BlogWyndham Championship Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

I have to talk for a few moments about last week. It was the third time Golf was part of the Olympics and had its most significant success yet. 2016, many didn’t play because of health concerns and the Zika virus. But many players didn’t want to travel down to Brazil. In 2021, many skipped the Olympics in Japan because of Covid, which was understandable. This year, they almost had a perfect record as only one player, Adam Scott, turned down a chance to play in the Olympics. This year’s Olympics was popular with the players, and fans enjoyed it. It helped to have a good leaderboard going into the final round, in which Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, and Tommy Fleetwood were all in contention. It also was well received that Scottie Scheffler won. It ended talk of who would be Player of the Year, and it helped the prospect of Scheffler having the best year since Tiger Woods’s 2000 season, in which he won three of the four majors. Making Scheffler’s win even more excellent was he shot 62 in the final round. Nothing is surprising since he shot a final round 64 to win the Players and a 65 at the Travelers. In 15 starts in 2024, including the Olympics, he has only been out of the top ten once, at the U.S. Open.

Some other items were the final-round collapse of Jon Rahm, who was six ahead of Scheffler with just 8 holes left. Rahm played those 8 holes in five over par, which opened him up to even more criticism for taking a big payday to play in LIV Golf. For the first time since 2016, Rahm hasn’t won on the PGA Tour, and he has even struggled on LIV, winning just once in London two weeks ago. We will never get the true story of how Rahm feels, but you could see in his eyes on the final hole that Rahm was horrified and disgusted with himself. Sure, both Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have won a major while playing LIV golf, but you have to think that all three of them miss the PGA Tour.

Another player who had to be disappointed on Sunday had to be Rory McIlroy. With each passing failure, Rory is becoming more and more like Greg Norman, who also had a tough time sealing the deal at his peak in the 90s. As each passing week goes by, it seems more complex and more challenging for Rory to fulfill not only the expectations of the fans and media but also his expectations, which he desperately wants to win. The differences between Rory and Scottie are so different because Scottie brings home the goods in every one of his starts, and a lousy tournament is a T-7th finish. For Rory, he has been through everything from winning the Wells Fargo to missing the cut at the British Open. We all know that Rory is just 35 and still has five to seven good years left. However, each failure makes winning even harder, as Norman found out, especially after he blew the 1996 Masters. Still, if there is anything that I have learned about Rory, you can never count him out; he could show up next week at Memphis and run the table in the three playoff events. At the same token, he could be flat again like he was at Troon or, in the case of the Olympics, have that one round that eliminates him.

Lastly, in talking about the Olympics, I had to laugh at all the folks, especially at Golf Channel, raving at how great the Olympics is. But there is still a big difference with the Olympics. It’s remarkable, and what makes the Olympics so unique is that it only happens once every four years. In Golf, we have tournaments 50 weeks a year, and we have about a dozen significant events between the Majors, the Players Championship, the Tour events like the Palmer and the Memorial, and the Ryder Cup. We tend to get spoiled when we have so many significant events with excellent finishes, like Sunday in France, the British Open finish, and the U.S. Open finish. Yes, it was a memorable moment for Scottie Scheffler on the podium, getting his gold medal and raising the stars and stripes, which got Scheffler all choked up. But Scottie has had half a dozen other memorable moments, not only this year but also last year and the year before. So winning for Scottie is special, but it happens a lot. It’s not the same for other Olympians like Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, and Torri Huske. These folks have worked hard all their lives for that special moment that only happens once every four years. But for every Katie Ledecky, there are hundreds of Olympians like Lindsey Vonn who worked hard for their once-every-four-year moment only to endure injury and weren’t able to compete. I like having Golf in the Olympics, but no matter how important Rory McIlroy may say this week was, he has about half a dozen essential moments, while Simone Biles has her critical moment just once every four years. Now, I’m not complaining about Golf in the Olympics, but I am saying that Golf has a slew of great moments every year, so the good folks at the Golf Channel get a bit carried away with things.

What this week means to some

For some, the Wyndham is the last way into the playoffs. But in years past, this was the last regular Tour event of the year. That has changed, as there are eight PGA Tour events for 2024 after the playoffs. So this week is about getting into the top 70 and playing in the playoffs. But for those above that, there will be events left to keep in the top 125 and retain their tour cards for 2025.

As for two weeks ago, Jhonattan Vegas earned more with his victory; it looks like he will get into the FedExCup playoffs, going from 149th – 67. He wasn’t the only player who made a drastic change; Max Greyserman finished 2nd and went from 88th to 64th. Matt Kuchar, who finished T-3rd, went from 155th to 113th. With Maverick McNealy’s T-3rd finish, he guaranteed himself a spot in Memphis, going from 68th to 58th.

But let’s look at some others who may have been in good shape a few months ago but since then have struggled and may miss Memphis next week. Brice Garnett started the year on the Korn Ferry Tour and entered the Puerto Rico Open. With that, he became a full-time member of the PGA Tour. After finishing T-11th at the Zurich Classic, he was 58th on the point list and looking to get into the playoffs. But he only has made three cuts in his last seven starts and finds himself 85th and needing a top-three this week for any chance. It’s the same with Chris Gotterup, who won the Myrtle Beach Classic in May and was 67th on the points list. But he, too, only has made three cuts in his last eight starts and finds himself 95th and very little chance. The same is true with Davis Riley, who won the Charles Schwab at the end of May and was 55th on the points list. He has struggled since, only making three cuts in his last six starts. He is 72nd on the points list and needs to make the cut at the Wyndham.

So we are seeing the importance of this event. Of the 156 players in the field, 33 are between 9th and 64th and guaranteed to make the playoffs. Then you have these 16 players all on the bubble to make the playoffs:

• 65 Mark Hubbard
• 66 Nick Dunlap
• 67 Jhonattan Vegas
• 68 Emiliano Grillo
• 69 Seamus Power
• 70 Brendon Todd
• 71 Victor Perez
• 72 Davis Riley
• 73 Andrew Putnam
• 74 Kurt Kitayama
• 75 Luke List
• 76 Lucas Glover
• 77 Lee Hodges
• 78 Adam Schenk
• 79 Keith Mitchell
• 80 Nicolai Hojgaard

All of the players are entered and playing this week.

One person in danger of not making the playoffs is Matt Kuchar, who is 113th on the point list and probably needs a win to get to Memphis. This is important because Kuchar is the only player left who has played in every playoff since 2007.

So, in gambling terms, this brings in a different variable. In figuring out the correct equation, you have to consider some of the players’ nerves, what this week means for a player, and the pressure it places on them. For example, in 2020, Jim Herman came to the Wyndham 192nd on the points list. He would maintain his PGA Tour card in 2021 due to his win at the Barbasol Championship. He wanted to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs because, for each, there is bonus money for those in the top 120. Those in last place earn $101,000, which is a nice bonus. So Herman was a great pick despite being 192nd on the points list because playing the Wyndham was about money, not his future. Herman won the Wyndham, climbed up to 54, and played in the first two playoff events, finishing 64th and earning a $150,000 bonus. So, could lightning strike twice? Sure enough, it did happen last year. After the Memorial, Glover was 185th on the point list, and with three top-six finishes at the Rocket Mortgage, John Deere, and Barbasol, he went into the Wyndham 112th on the point list and needed to win. Sure enough, he won at the Wyndham at the FedEx St. Jude the following week and got into the Tour Championship.

You never know. Herman comes into this week 230th on the point standings, so he has to win to make it back to the playoffs. A couple of others to watch: Webb Simpson is 149th on the list and has finished in the top ten in ten of his 15 starts, including a T-5th last year. He was 3rd in 2017, runner-up in 2018 and 2019, T-3rd in 2020, and T-7th in 2021. Can the good vibes from past success at the Wyndham help Simpson surprise us all?

Tournament information:

Created in 1938, the 2024 edition of the Wyndham Championship will be the 86th tournament. Initially known as the Greater Greensboro Open, the tournament has blossomed from its small roots. The event was the vision of the Greensboro Jaycee’s Chapter, which was but a year old when the idea was conceived. Many were in favor of the creation of a golf tournament; however, no one took steps to create an event until, at a meeting in the summer of 1937, Joseph Bryan put up capital to back the event. The PGA Tour placed the tournament on the 1938 schedule.

If Joseph Bryan is credited with being the backer, then Sam Snead is the owner of the event. His eight victories at Greensboro, including the inaugural event, were a record for most wins by a player at one tournament until Tiger tied him in several events. The Greensboro-based tournament had been played every year except for 1943 and 1944, when it paused because of World War II.

The tournament name held until 1988 when Kmart became the title sponsor, and the event became known as the Kmart Greater Greensboro Open.  After an eight-year run, Chrysler took over in 1996, and in 2003 the Greater was dropped in favor of Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. That name held until 2006 when Daimler Chrysler pulled out as title sponsor, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts took over. Starting with the 2014 Wyndham Championship became the last event before the playoffs, so it has ramifications for the FedEx Cup Championship. The Wyndham Championship is the last event in which golfers, vying for position in the playoff system, can earn points.

For 31 years, between 1977 and 2007, Forest Oaks Country Club hosted the event, but it wasn’t considered “fan-friendly,” and the course wasn’t very memorable.  One of the reasons that Forest Oaks got the event in 1977 from Sedgefield was because the course was too short and didn’t have the room and parking to handle big crowds.  It was a big disappointment for the members when they lost the event, and many lobbied to get it back.  With Wyndham taking over the sponsorship and having its offices nearby, and the membership invested $3 million in renovating the course and opened the doors for the return.  When the course was reopened in 2007 to rave reviews, it was decided to change venues for 2008 and has held the event ever since.

Course information:

• Sedgefield Country Club
• Greensboro, N.C.
• 7,131 yards     Par 35-35–70
• Between 1938 and 1976, Sedgefield held the Wyndham Championship 26 times and was considered a tremendous old Donald Ross course.  Unfortunately, the course was short and small for galleries, so the event moved on.  Still, the course was considered a gem, and for years, membership tried to lure it back.
• Sedgefield founded in 1925, is located in the rolling hills of Greensboro’s Sedgefield neighborhood. The club has hosted many amateur golf tournaments as well as 33 years of the Wyndham Championship. In addition to its Donald Ross-designed golf course, Sedgefield is perhaps best known for its signature clubhouse, a Tudor-style building housed in the framework of the original Sedgefield Inn built in 1925, the Atlantic Coast Conference was founded in this building in 1953.
• A couple of years ago, the club entrusted North Carolina course architect Kris Spence with restoring the course to its original Donald Ross design while making adjustments to bring it in line with the modern game. Spence’s renovation added another 400 yards to Sedgefield, bringing its length to 7,131 yards. Par was 70 as the 18th hole was converted into a par 4.
• Emphasis must be put on ball placement in the fairway to get the appropriate angle to the green. The greens at Sedgefield are very undulating and slope from back to front, with many falling off the edges into collection areas.
• So, the course is challenging, but scores will be low.
• It will be an exciting scenario for the players that a Donald Ross course will be used to get players ready for the Tour Championship in three weeks, which will be played on another Ross course at Eastlake, outside of Atlanta.

Let’s take a look at vital stats that are important for those playing at Sedgefield:

This is based on the most vital stats from Sedgefield C.C., data from last year’s Wyndham Championship, and data from all the players in the field with stats from 2024.
If you count the Olympics, this is the fourth week in a row the Tour plays a course where driving it straight matters a lot; the key to playing well at Sedgefield is to hit it straight and position your drives for the shot into the green. Like last week in France for the Olympics, the week before at the 3M at TPC Twin Cities, and the week before at the British Open at Troon, hitting fairways and greens is essential. A look at the list of champions at the Wyndham since the event went back to Sedgefield in 2008 shows that the list of winners is guys that either hit short and straight or, in the case of hitting it long, players like Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Si Woo Kim, and 2017 winner Henrik Stenson. Last year’s winner, Lucas Glover, the 2022 winner, Tom Kim, and the 2021 winner, Kevin Kisner, all don’t hit it that far and are some of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour. The same goes for 2020 winner Jim Herman, who not only doesn’t hit it that far but also has a reputation of only playing well once or twice a year, and in most cases, he seems to win. Last year, Lucas Glover came into the week on the cusp of despair. After the Travelers Championship, he was 167th in the FedEx Cup playoffs, and it looked like he was on the verge of having his worst season on the PGA Tour since 2018. His problem has always been putting, and things couldn’t have worsened. It had been over a decade since he noticed a drastic problem. He remembers that a 4-putt on the fifth green at Colonial Country Club in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge was the start of the problem. Things were terrible; he had these involuntary wrist spasms, which prevented him from making any short putts. So, after a decade of trouble, Glover tried using a long putter just before the Memorial. Shortly afterward, he taught himself a split-handed putting grip, and in the month after the Memorial, he regained his confidence on the greens. At the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Glover switched to a broomstick-style putter with a mallet head and ranked 5th in Strokes Gained putting, finishing T-4th, his first top-10 finish of the season. His putting improved as he finished T-6th at the John Deere Classic and T-5th at the Barbasol. He missed the 3M Open cut and went into the Wyndham Championship on a mission. He was 112th in the FedEx Cup standings and wanted to get into the playoffs. He needed to finish no worse than a two-way tie for second to have a chance to qualify, and he did better than that. After shooting a third-round 62, Glover went into the final round tied for the lead with Billy Horschel. They endured a tough day with a two-hour delay due to poor weather. In his round, he three-putted the first hole for a bogey; he played the last 17 holes in 3 under to shoot a 68 to win by two shots. For the week, he was 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green and Strokes Gained Approach the Green, but more importantly, he was 15th in Strokes Gained putting as he made 66 of 70 putts inside ten feet. Not only did Glover get into the playoffs, the win vaulted him to 49th in the season-long points race. It was his first win since the 2021 John Deere, but more importantly, he became a force again on the PGA Tour. The next week, his putter saved the day again. Glover made a 20-foot par putt, a 30-foot bogey putt, and a 12-foot par putt over the final six holes to close with a 1-under 69 and force a playoff with Patrick Cantlay at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Glover won the second week in a row when Cantlay hit into the water on the first playoff hole. For the week, putting and scrambling was the hero. He was 1st in Scrambling and 12th in Strokes Gained Putting, making 61 of 66 inside ten feet. The previous year, Tom Kim came into Wyndham as a young kid trying to make it on the PGA Tour. Nobody knew who he was going into the Scottish Open. He was a young Asian kid who got into some events and made the most of it. When he finished 3rd at the Scottish Open, he got temporary membership in the PGA Tour. When he finished T-47th at the British Open, T-26th at the 3M, then 7th at the Rocket Mortgage, he earned a PGA Tour card for 2023. The win at the Wyndham allowed him to play in the FedExCup playoffs. Kim’s key to winning the Wyndham was shooting 61 in the final round. The round was so good that it took im from being in 3rd place going into the final round to a five-shot victory. Kim hit 10 of 14 fairways and only missed one green as he made one eagle, eight birdies, and one bogey. For the week, Kim was T-4th in fairways hit and T-16th in greens hit. Kim’s secret to the week was putting, he was 1st in strokes gained putting. Another thing that Kim accomplished was that he was the first player in the Sedgefield era (2008) to win at his first start at the Wyndham. In the previous 50 years of the Wyndham, only Seve Ballesteros in 1978, Frank Nobilo in 1997, and Brandt Snedeker in 2007 were the only first-timers to win the Wyndham.
The previous year, Kisner came into the Wyndham as one of the favorites as he was T-3rd in 2020 and had two other top-ten finishes. So it was no surprise to see Kisner win. At the other end of the spectrum, 2020 winner Herman was the biggest longshot winner of 2020, strolling into Sedgefield 192nd on the FedExCup point list. He only made seven cuts in his previous 18 starts, and his best finish was T-27th in the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions. He hadn’t played in the Wyndham since 2015 but strolled in like he owned the joint. He not only led the field in greens hit with 63, but he was also straight off the tee, finishing 4th in driving accuracy. So, of course, there is no rhyme or reason for how this happened. Just like the clock striking midnight and turning the Princess into a pumpkin, the same happened to Herman as he missed the cut at his next stop at the Northern Trust and finished T-40th at the BMW. Since winning the Wyndham three years ago, Herman has played in 76 PGA Tour events and has had only three top-20 finishes: a T-20th at the 2021 Barbasol, T-7th in 2022 at the second-tier Puerto Rico Open and T-14th at the 2023 Honda. In 2024, Herman only played in four events, making just one cut. Another incredible story was 2019 winner J.T. Poston. He is a very short hitter, coming into the 2019 Wyndham week T-165th in driving distance. But when he is playing well, he hits it straight.
Another critical aspect of driving for the long hitters the holes that dogleg needs players to lay it up to avoid going through the fairway, and it’s always best to be in the fairways. The course is tree line, which is more of a hazard than the rough, which is less penal than it could be. It has been pretty dry this year, but over the last week, the Greensboro area has seen a lot of rain; with tropical storm Debby hitting the area, it will rain every day. So the course will be wet and long. Despite that, I think it will have little bearing on the rough, but with rain coming just about every day, the course will not be as dry and fast as in past years.
Like any other great Donald Ross course, the greens are challenging, first in hitting them, but if you miss them, it’s a hard up and down. The greens are also flat, so good and bad putters make many putts. So it’s a course that favors short hitters, those who scramble well, and average putters. Two weeks ago, the 3M Open was a perfect example; winner Jhonattan Vegas hit 57 of 72 greens, ranked T-7th, and scrambled well, getting it up and down on all 7 of the 15 greens he missed to rank 69th. He also putted well, ranking 9th in Strokes Gained Putting. This added to Vegas, making one eagle and 25 birdies the best for the week.
Last year at the Wyndham, Lucas Glover was as good as Vegas was two weeks ago. Glover hit 65 of the 72 greens to rank first. He got it up and down in scrambling on 5 of the 7 greens he missed, ranking T-5th. He was 15th in Strokes Gained putting. This helped Glover make 24 birdies for the week, which was the best.
The same thing will happen this week for someone to win. One thing about Sedgefield is that it’s a fun course to play, and yes, it’s challenging. It’s not going to be taxing like other courses on Tour; last year, Sedgefield was the 23rd hardest course on Tour in 2023 with a 69.47 average; in 2022, it was the 27th easiest course on Tour with a 69.26 average, just a bit more than three quarters under par. Historically, Sedgefield has played at the 68.95 average since 2008. This year, Mother Nature is going to play a part in this. The forecast is for rain, rain, and even more rain, so look for a mudder to do well.

So, in looking at our four categories, we see how much driving and getting the ball on the green makes a difference. We pick Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green because getting the ball into play off the tee at Sedgefield is one of the most essential items on this Donald Ross course. Last year’s winner, Lucas Glover, was 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, as he was 1st in Driving Accuracy and 1st in Greens in Regulation. Then, getting the ball on the greens is essential, and we all know how hard it is to hit a Donald Ross green. Next up is scrambling because the greens are hard to hit; when you miss the green, you have to get it up and down to win. Last year, Sedgefield ranked 8th in Scrambling, and our winner, Glover, ranked T-5th in Scrambling. Our next stat is Strokes Gained Putting, which is essential. Last year, Sedgefield was 11th in putting average while Glover was 15th in strokes gained putting, so to play well, it’s crucial to do well in this course. Last year, 1,684 birdies were made, and they ranked 43rd out of 58 courses on the PGA Tour. So, we are using the Birdie average for our final category.

*Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green: Looks at the combination of length off the tee and accuracy, then getting the ball on the green so it determines who is best at all of these items.

*Scrambler: Who gets it up and down after missing a green.

*Strokes Gained Putting: Look who picks up the most strokes on the greens.

*Birdie average: Players who average the most birdies made per round.

Here are the 133 of 156 players from this year’s field with stats from 2024:

Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.

DraftKings tips

*Here are the guys that cost the most on DraftKings this week:

• Sungjae Im – $10,700
• Shane Lowry – $10,300
• Billy Horschel – $10,200
• Si Woo Kim – $10,000
• Cameron Young – $9,700
• Jordan Spieth – $9,500
• Brian Harman – $9,300
• Davis Thompson – $9,200
• Akshay Bhatia – $9,100
• Min Woo Lee – $9,000

It’s the dog days of summer, the last event that means nothing other than it’s a way to gamble this week. I wish I could roll up on a hammock overlooking an ocean and enjoy the laziness of doing nothing this week. This would be a good week to take off after a year of majors and now on the cusp of the FedExCup playoffs. That is why the field is not great this week. Honestly, the week is more about saving players’ futures in the playoffs and in 2025 than playing golf this week. So here we go, making a run on the players to look for.  Off the bat, we have Sungjae Im at $10,700, and frankly, he is a perfect pick for this week.  Lot’s of reasons why, first in five Wyndham starts his was finish was T-24th and in 2022 he was runner-up.  But since missing the cut at the Masters, Im has been in the top 12 eight times in ten starts, including a T-4th at the Scottish Open and T-7th at the British Open.  Next up is Shane Lowry at $10,300, and he is a no for me.  In six Wyndham starts, he only has one top ten, T-7th in 2017, and yes, he was 6th at the British Open, but T-26th at the Olympics, and with his high cost, he just not worth it.  Billy Horschel at $10,200 is not a bad choice, he was 4th last year, 2nd in 2020, T-6th in 2019 and T-5th in 2016 and he is playing well now, he was runner-up at the British Open.  Si Woo Kim at $10,000 is a toss-up.  He has won the Wyndham and been in the top ten four times, yes he has made a lot of cuts in 2024 but since finishing 6th at the Players, his best finish since was T-13th.  The course suits his game, but the question will be, can he do it this week?  Cameron Young at $9,700 is another toss-up.  He is playing in the Wyndham for the first time, so that doesn’t help us, he was T-9th at the Travelers, T-6th at the Rocket Mortgage and T-31st at the British Open.  What made the decision for me saying no, his stats aren’t good for the course so take a pass on him.  The same with Jordan Spieth at $9,500, he has struggled in his two Wyndham appearances and has not played well since the Phoenix Open.  Brian Harman, at $9,300, is another player to pass on, he hasn’t played well at the Wyndham, and he has struggled on the PGA Tour since the spring.  Davis Thompson at $9,200 is a toss-up, he didn’t play well at the Scottish Open or British, but was great in winning the John Deere and T-2nd at the Rocket Mortgage.  I think he will play well this week, the course is up his alley.  Akshay Bhatia at $9,100 is a no for me, mostly because he has missed three Wyndham cuts in three starts.  Min Woo Lee at $9,000 is also a no for me, he is playing the Wyndham for the first time and other than his runner-up at the Rocket Mortgage but has a bunch of finishes but higher than 25th.

*Players in that $7,500 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

So this is the category we have to find some good picks in. I like Cam Davis at $8,900 because he can play well on courses like Sedgefield, he was T-7th last year.  He won at the Rocket Mortgage, and I can see him doing well this week.  Aaron Rai at $8,800 is worth a look at; yes, he was T-75th at the British but was T-2nd at the Rocket Mortgage, T-7th at the John Deere, and T-4th at the Scottish Open.  Thomas Detry at $8,400 is price right, nothing spectacular but he has made cuts and has some ok finishes.  Nicolai Hojgaard at $8,200 is worth a look at, he was T-14th in his rookie start last year at the Wyndham and was 7th in the Olympics last week.  I like Maverick McNealy at $8,100, he is a good putter and was T-3rd at his last start at the 3M Open. I really like Justin Rose at $7,700, he was T-2nd at the British and T-6th at the PGA Championship.  He has three top-ten finishes at the Wyndham, but I think he is ready to go this week.  The same with Eric Cole at $7,700.  In his rookie start at the Wyndham, he was T-14th, and his game has come around; he was T-6th at the Rocket Mortgage and T-7th at the John Deere.  Taylor Moore at $7,500 is a player to look at, he was T-5th at the 2022 Wyndham and T-22nd last year

*Some of the “bargains” this week at the Wyndham

There’s no reason to pick Matt Kuchar at $7,300 other than he was T-3rd at the 3M Open, and he usually follows up a good start with another one.  Victor Perez at $7,200, is worth the gamble after playing well at the Olympics. Have to say I love Webb Simpson at $7,100. He is a guy that has ten top-ten finishes in 15 starts at the Wyndham. Yes, he has struggled this year, but Simpson plays great at Sedgefield, and this could be his week. Brendon Todd at $7,000, is good for a guy who can make the cut and get you many points. Rico Hoey is $7,000 and has played well of late with three top tens in his last five starts. Last is Brandt Snedeker at $6,100.  It is a gamble, but I think his record at Sedgefield is too good to pass on him; he will make the cut.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Wyndham Championship:

Key stat for the winner:

Sedgefield is a very versatile course. Length is not critical because the course plays at about 7,131 yards, just a notch below average for a PGA Tour event. With length not being a factor, players are afforded the opportunity to use either a driver or a long iron off the tee. The most critical thing for the field is managing the slope of the course. To do that, ball control and accuracy are essential.

This tournament was made famous by Sam Snead, who won it eight times, setting the PGA Tour record for the most victories by a player in a single event. Snead captured the inaugural event in 1938, and when he won it for the eighth time in 1965, he became the oldest winner in PGA Tour history at 52 years, 10 months, and eight days.

Between 1949 and 1965, Snead was never higher than 8th and won $37,827, or about the same amount that the player in 28th place will win this week.  For the record, if Snead would have played all 17 events at the present purse of $7.9 million his Greensboro earnings would have been around $9 million.  Oh, Snead is the only winner in Greensboro history to defend his championship, a mark that won’t be matched this week with defending champion Tom Kim not playing due to injury.

Here are some more key stats to look to for this week:

• Length is not an issue, so that opens things up quite a bit. Look for the winner to be someone who doesn’t like to muscle up with the driver and settles for using a long iron for control. Past winners of the event are some of the best iron players on tour. The likes of Henrik Stenson, Brandt Snedeker, Sergio Garcia, Webb Simpson, Mark O’Meara, Davis Love III, and Steve Elkington have hoisted the trophy. Look for the winner to be able to manage the surroundings, as the undulations are the most challenging part of the golf course. There is a reason that 2015 winner Davis Love III won at age 51, and that is experience.  The past winners from Sedgefield, except for 2022 winner Tom Kim, 2019 winner J.T. Poston, and Arjun Atwal in 2010, are all experienced players, so look for someone like that to win.
• Hitting greens will be at a premium at this Donald Ross gem, just like it was last week at TPC Twin Cities.   Hitting lots of greens goes a long way at the Wyndham Championship.  Look for the winner to hit greens in bunches.
• North Carolina and the Greensboro area are rife with heat and humidity in the summertime, primarily because it was hot last week. This will be important because the Bermudagrass greens will bake, making the undulated greens even more challenging.
• Talking about the weather, this could be a problem this week. With tropical storm Debby hanging around, look for rain on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with some clearing for the weekend.