Wyndham Championship Preview | Course Layout, Field, & What to Watch For

The PGA TOUR is headed back to North Carolina this week for the Wyndham Championship. Tournaments the week after a major usually struggle to bring in big-time talent, but this week is an exception.

With the playoffs just a few days away, everyone is looking to improve their position in the FedEx Cup Standings. The field is highlighted by Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, and Webb Simpson. Let’s take a look at the host venue, Sedgefield Country Club. 

Coure Preview 

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Sedgefield CC is located in Greensboro, NC, and will play just over 7,100 yards. The Par 70 layout features many Par 4’s in the 400-450 range, and 2 very gettable Par 5’s. With this set-up it’s easy to see why the winning score has been so low over the last few years. The Donald Ross design has been the host of the event since 2007, and was the location of one of the rare 59’s ever shot on TOUR (Brandt Snedeker 2018). Distance won’t be the main factor this week, as Sedgefield demands accuracy both off the tee, and into greens. 

Field 

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Brooks Koepka is making a rare start in a small TOUR event, due to his need for FedEx Cup points. He currently sits at 92nd in the standings, and will need to make a serious run over the next few weeks to get into the TOUR Championship. He’s coming off a very rough Sunday at the PGA, so he’ll need to find his game again quickly to have any shot at winning the FedEx.

Webb Simpson returns to a venue where he has had incredible success. Over the last few years, he has finished T2 and solo 2nd. With his history here, combined with the form he brings into the week, it’s shaping up to be another high finish from Mr. Simpson. 

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Tommy Fleetwood is back in action this week, coming off a pretty solid start at the PGA. He entered the final round at -6 with a serious chance to win, but a Sunday 73 pushed him out of contention. Sedgefield is a course that fits Tommy’s game very well, as he’s one of the best ball-strikers on the planet. If he’s able to find a lot of fairways, I can see him making a run over the weekend. 

Jordan Spieth will make the start, as he too needs FedEx Cup points. He currently ranks 94th, and is coming off a very interesting performance at the PGA. He opened the championship with a +3, 73, then went 68, 76, 67. I just have no idea where his game is at, mostly due to that fact that he struggles with a different part of his game every round. He’ll need to string 4 days of good golf this week to get in a better position for the playoffs. 

Players to Watch 

Russell Henley is going to be an interesting pick this week. Over the last few months, he’s been one of the best ball-strikers on TOUR. The only thing holding him back is the putter, which is odd due to his history as a solid putter. If he can break out of that slump, he’s a name to watch. 

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Kevin Kisner seems to lurk in the shadows during every tournament. He quietly finishes in the Top 25, and you never see him on TV. Then he’ll come out of nowhere and win an event. This week could be that week, as this course sets up nice for his game. A T19 at the PGA last week has him coming in, in good form. 

Featured Groups 

Brooks Koepka (92), Jordan Spieth (94), Justin Rose (103)

Thursday: 7:50 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee); Friday: 1:05 p.m. ET (No. 1 tee)

Webb Simpson (3), Sungjae Im (5), Brendon Todd (9)

Thursday: 7:40 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee); Friday: 12:55 p.m. ET (No. 1 tee)

J.T. Poston (58), Brandt Snedeker (96), Sergio Garcia (134)

Thursday: 12:55 p.m. ET (No. 1 tee); Friday: 7:40 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee)

Patrick Reed (6), Paul Casey (54), Shane Lowry (131)

Thursday: 1:05 p.m. (No. 1 tee); Friday: 7:50 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee)

My Pick to Win 

Had Xander last week, who finished T10. Had JT in Memphis, who ended up winning. So we’re going pretty good. This week, I’m taking Tommy Fleetwood. He is absolutely due for a PGA TOUR win, and I think this course fits his game. Is trending in the right direction, so let’s go Tommy!

Cover Image Via Instagram