Wyndham Championship
August 14-17, 2008
Tournament #37 of 48
Sedgefield CC [Greensboro, NC]
Par 35-35=70 - 7,117 yards
Years hosted: 1938-41, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1961-76
Purse: $5,100,000 (Winner-$918,000)
Field size: 156
Cut: Top 70 & ties after 36 holes (if >78 golfers are tied, another cut of Top 70 & ties will occur after 54 holes)
An inspired victory for Padraig Harrington at the PGA Championship. That's one Paddy Wagon his fans don't mind riding.
Brandt Snedeker will be defending his lone PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship. For this week's trivia question, name the last golfer to successfully defend his inaugural PGA Tour title. HINT: He has just the two career victories and is a former Ryder Cupper. Answer at the "The 19th Hole."
Sports
Say what you want about the FedExCup (and you'll be right) but there's a definite benefit in putting closure to the season sooner than later for the heavier hitters on tour. Instead of a WGC event and the annual team event that were once peppered into the final 12 weeks or so before THE TOUR Championship, we're treated to a solid month of quality fields. Of course, that begins NEXT week but the guys on the bubble have one more opportunity to join the party.
What I love about this final stretch is that there's really nothing to lose for any of the touring pros. Even the bubble boys have a full slate of Fall Series starts on which they can fall back. This is no time to be passive.
Sedgefield CC will host the Wyndham Championship for the first time since the Bicentennial, when Al Geiberger finished two strokes clear of Lee Trevino for his first of two titles that year. It was during the stretch when the Greater Greensboro Open was played the week before the Masters. Since, the Donald Ross design (there he is again) has been updated by Ross revisionist, Kris Spence. What's left is a truly unique track, featuring small greens with identities all their own, along with closely mown chipping areas. When combined with the fact that the longer hitters might not reach for the big dog until the middle of the back nine, the premium is on ball-striking.
Now, the rough will only be 2-1/2 inches, a welcome upgrade from those that are making the trek from Oakland Hills, and Sedgefield's greens are prepared to roll fast, but Wednesday's expected rain would allow pin-seekers in all shapes and sizes to give it a go. In dry conditions, Sedgefield would stand alone but damp conditions and soft turf could shroud what would otherwise be a throwback set-up. Read more below in "The Elements."
Once the final swing is made in Greensboro, the FedExCup field will be set. The Top 144 on the FedExCup points list will punch tickets to next week's Barclays.
The ElementsFor tournament organizers, who eat, breath and sweat the weather forecast, especially in advance of a grand re-opening of a golf course hosting an otherwise forgettable event to Joe Fan, there are probably a few slumped shoulders around Sedgefield. When you do everything you can but erect a giant umbrella over 18 holes, you have no choice but accept what you cannot change. Indeed, a quarter-of-an-inch or more of rain could fall on Wednesday and into the night in Greensboro. More precipitation is possible on Thursday afternoon, which tilts the advantage to the early-late draw. Winds will be an absolute non-factor throughout the week, thus failing to help dry the premises. The temperature will rise into the upper 80s every day in conjunction with a humid air mass that could fire up some afternoon boomers, you pick the day.
Past Champions in the Field YEAR: All winners at Forest Oaks CC2007: Brandt Snedeker
2006/1992: Davis Love III
2004: Brent Geiberger
1998: Trevor Dodds
Brandt Snedeker. The T-24 at Oakland Hills was a great return to form. I'm looking forward to how he negotiates the collection areas around the greens this week.
Projected Finish: Top 10
Padraig Harrington is taking a well-earned week off.
ChampionCarl Pettersson. Hasn't hoisted a trophy since the 2006 Memorial. On paper, he never looks like he's going to contend but it's all about getting on a roll for the big guy. He had a solid history at Forest Oaks, including a solo 5th last year, and will probably play in the event as long as he continues to call it a home game. Overall, it's been another solid season for the human ATM. Pettersson has 10 Top 25s and has failed to cash in just four starts.
Top 5Ken Duke. If the PGA Tour season is a marathon (and it is), then Duke found his second wind in the last couple of months. After an atrocious start, he's righted the ship and has poured it on lately, posting five Top 20s in the last six outings, including a T-13 at the PGA Championship. He's 51st in FedExCup points and is worth watching in the playoffs.
Brian Davis. Has cashed in his last six starts, with increasingly better finishes over his last four, which culminated with the B Flight T-2 in Reno. Probably on no one's radar for the European Ryder Cup team but his first PGA Tour victory would change that. And at a place like Sedgefield where tee ball distance is secondary and it's a fresh look for just about the entire field, why shouldn't Davis contend? He didn't play in the PGA, which means he's rested and doesn't have to adjust from the uber-challenges of a major. The timing couldn't be better for this Brit.
Steve Marino. While qualifying for any major must be a thrill, I wonder if there isn't some disappointment in the timing once in a while. Marino had finished T-3 in Canada, where he was arguably his most consistent of the year. He then took a week off to prepare to the PGA, where he placed a forgettable T-60. If he can attack Sedgefield (i.e. Mother Nature fulfills the forecast), he'll be right there on Sunday.
Ryan Palmer. He's taking advantage of every start lately, with three straight Top 25s coming in, including a T-4 in Reno. Palmer is also T-12 in ball-striking. As a bonus, he's 1st in birdie average and 3rd in putting.
Top 10Billy Mayfair. Like Marino, Mayfair had a terrific Canadian Open, placing solo 2nd. He also took a break before the PGA, finishing T-47 at Oakland Hills. He's a ball-striker's ball-striker and should thrive this week. At 34th in FedExCup points, he could make a few bucks in the playoffs.
David Toms. This is a hesitant spot for the veteran only because he hasn't notched a Top 10 in nearly 14 months but is coming off a strong T-15 at the PGA. Toms has cashed in 11 straight starts but is still just 120th in FedExCup points. He loves what he sees at Sedgefield so I'm doubling down on DT.
John Rollins. Here's a guy that could look awfully good on the Ryder Cup team, if he would only show a tad more consistency relative to his talent. Losing weight wasn't necessarily counterproductive for his livelihood (Rollins is about one T-27 short of seven figures on the year) but it probably played a role in his frustration on a weekly basis. Yet, in sum, his year looks decent. He's missed just six cuts and is coming off a season-best T-2 in Reno.
Briny Baird. He has just two Top 10s this year but has 10 Top 15s. He's 19th in ball-striking (2nd in GIR) and 5th in total birdies. Literally, the only thing missing on his resume this year and in his career is a victory. With no wind and soft conditions this week, he'll be able to pummel pins all week long.
Harrison Frazar. My dark horse this week. Has been steady for two months, cashing in six of seven events, including the T-4 in Reno. Ranks 7th in ball-striking. At 172nd in FedExCup points, he needs a Top 10 to wedge into the Top 144.
Top 25Vijay Singh. He falls here by default. Removing the top-tier events over the last six months on his schedule, he finished 5th at the Travelers and T-11 at the St. Jude. Singh usually contends in events like this and is no doubt using the Wyndham as a tune-up for the playoffs. At 7th on the FedExCup points list, he's the highest-ranked golfer in the field.
John Senden. The Aussie has shown some real glimmers this summer but has had trouble avoiding stumbles between the start and finish lines of a tournament. He's 8th on tour in ball-striking, which I like in this field full of rank-and-filers where all things are equal. Senden is currently 78th on the FedExCup points list.
Tim Clark. The North Carolina State product is 181st in ball-striking but the soft conditions should help that part of his game this week. He also gets the benefit of my doubt thanks to his dynamic, er, dynamic. Clark is 75th in the FedExCup points race and hasn't had a Top 15 since the Colonial (T-2).
Mark Wilson. He's been stroking it pretty good lately, with three straight Top 25s coming in. In fact, he's been steady all year, missing just four cuts, and has shored up his 2009 card. Wilson is 32nd in ball-striking, which supports another good finish this week. At 92nd on the FedExCup points list, he'll probably play in first two playoff events barring something tremendous. Like Brian Davis, Wilson also had last week off.
Eric Axley. With his back against the wall as his two-year exemption runs its course, the lefty has really stepped up. But he still has work to do. Despite a pair of T-4s in the last month, Axley still need another Top 10 to lock in his tour card for 2009. With as many times as he tees it up and considering his recent play, he would seem to be a safe bet. Just be careful this week since Axley ranks 192nd in ball-striking. When a guy is going good (i.e. Ken Duke, Brian Davis, Billy Mayfair), it's best to just get out of your own way and stop analyzing it. But Axley's charge will end somewhere. He just squeaks into my Top 25 as I'm expecting a 21st-25th finish this week.
26+Chris DiMarco. At 133rd in FedExCup points, DiMarco has probably finalized his travel plans to next week's Barclays. It didn't look like he was going to qualify as recently as two weeks ago, but the T-12 at Firestone made it happen. DiMarco's stats are horrific so don't even look at them; instead, rest on his bulldog mentality and experience. Meanwhile, ignore the blogosphere chatter that DiMarco is on the short list to make the Ryder Cup team. Won't happen.
Paul Casey. Euro studs that don't play outside the majors and limited fields don't often fare well in these types of events. Casey's goal is the Ryder Cup and as much as he'd love to bank his first PGA Tour victory, it requires a concerted approach. He just decided last week that he was going to play in Greensboro. This is not Andres Romero in New Orleans here.
Martin Laird. The Scot is coming off consecutive career-best finishes on tour, with a T-22 in Canada and that nifty T-4 in Reno. He's still a LONG way from securing his card for 2009 and would need another Top 15 to threaten the Top 144 in FedExCup points (Laird is currently 164th), but his ball-striking is good and he's playing his best golf right now. If there's one glaring weakness to the rookie's game - other than inexperience - it's his sand play, where he's ranked 205th on tour.
Kevin Streelman. Although he's just 114th in FedExCup points, Streelman has cashed in nine consecutive starts. A poor man's Kevin Sutherland here, which is quite a compliment.
Joe Durant. Has made three straight cuts but hasn't posted a Top 40 since the Honda. Ranks 1st on tour in ball-striking so he makes my cut on that alone. But Durant is streaky so wait until his putter heats up to plug him in. He's currently 127th on the FedExCup points list and would need a good finish to have a chance and thinking about playing in at least two playoff events.
MCRyuji Imada. Hasn't made a cut since the U.S. Open (0-for-3 stretch). Sits T-199 in ball-striking. Remember, you're getting the Imada of today, not the guy that torched the tour in the first half of 2008. Amazingly, he still ranks 10th in FedExCup points.
Jeff Quinney. This all depends on which putter shows up - the one that led to a series of strong finishes in the late spring or the version that has let him down since. In his last five starts, Quinney has made one cut, a T-63 in Canada. He's set to play in probably three FedExCup playoff events but ranked 191st in ball-striking, it could be another long, er, short week in Greensboro.
Nathan Green. Has missed four of his last six cuts and hasn't posted a Top 55 since the Memorial. Ranks 204th in ball-striking. So much for that break-out season many expected. Enters the Wyndham 90th in FedExCup points.
Craig Kanada. After a solid start to the year, he's cashed in just one of six events this summer (T-12, John Deere). At 146th on the FedExCup points list, he needs to make something happen but he's offered nothing lately that suggests that he'll crack the Top 144. Kanada ranks 167th in ball-striking.
Marco Dawson. Mr. #144 on the FedExCup points list. Considering he's saddled with conditional status, it's been a decent year for the grizzled veteran. Two Top 10s, nine paychecks. But he's 198th in ball-striking. Even if he makes the cut, he'll need a solid finish to avoid missing the playoffs since he has zero wiggle room.
Ned Said, ".YAHOO!
Group A
Vijay Singh . He was playing well going into the WGC-Bridgestone and won his first championship of the season; however, that didn't carry over to the PGA Championship, where he missed the cut. He hasn't played at Greensboro in a while but has a good record, with three Top 10s in six starts.
Brandt Snedeker . His play in the majors has been solid this year, including last week's nice T-24 at the PGA Championship. He won the Wyndham Championship last year in his first start at the event.
OTHERS TO CONSIDER:
Carl Pettersson . Pettersson is from Sweden but he went to North Carolina State in college and lives in Raleigh, so this is a championship that he would really like to win. His record at the Wyndham is good, with two Top 10s in four starts, including a fifth place in last year's event.
David Toms . His game was looking good last week at the PGA Championship, where he finished in a tie for 15th place. He hasn't played in the Wyndham since 2004 but finished in a tie for fourth place that year. He is currently 120th on the FedExCup points list and he needs a good tournament to get him at least into the second round of the playoffs.
GOING DEEP:
Bob Estes, Ryan Palmer, Jeff Maggert and Zach Johnson.
Group B
Paul Casey . It was reported recently that Casey was going to play on this side of the pond before the Ryder Cup. You can understand why just by looking at his last three events - T-7 at the British Open, T-8 at Bridgestone and T-15 at the PGA Championship. He currently is in 91st place on the FedExCup points list and, considering how well he is playing, Casey could do well in the playoffs.
Ken Duke . Duke was having a somewhat quiet year until a T-4 at the Buick Open. He missed the cut the next week but then he went on a run of a T-18 at the John Deere, a second place in Milwaukee, a T-11 at the Canadian Open and a T-13 last week at the PGA Championship. Duke has played in only one Wyndham Championship but starting him this week is about his recent solid golf on the tour.
Davis Love III . He missed the cut at last week's PGA but in his prior tournament (British Open) came away with a solid T-19. He won the Wyndham in 1992 and 2006.
Billy Mayfair . He has been playing some good golf recently, including a second place at the RBC Canadian Open a couple of weeks ago. Mayfair has played well in recent years at the Wyndham; last year, he finished in a tie for second place.
OTHERS TO CONSIDER:
Jeff Overton . Overton caught fire for a couple of weeks after qualifying for the British Open but has cooled since. Last year, he came into the Wyndham in a slump but finished with a career best T-2, which got him into the FedExCup playoffs.
Nick Watney . For most of the year, Watney has played solid golf and made his cuts. He did go through a micro-slump of two missed cuts in a row but he made the cut at the Reno-Tahoe with a T-43 finish. He has played in only two Wyndham Championships but when he last played in the event he had a T-6 finish (2006).
Lucas Glover . He has played solid golf this year but has cooled recently from the way he was playing earlier in the summer. His record at the Wyndham is good, with a T-6 in 2006 and two other Top 25s in only four starts at the event.
GOING DEEP:
Briny Baird, Brian Gay, Ryan Moore, Michael Letzig, Jason Gore and the new father, Will MacKenzie.
Group C
Eric Axley . His level of play has stepped up recently, with two ties for fourth place in his last four starts on the tour. He played well two years ago in his first Wyndham Championship, tying third place.
Tim Clark . Clark is one of those top players on the PGA Tour that hasn't won an event yet. He tied for second place at Colonial at the end of May and since has had three Top 20 finishes. In four career Wyndham Championships, Clark's best finish is a T-6 in 2005.
OTHERS TO CONSIDER:
Steve Marino . He looked to have a lot of momentum going after his T-3 at the RBC Canadian Open but it didn't carry over to the PGA Championship, where he tied for 60th place. He played in his first Wyndham Championship last season and finished in a tie for 37th place.
Chris DiMarco . DiMarco had a very nice T-12 at the WGC-Bridgestone two weeks ago and then follow that up with a T-31 at the PGA Championship. He has played in five Wyndham Championships but it's a bit hard to get a read via past performances because he hasn't played here since 2000.
GOING DEEP:
Ben Crane, John Rollins, Peter Lonard, Tim Herron and Harrison Frazar.
PGATour.com
Group 1: Vijay Singh . It's hard to pick anyone else here.
Group 2: Brandt Snedeker . Won the championship in his first try last year.
Group 3: Carl Pettersson . He has played well in the past and would love to win at Greensboro.
Group 4: Tim Clark . He has had some success at the Wyndham.
Group 5: Ken Duke . Right now he is playing his best golf of the season.
Group 6: Paul Casey . He is red-hot right now.
Group 7: David Toms . Davis Love III is another good pick here but Toms gets the nod after last week.
ESPN.com
Vijay Singh . Looking for him the rebound off last week's missed cut.
Carl Pettersson . He would love to win in North Carolina.
Paul Casey . A carryover player. Simply one of the hottest players on the tour right now.
Chris DiMarco . A carryover player. Let's see if he can play well three weeks in a row.
The next reshuffle will occur following the Viking Classic (September 21). Until then, golfers will rank in order of their current "number." The "projected gain/loss" reflects how many spots each golfer stands to gain or lose in this pecking order
after the next reshuffle. Full-season earnings determine the ranking.
From the fantasy perspective, this list provides non-weekly formats a projected value (i.e. ability to set schedule, more opportunities to play, likelihood to improve number) of golfers playing out of this category. However, with FedExCup Playoffs coming up, the only event after the Wyndham where the list below plays a role in determining a field until the next reshuffle is for next month's Viking Classic.
Current "number." Name, 2008 earnings (gain/loss since last reshuffle)
* - In the field at the Wyndham Championship
CURRENT RANK1. Nicholas Thompson, $1,351,663 (-)
2. John Merrick, $1,191,597 (-)
3. *Tim Wilkinson, $747,815 (-)
4. *Brad Adamonis, $729,156 (-)
5. *Michael Letzig, $728,985 (-)
6. *Matt Jones, $703,000 (-)
7. *Dustin Johnson, $621,605 (-)
8. *Patrick Sheehan, $591,650 (-)
9. *Kevin Streelman, $584,898 (-)
10. *James Driscoll, $570,630 (-)
11. *Jason Day, $535,535 (-)
12. *Jon Mills, $457,083 (-)
13. *Frank Lickliter II, $449,751 (-)
14. Roland Thatcher, $445,212 (-)
15. *Tag Ridings, $390,599 (-)
16. *Brett Rumford, $373,579 (-)
17. *Y.E. Yang, $352,529 (-)
18. *Carlos Franco, $316,340 (-)
19. *Justin Bolli, $307,902 (-)
20. *Omar Uresti, $279,110 (-)
21. *Martin Laird, $265,700 (-)
22. *Marc Turnesa, $238,109 (-)
23. *Brenden Pappas, $236,160 (-)
24. Kenneth Ferrie, $222,398 (-)
25. *Jin Park, $227,102 (-)
26. *Scott Sterling, $219,232 (-)
27. *Jimmy Walker, $173,759 (-)
28. *Chad Collins, $161,117 (-)
29. *Kent Jones, $158,347 (-)
30. *John Riegger, $148,594 (-)
31. Alejandro Canizares, $125,539 (-)
32. *Chris Stroud, $121,853 (-)
33. *Todd Demsey, $121,627 (-)
34. *Jim McGovern, $114,843 (-)
35. *Kyle Thompson, $98,156 (-)
36. *Paul Claxton, $93,323 (-)
37. *David Lutterus, $87,661 (-)
38. *Michael Bradley, $77,584 (-)
39. *Jason Allred, $71,953 (-)
40. *Bob Sowards, $67,237 (-)
41. *Tom Scherrer, $60,531 (-)
42. *Brad Elder, $52,461 (-)
43. Jonathan Kaye, $41,375 (-)
44. *Travis Perkins, $36,583 (-)
45. *Cody Freeman, $34,568 (-)
46. *Ron Whittaker, $34,177 (-)
47. *Tommy Gainey, $30,185 (-)
48. Duffy Waldorf, $7,350 (-)
49. Carl Paulson, $0 (-)
[Name (PRIORITY RANKING) - has: # of events played/$ earned . remaining: # of events remaining under extension/$ remaining unearned]
*- In the field at the Wyndham Championship
*Ben Crane [MAJOR) - has met his requirement and will retain this status for the remainder of 2008
Jason Bohn (MAJOR) - has met his requirement and will retain this status for the remainder of 2008
Brett Quigley (MAJOR) - has met his requirement and will retain this status for the remainder of 2008
Dudley Hart (MAJOR) - has met his requirement and will retain this status for the remainder of 2008
Chris Perry (MAJOR) - has: 0/$0 . remaining: 18/$515,445
Joey Snyder III (MAJOR) - has: 0/$0 . remaining: 25/$647,466
*Brandt Jobe (MAJOR) - has: 16/$254,114 . remaining: 7/$520,050
David Berganio, Jr. (MAJOR) - has: 1/$0 . remaining: 5/$346,345
Hank Kuehne (MAJOR) - has: 0/$0 . remaining: 18/$636,221
*Shane Bertsch (MAJOR) - has: 21/$564,276 . remaining: 7/$181,144
Paul Azinger (MAJOR) - has: 8/$42,590 . remaining: 6/$568,521
Wes Short, Jr. (MAJOR) - has: 0/$0 . remaining: 15/$743,061
*David Duval (MAJOR) - has: 14/$46,287 . remaining: 6/$666,948
Patrick Moore (NATIONWIDE/3 WINS) - has: 0/$0 . remaining: 12/$452,636
Jonathan Kaye (Q SCHOOL/NATIONWIDE) - has: 8/$41,375 . remaining: 13/$743,805
*Michael Bradley (Q SCHOOL/NATIONWIDE) - has: 8/$77,584 . remaining: 6/$675,707
Carl Paulson (Q SCHOOL/NATIONWIDE) - has: 0/$0 . remaining: 15/$428,522
Kris Cox (NON-EXEMPT) - has: 7/$0 . remaining: 1/$748,451
8/13 . David Feherty (50); Tommy Gainey (33)
8/14 . Jose Coceres (45); Paul Broadhurst (43); Darren Clarke (40)
8/15 . Scott Hend (35); Ted Purdy (35)
8/16 . Tim Petrovic (42)
8/17 . none
8/18 . Brett Quigley (39)
8/19 . Tom Johnson (27)
I don't think there's much debate about the Golfer of the Year. Even Tiger Woods can't dispute that Padraig Harrington won more majors. And even if Trevor Immelman won the FedExCup, it wouldn't be enough to pass the PGA champ. Sure, Woods' dominating performance at the Buick Invite was crazy, as was his near flawless run at the Match Play (once he surged passed J.B. Holmes), but Geoff Ogilvy also turned the Match Play-U.S. Open trick two years ago, only to watch Woods claim the annual award. In 2006, Woods won eight times, including the British and PGA. Had those been his only victories, Woods still deserved the award over Ogilvy.
Next week, I'll take a closer look at the American Ryder Cup team on which eight have qualified: Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Ben Curtis and Boo Weekley. My take has always been to form a team that makes sense in the form of chemistry, not necessarily a team that has played the best golf. Captain Paul Azinger has held true to his remarks made early in the year that his wild card picks will be based a lot on how he feels, not only on how a guy is playing, and I love that approach. At the moment, there isn't anyone on another tour that is outperforming candidates on the PGA Tour so don't expect any Champions Tour or Nationwide Tour guys to get picked. But there is no shortage of smart choices that could fill in the gaps between the current roster and victory. But I'll say this right now, unless Hunter Mahan makes a spirited chase at the FedExCup, he should be left off the team. You do not reward guys that make that kind of series of bad decisions in one diatribe no matter the damage control. And as forgiving as America is with its jocks, this is yet another opportunity for golf to rise above the other sports. I would like to believe that Azinger understands this. Mahan spoke alone and should pay for it, with his spot on the squad. Heck, even if he won the FedExCup, what an example it would set if he was still left on the outside looking in. No, wild card picks should not be statements but Mahan already missed the automatic qualifying cut. To the end of the line with you, fella.
"Starter" ANSWER: Vaughn Taylor won the 2004 and 2005 Reno-Tahoe Open.
