffered injuries this past weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders. Patrick Taylor will miss time with a dislocated shoulder, and Corey Kiner is out after sustaining a high-ankle sprain. San Francisco recently signed veteran running back Jeff Wilson Jr., who rejoins the team he started his NFL career with after a three-year stint with the Miami Dolphins. Wilson scored a touchdown against the Raiders in his first game back. "If the 49ers want to lighten Christian McCaffrey's workload, they must add a durable running back to the rotation," Moton added. "Robinson can grind out yards between the tackles, which would allow McCaffrey to stay fresh for the length of the regular season." Ultimately, whether San Francisco makes a move for Robinson—or any other running back—will depend on how quickly Guerendo, James, and the rest of the injured backs can return to action.