Wyndham Championship Preview

2018 Wyndham Championship Preview

Dates: August 13-19, 2018
Where: Sedgefield Country Club
Par/Yards: 70/7,127
2017 champion: Henrik Stenson
Purse: $6,000,000/$1,080,000
FedExCup: 500 points to the winner
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Field: 156
Twitter: @WyndhamChamp

 

Four Things To Know

• The Wyndham Championship is the final event before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs
• Four players moved into the top 125 following the 2017 Wyndham Championship
• The winners of the 2017 and 2018 PLAYERS, 2018 Masters and 2012 FedExCup all earned their first career victories at the event
• There will be a display at the first tee honoring the late Jarrod Lyle, who last competed on TOUR at the Wyndham Championship

 

A look back at the 2017 Wyndham Championship

• Henrik Stenson won his sixth PGA TOUR title, setting the tournament scoring record (22-under 258)
• Stenson career-best scores for 18 holes (62/R1), 36 holes (128), 54 holes (194) and 72 holes (258)
• Martin Flores (139 to 118), Rory Sabbatini (148 to 122), Harold Varner III (138 to 123) and J.J. Henry (134 to 125) entered the week outside the top 125 but qualified for the 2017 FedExCup Playoffs

 

The Wyndham Championship and the FedExCup

This is the final opportunity for players outside the top 125 in the standings to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs, and for those inside to improve their position entering the postseason.

Players on the bubble entering the week

 

Pos. 122	Player Jhonattan Vegas	Pts. behind 125 +30	In field? Yes
123	Seamus Power	+13	Yes
124	Martin Piller	+7	Yes
125	Tyrone Van Aswegen	–	Yes
126	Chad Campbell	3	Yes
127	Robert Garrigus	11	Yes
128	Corey Conners	20	Yes
129	Nick Taylor	24	Yes
130	Tom Lovelady	32	Yes
131	Sergio Garcia	33	Yes
132	Harris English	37	Yes
133	Lucas Glover	40	No
134	Ben Silverman	41	Yes
135	Derek Fathauer	48	Yes

 

• Sergio Garcia (131) and Bill Haas (150) are among 13 players that have qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in each season but are currently outside the top

 

Full history of player movement following the Wyndham Championship below.

 

Top contenders

Henrik Stenson Entering the week

#50         FedExCup
#19         OWGR
4              Starts at Wyndham Championship
1              Win at Wyndham Championship
185         PGA TOUR starts
6              PGA TOUR wins
13           PGA TOUR starts in 2017-18
5          Top-10s in 2017-18

Wins (6): 2007 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, 2009 THE PLAYERS Championship, 2013 Dell Technologies Championship, 2013 TOUR Championship, 2016 The Open Championship, 2017 Wyndham Championship

Best 2017-18 results: T2/WGC-HSBC Champions, 4^th/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, T5/Masters Tournament

• Won his sixth PGA TOUR title at the 2017 Wyndham Championship, setting the tournament scoring record (22-under 258)
• Recorded career-best scores for 18-holes (62/R1), 36-holes (128), 54-holes (194) and 72-holes (258)
• In three starts at the event prior to winning, had two missed cuts (2010, 2011) and a WD (2012)
• Stands 49^th in the FedExCup standings; won the FedExCup in 2013 and finished runner-up in 2015
• One of two players (along with Tiger Woods) to win the FedExCup, THE PLAYERS, a major and a World Golf Championships event
• Is one of five players in the field that has won both the Wyndham Championship and THE PLAYERS (Stenson, Davis Love III, Sergio Garcia, Si Woo Kim, Webb Simpson)

 

Webb Simpson Entering the week

#12         FedExCup
#20         OWGR
9              Starts at Wyndham Championship
1              Win at Wyndham Championship
5              Top-10s at Wyndham Championship
257         PGA TOUR starts
5              PGA TOUR wins
21           PGA TOUR starts in 2017-18
1          Win in 2017-18

Wins (5): 2011 Wyndham Championship, 2011 Dell Technologies Championship, 2012 U.S. Open, 2013 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, 2018 THE PLAYERS Championship

Best 2017-18 results: Won/THE PLAYERS Championship, T4/Sony Open in Hawaii, T5/The Honda Classic, T5/RBC Heritage

• Five-time PGA TOUR winner and 2018 PLAYERS champion
• Earned first career victory at the 2011 Wyndham Championship
• Has qualified for the TOUR Championship five times, with a career-best final FedExCup standing of No. 2 in 2011

 

Hideki Matsuyama Entering the week

#88         FedExCup
#16         OWGR
4              Starts at Wyndham Championship
1              Top-10 at Wyndham Championship
121         PGA TOUR starts
5              PGA TOUR wins
16           PGA TOUR starts in 2017-18
2          Top-10s in 2017-18

Wins (5): 2014 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open, 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions, 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open, 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Best 2017-18 results: T4/Sentry Tournament of Champions, T5/CIMB Classic

• FedExCup No. 88; qualified for the TOUR Championship each season as a TOUR member (2013-14 through 2016-17)
• Making first start at the event since 2016 (T3)
• Recorded a final-round 66 to finish T35 at the PGA Championship in his most recent start

Players earning victory No. 1 at Wyndham Championship

In addition to being the final event in the regular season, the Wyndham Championship has also served as a springboard to future success for many TOUR players.

Notable first-time winners at the Wyndham Championship

• 2018 PLAYERS Championship winner (Webb Simpson, 2011)
• 2018 Masters Tournament winner (Patrick Reed, 2013)
• 2017 PLAYERS Championship winner (Si Woo Kim, 2016)
• 2012 FedExCup champion (Brandt Snedeker, 2007)

 

Top candidates in the field to earn first victory

Joaquin Niemann

• Special Temporary Member (467 non-member FedExCup points; equal to No. 105 in the FedExCup standings)
• Four top-10s in 11 PGA TOUR starts as a professional (best result: T5/A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier)

Matthew Fitzpatrick

• Special Temporary Member (283 non-member FedExCup points; 81 points shy of No. 125 in the FedExCup standings)
• Three top-10s in 41 career PGA TOUR starts (T7/2015 WGC-HSBC Champions, T7/2016 Masters Tournament, T9/2017 WGC- HSBC Champions)

Rafa Cabrera Bello

• Highest Official World Golf Ranking of players in the field without a PGA TOUR victory (30)
• FedExCup No. 64; Qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in 2017 (first year of eligibility)
• Two third-place finishes in 65 career starts on TOUR (T3/2018 WGC-Mexico Championship, 3^rd/2016 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play)

Whee Kim

• Highest FedExCup standing of players in the field without a PGA TOUR victory (54)
• Two runner-ups in 2017-18 (P2/Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, T2/RBC Canadian Open)

 

History of player movement following the Wyndham Championship

Players moving inside the top 125 following the Wyndham Championship by year

 

Year	No.	In	Out
2017	4	Martin Flores (T7)	Zac Blair (T80)
		Rory Sabbatini (T4)	David Hearn (T64)
		Harold Varner III (T10)	Seamus Power (T83)
2016	2	J.J. Henry (T16)   Kyle Stanley (T14)	Daniel Summerhays (MC)   Matt Jones (MC)
2015	5	Shawn Stefani (T14)   Davis Love III (Won)	Whee Kim (MC)   Will MacKenzie (DNP)
		Jason Gore (2nd)	Brian Stuard (MC)
		Jonas Blixt (T10)	Scott Stallings (DNP)
		Camilo Villegas (T26)	Jamie Donaldson (DNP)
		Ryo Ishikawa (T31)	Nicholas Thompson (MC)
2014	1	Sangmoon Bae (T14)	Nicholas Thompson (T70)
2013	0	Only time in 11 seasons of	the FedExCup the top 125 remained the same following the event
2012	1	Heath Slocum (T31)	Jhonattan Vegas (MC)
2011	3	Ernie Els (T30)	Matt Jones (MC)
		Padraig Harrington (T47)	David Mathis (MC)
		William McGirt (T52)	Cameron Beckman (MC)
2010	1	Scott Piercy (T8)	Chris Stroud (MC)
2009	5	David Mathis (T17)	Tom Watson (DNP)
		Kevin Stadler (T2) Chris Riley (T13) Todd Hamilton (T24)	Andrew Romero (DNP) Rich Beem (63rd) Matt Jones (69th)
		Jeff Maggert (T13)	Charles Warren (MC)
2008	5	Justin Bolli (T15)	Marco Dawson (WD)
		Lee Janzen (T15)	Brett Rumford (MC)
		Martin Laird (T4) Rich Beem (3rd)	Todd Hamilton (MC) Tag Ridings (MC)
		J.J. Henry (T4)	Gavin Coles (MC)
2007	3	Jeff Overton (T2)	Lee Janzen (MC)
		Anders Hansen (T11)	Glen Day (MC)
		Shigeki Maruyama (T7)	Marco Dawson (MC)

 

Players who have moved in to the top 125 following Wyndham Championship multiple times

• J. Henry (2008, 2017)

Players who have moved out of the top 125 following Wyndham Championship multiple times

• Marco Dawson (2007, 2008)
• Matt Jones (2009, 2011, 2016)
• Nicholas Thompson (2014, 2015)

Players who have both moved in to and out of the top 125 following Wyndham Championship

• Rich Beem (in, 2008; out, 2009)
• Todd Hamilton (in, 2009; out, 2008)
• Lee Janzen (in, 2008; out, 2007)
• David Mathis (in, 2009; out, 2011)

Wyndham Championship history Jarrod Lyle

• Former PGA TOUR member Jarrod Lyle passed away on Wednesday, August 8, 2018, at the age of 36
• Last PGA TOUR start came at the 2016 Wyndham Championship
• There will be a display on the first tee including a golf bag, a replica set of Jarrod’s clubs and an extra yellow hat and each player will receive a yellow hat in his locker
• Received initial leukemia diagnosis as a teenager and battled it for more than half his life

Scoring records

• Low 18-hole score: 61 (Si Woo Kim, R2/2016)
• Low 72-hole score: 258 (Henrik Stenson, 2017)
• Highest margin of victory: 10 (Sam Snead, 1950)
• Best come-from-behind victory: 7 (three times; most recent: Jim Gallagher, Jr., 1995)

Holes-in-one

• There have been 29 holes-in-one at the Wyndham Championship since the PGA TOUR began tracking hole-by-hole data (1983), including seven in the last two years
• Three in the final round in 2017 (Roberto Castro/3^rd, Ben Crane/16^th, Martin Flores/16^th)