Top 125 or bust!
Top 125 receive their TOUR card for next year and will be in the FedExCup Playoffs starting next week.
80th Wyndham Championship
Sedgefield Country Club
Greensboro, North Carolina
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,127 |
| Par: | 70 (35-35) |
| Greens: | Champion Bermuda; 6,500 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12′ |
| Rough: | Bermuda at 2.25″ |
| Bunkers: | 48 |
| Water Hazards: | 12 |
| Architects: | Donald Ross (1926); Kris Spence (2007) |
| Purse: | $6.2 million/$1.116 winner/500 FEC Points |
| Defending Champion: | Brandt Snedeker |
| Fact of the Week: | This is it. Top 125 receive cards and full playing privileges for next season. |
| Missing Men: | Only 3 of the top 25 OWGR are playing this week. |
Previous Winners at Sedgefield:
| Year | Winner | Score | Comment |
| 2018 | Brandt Snedeker | -21 | 59 in Round 1, won by 3 as Simpson and Pan melted on No. 18 Sunday. |
| 2017 | Henrik Stenson | -22 | Tournament record as he won by a shot. |
| 2016 | Si Woo Kim | -21 | Set the course and tournament record (60; 259). |
| 2015 | Davis Love III | -17 | Third oldest winner on TOUR at 51. |
| 2014 | Camilo Villegas | -17 | Held off home favorite Bill Haas by a shot. |
| 2013 | Patrick Reed | PO | Beat Jordan Spieth in the first event with Champion Bermuda greens. |
2018-19 Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Safeway Open | Kevin Tway** |
| CIMB Classic | Marc Leishman |
| CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES | Brooks Koepka |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Cameron Champ** |
| WGC-HSBC Champions | Xander Schauffele |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children | Bryson DeChambeau |
| Mayakoba Golf Classic | Matt Kuchar |
| The RSM Classic | Charles Howell III |
| Hero World Challenge* | Jon Rahm |
| Sentry TOC | Xander Schauffele (2) |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Matt Kuchar (2) |
| 60th Desert Classic | Adam Long** |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Justin Rose |
| Waste Management | Rickie Fowler |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Phil Mickelson |
| Genesis Open | J.B. Holmes |
| WGC-Mexico Championship | Dustin Johnson |
| The Honda Classic | Keith Mitchell** |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Francesco Molinari |
| THE PLAYERS | Rory McIlroy |
| Valspar Championship | Paul Casey |
| WGC-Match Play | Kevin Kisner |
| Corales Punta Cana | Graeme McDowell |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners** |
| 83rd Masters Tournament | Tiger Woods |
| RBC Heritage | C.T. Pan** |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Ryan Palmer & Jon Rahm (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Max Homa** |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Sung Kang** |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka (2) |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Kevin Na |
| Memorial | Patrick Cantlay |
| RBC Canadian Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| United States Open | Gary Woodland |
| Travelers Championship | Chez Reavie |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Nate Lashley** |
| 3M Open | Matt Wolff** |
| John Deer Classic | Dylan Frittelli** |
| The Open Championship | Shane Lowry |
| WGC-SJCI | Brooks Koepka (3) |
(* unofficial event; **First-time winner)
Facts and Figures:
| Tournament Record (course): | 258; Stenson (2017) |
| Course Record: | 59; Brandt Snedeker (2018) |
| Defending Champions (entered): | None since the event move from Forest Oaks in 2007. |
| Multiple Winners (entered) | Snedeker (2007 Forest Oaks, last year) |
| First TOUR win (WGC): | Si Woo Kim (2016) and Patrick Reed (2013). |
| First win in first appearance: | Nope |
| Notes: | 156 cut to 70 and ties. |
| Notes II: | Of the 11 winners, six have been internationals. |
| Notes III: | Of the last eight winners, five have won THE PLAYERS (Simpson, Garcia, DL3, Si Woo Kim and Stenson). |
Thoughts
Plenty are playing for something this week but it those who are comfortable who tend to usually win here (see list above).
Back-to-back week on Bermuda for the top players while the rank-and-file will have to adjust from Poa-Bent last week in Reno.
A short track with barely any rough plus big targets = putting contest so find guys who aren’t afraid to rack up tons of birdies and who are able to get the flat stick going. This isn’t a week where par will do a damn bit of good. The last four years the cut has been 3-under so it’s time to leave it all on the table and go low.
For those who can’t put, hit it closer! For those who can’t find huge greens, better get up-and-down. Thankfully, just about every hole presents a chance to make birdie.
The last three winning scores have been the course record, the new course record and the old course record.
The last four years 61 or better has been posted.
There’s your road map!
The Chalk
Webb Simpson: T11 or better in eight of nine; 67.00 scoring average. Closed with 62 last year for T2.
Brandt Snedeker: T3 and WIN in his last two; 36-under aggregate.
Patrick Reed: Previous champ has been knocking in his last five here, there and everywhere.
Collin Morikawa: Since he hasn’t finished outside of T4 in his last three, he goes fourth this week. Ball-striking machine should be able to carry on his momentum from his win last week. He’s not doing this with smoke and mirrors, folks.
Billy Horschel: 3 top 17 including a pair of top 10s in his last five. Best WGC finish last week at a course he loves followed by Sedgefield where he’s 20 of 26 in the red this week.
Hideki Matsuyama: He put a new putter in play last week. Hit it closer bro. Closed 64-65 last year for T11 so keep peppering GIR.
Cameron Smith: I’d play him each way just in case he doesn’t win. Opened and closed with 63 (T7) in his last visit in 2017 and is starting to smolder the last few weeks.
Rory Sabbatini: Season of his life minus a win. Last Donald Ross course he played he picked up T3 in Detroit.
Paul Casey: English Matsuyama. English Kuchar. Safe and steady.
Lucas Glover: Broke out in Minnesota (T7) and followed that with T10 at JDC and T20 at Royal Portrush. All eight paydays are T30 or better and has a 61 to his name.
Sungjae Im: Nobody makes more birdies or has as many rounds in the 60s. Some will argue he plays a lot. I’ll argue he plays a lot AND GOES LOW A LOT AND MAKES A LOT OF BIRDIES. No first-time winners here though.
Joaquin Niemann: Blazing balls hot (T5, T5, T23 and T10) before MC at Royal Portrush. This ain’t Royal Portrush. All those top finishes came on traditionally easy tracks, just like this one.
Chez Reavie: Got out of the funk with a T27 at No-Cut WGC last week and that should turn him back to normal. Sprinkler lines and one-putts coming up!
Jordan Spieth: Wide open place to spray it should help but needs to eliminate the big numbers. Of the last five winners just one was in the top 35 for fairways on the week.
Just Missed/Long Shots/Etc
Scott Piercy: Notorious for making birdies and going low, good formula this week.
Viktor Hovland: Watching his buddies win must be driving him crazy but he hasn’t MC in five starts as a pro. Last three T13, T13 and T16 suggest he’s not far behind.
Martin Laird: Racked up paydays in 10 of his last 12 on TOUR with back-to-back top 10s the last two weeks in opposite event fields. Interestingly enough, this feels like one. He’s never MC in eight tries (1 WD).
Martin Kaymer: On the outside looking in but he plays well here and has been turning on the class recently worldwide. T40 or better with zero MC in his last seven anyhwere.
Charles Howell III: Broke a MASSIVE trend with T6 at JDC, his first top 10 in forever after May. He’s been playing well and is trending so I’m game for a gamble.
Harris English: After getting off to a rough start in calendar 2019, English has cashed in 13 of his last 16. His T11 here last year made it five from five.
Doc Redman: Raleigh born so it’s almost a home game this week. Second in Detroit plus T20 at Royal Portrush suggests he plays the classics well.
Ryan Armour: T4 and T8 in his last two starts here with five of those eight going for 66 or better.
Kevin Streelman: In field of this ilk, I’ll lean on a guy who has made his last nine weekends on TOUR.
Bud Cauley: A pair of top 10s from four starts sticks out.
Matthew Wolff: He is until he isn’t.
Brice Garnett: T37 or better in his last four all on easy tracks. He’s 24-under in his last two here.
Wyndham Clark: He’s done his best work this summer in the heat and his penchant for rolling in birds and holing putts in general sticks out this week.
Johnson Wagner: Another Charlotte guy who has cashed T33 or better in his last three trips to Greensboro.
The Bubble
120 – Aaron Wise
He doesn’t care because he’s fully exempt next year after winning ATTBN in 2018.
121- Brice Garnett
HOLY SHIT I JUST WROTE ABOUT HIM ABOVE.
122 – Pat Perez
2018 CIMB winner earlier this year so all good.
123 – Bassy Munoz
Trending at the right time and in the right direction after T9 at Barbasol and 11th last week at Montreux. Make the cut is the plan, simple as it may be, and he should be through.
124 – Robert Streb
T3 last week has put him IN as of this moment. If he doesn’t make the cut, it’s no longer in his hands.
125 – Alex Noren
Some would suggest moving him up based on his T12 last week at T11 at The Open the week previous. I could suggest that he’s spilled his guts the last two weeks and that hasn’t been enough. Make the cut. Sounds simple enough, right?
Glass Houses 