After Lee Hodges convincing win at TPC Twin Cities last week, the PGA Tour heads to Greensboro, North Carolina for the final regular season event of the year. Tom Kim got his first career win here last year with a score of -20. The field this week will battle to crack the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings for a spot in next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship. There are a few notable names on the bubble including Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, and Adam Scott. Here is everything you need to know for this week’s Wyndham Championship.
Sedgefield Country Club
Sedgefield Country Club has played host to the Wyndham Championship annually since 2008. It is one of two courses on tour designed by the famous Donald Ross, the other being Detroit Country Club. In 2007, Sedgefield Country Club went through a major renovation, completely restructuring the golf course to its original intended design. The greens were transitioned from bentgrass to bermuda. Overall, Sedgefield Country Club is known for its tight and undulating fairways, with some difficult dog legs mixed in.
This week will be playing to a par 70, just north of 7,100 yards. Three long par-4’s on the back proved the most difficult for the field last year. 14 and 18 produced the most bogeys, while 11 was only birdied 48 times. The winning scores since 2007 have all been around -20. With playoff implications on the line, expect -22 to be the winning number this week.
The Field
Take a look at the full field and betting odds here.
Last year’s champion Tom Kim will be absent from the field this week due to an ankle sprain he suffered during the Open Championship. Other past champions in the field include JT Poston, Brandt Snedeker, and Si Woo Kim.
Sungjae Im placed 2nd here last year and is back in the field. He missed the cut last week at the 3M Open.
The attention will be on those right around the top 70 bubble in the FedEx Cup standings. Justin Thomas sits 79th, and Shane Lowry sits at 76th heading into the week. Other notables include Adam Scott (81st), Joel Dahmen (82) and Danny Willett (83). All of these guys need a big week to get into next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Players to Watch
Justin Thomas birdied 4 of his last 5 on Friday last week at the 3M Open, but it still wasn’t enough to get him through to the weekend. He’s had very difficult season thus far, and was not originally in the field for this event. Another factor to consider for JT is the upcoming Ryder Cup. He currently sits 14th in the USA Ryder Cup Standings, with 12 spots on the team available. Given his successful history in the Ryder Cup, a good week and a playoff appearance would go a long way for JT being one of this year’s captain’s picks.
Alex Smalley is a member at Sedgefield Country Club, and he currently sits 47th in the FedEx Cup standings. He’s had a solid year overall, recently finishing T9 at the Travelers Championship, and T2 at the John Deere Classic. Alex also finished T13 here last year with a score of -10. Expect Smalley to be in contention this week on his home course.
Billy Horschel finally picked up some momentum last week finishing T13 at TPC Twin Cities, but currently sits at 116th in the FedEx Cup standings. Horschel hasn’t had a great year by any means, and hadn’t cracked the top 40 since February before last week. He will need for a massive week to play himself into the top 70, but looks to build on his solid play last week. Expect Billy to come out with an aggressive approach.
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