This week’s Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour is a tale of two tournaments — there’s the race to capture the Sam Snead Cup, awarded to the event’s champion, and then there’s what is usually a scramble deeper in the field for those anxiously trying to crack the top-125 mark in the season-long FedExCup standings.
The last regular-season event annually sends players to wildly differing fates. Those who finish inside the top 125 advance to the playoffs: three legs with a gradual cutdown before the season culminates with the top 30 players in the standings invited to East Lake for the Tour Championship.
All of the top 125 are also guaranteed to retain their tour cards for the 2021-22 season.
But those who finish from 126-200, unless exempt by another criteria, are relegated to the purgatory option of competing in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to try and keep their Tour cards.
For many, careers will be made this week at Sedgefield.
The Skinny
Tournament: Wyndham Championship
Commonly Called: The Greensboro
Dates:Â Aug. 12-15, 2021
Where: Greensboro, N.C.
Course:Â Sedgefield CC
Distance: Par 70, 7,127 yards
Architect: Donald Ross
Format: 72-holes, stroke play, 36-hole cut
Purse: $6,400,000
Winning Share: $1,152,000
Trophy: Sam Snead Cup
Defending Champion: Jim HermanÂ
Marquee Players:Â Webb Simpson, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen, Will Zalatoris, Tommy Fleetwood, Sungjae Im, Justin Rose, Gary Woodland, Rickie Fowler, Matthew Wolff, Adam Scott, Kevin Kisner, Si Woo Kim
How to Follow the Wyndham Championship
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 3-6 p.m. (GOLF Channel); Sat-Sun: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups); Sat: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3-6 p.m. (Featured Holes); Sun: 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3-6 p.m. (Featured Holes)
Watch on Prime Video*
RADIO: Thu-Fri: 12-6 p.m.; Sat: 1-6 p.m.; Sun: 1-6:30 p.m.
(PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com)
LINKS: Website | Instagram | Facebook
Wyndham Championship History
The Wyndham Championship is most closely associated with the man who, along with Tiger Woods, has the most victories in PGA Tour history (82): Sam Snead.
Snead first won the tournament in 1938, which was the inaugural event, and went on to win eight times total, five more victories than second-place Davis Love III.
Snead’s last Wyndham triumph, in 1965, was notable as the then 52-year-old became the oldest player to win a PGA event, a record that still stands today.
In his later years, Snead took on the role of hosting the tournament. The winner’s trophy is called the Sam Snead Cup.
The beginnings of the Wyndham Championship can be traced all the way back to 1938, when it was known as the Greater Greensboro Open. The tournament has been played at three different courses, all in the Greensboro, N.C. area.
The current host venue, Sedfield Country Club, was the home course off and on in the early years before moving there permanently from 1961-1976 and then again from 2008-present.
In addition to Snead, notable winners include Ralph Guldahl, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Lloyd Mangrum, Billy Casper, Julius Boros, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Raymond Floyd, and Sandy Lyle.
History: Title Names
2007-21: Wyndham Championship
2003-06: Chrysler Classic of Greensboro
1996-02: Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic
1988-95: KMart Greater Greensboro Open
1938-87: Greater Greensboro Open
History: Recent Winners
2020: Jim Herman (-21)
2019: J. T. Poston (-22)
2018: Brandt Snedeker (-21)
2017: Henrik Stenson (-22)
2016: Si Woo Kim (-21)
2015: Davis Love III (-17)
2014: Camilo Villegas (-17)
2013: Patrick Reed (-14)
2012: Sergio Garcia (-18)
2011: Webb Simpson (-18)
History: Records
Scoring:
258 Henrik Stenson (2017), J.T. Poston (2019)
-23 Jesper Parnevik (1999)
Wins:
8 – Sam Snead (1938, 1946, 1949-50, 1955-56, 1960, 1965)
3 – Davis Love III (1992, 2006, 2015)
Wyndham Championship Field
Home favorite Webb Simpson is also the bookmaker’s fav. The North Carolinian has been a solid bet at past Wyndhams, with seven top 10 finishes in 11 starts, including a win in 2011 and three straight top-3s in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The co-favorite is Hideki Matsuyama who enters in top form – having lost in playoffs the past two weeks. The reigning Masters champion is ranked 14th in the FedExCup and would seem to be locked in for a trip to East Lake, but a win this week would move him into the top-5 and assure a big payday in a few weeks.
Also among the favorites this week is Louis Oosthuizen, who skipped the Olympics and seemed on the verge of another high finish, but a Sunday 4-over 74 sent him spiraling down the leaderboard to T18. Still, the South African enters off seven top-20s in his last eight starts, including four top-3s. Translation: he’s in peak form.
Another headliner is Patrick Reed, who won his first PGA Tour title at Greensboro in 2013, beating a then 20-year old Jordan Spieth in a playoff. Since that win, Reed has performed solidly in four follow-up appearances, including a top-10 last season.
Several big name stars who badly need points include Gary Woodland (108), Adam Scott (121), Rickie Fowler (129), Tommy Fleetwood (136) and Justin Rose (138).
Top-5 Betting Favorites
1. Webb Simpson (12-1)
2. Hideki Matsuyama (14-1)
3. Louis Oosthuizen (18-1)
4. Patrick Reed (22-1)
5. Will Zalatoris (25-1)
Full Field and Odds
Wyndham Championship | Sedgefield CC | Greensboro, NC | Aug. 13-16, 2020
