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 – one of the PGA Tour’s best looking trophies, and then there’s a scramble deeper in the field for those trying to crack the top-125 mark in the season-long FedEx Cup standings.
Those who finish inside the top 125 will advance to next week’s FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis, the first leg of a three-stop postseason, culminating with the top 30 players in the standings invited to East Lake for the Tour Championship – where players battle for the FedEx Cup (but oddly not the tournament title).
All of the top 125 are also guaranteed to retain their tour cards for the 2022-23 season.
Those who finish from 126-200, unless exempt by another criteria, are forced to fight for their career survival and Tour card in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
It should go without saying, but for many, careers will be made this week at Sedgefield.
The Skinny
Tournament: Wyndham Championship
Commonly Called: “The Greensboro”
Dates:Â Aug. 4-7, 2022
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: $7,300,000
Winning Share: $1,314,000
Trophy: Sam Snead Cup
Defending Champion: Kevin Kisner
How to Follow the Wyndham Championship
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 2-6 p.m. (GOLF Channel); Sat-Sun: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+); Sat-Sun: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Available on ESPN+
RADIO: Thu-Fri: 12-6 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 1-6 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.
The 2021 edition featured a six-way playoff, won by Kevin Kisner. This tied the PGA Tour record (the 1994 Byron Nelson) for largest number of participants in a sudden-death playoff.
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, Lanny Wadkins, Sandy Lyle, Mark O’Meara, Davis Love III, Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson.
History: Title Names
2007-22: 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
2021: Kevin Kisner (-15)
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 Notes
The bookmakers have Will Zalatoris slightly favored to win his maiden PGA Tour title this week. The Wake Forest alum, who finished strong in Detroit, is offered at 16-1, just ahead of Sung-jae Im and Shane Lowry, who both enter in top form and listed at 17-1.
Billy Horschel, who almost won here in 2020 but was edged by a late-charging Jim Herman on Sunday, is listed at 20-1.
Home favorite Webb Simpson (22-1) rounds out the bookmaker’s top 5. The North Carolina native has been a lock in Greensboro, with eight top-10 finishes in 12 starts, including a win in 2011 and four straight top-10s in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, highlighted by three top-3s.
Also, among the favorites this week: Corey Conners, Russell Henley, Si Woo Kim and Adam Scott, who are all in varying degrees of decent form, and listed at 25-1.
Kim, who was the 54-hole leader in 2020, and Scott were part of last year’s six-man playoff, while 54-hole leader Henley finished a shot off the pace.
Another headliner is world No. 27 Tyrrell Hatton, who enters off a T11 result at The British Open and top-25 at the Scottish Open. The fiery Englishman is listed at 33-1.
Defending champion Kevin Kisner is offered at 40-1. The South Carolina native missed the cut last week in Detroit but before that had posted two good results: a top 25 at St Andrews and T6 at the Travelers.
Several big-name stars who badly need points (to maintain position or qualify) are: Stewart Cink (116), Simpson (117), Chesson Hadley (121), Rickie Fowler (123), Danny Willett (127), Cameron Champ (130), Harry Higgs (138), Zach Johnson (142), Luke Donald (159) and Harris English (182).
Top-5 Betting Favorites
1. Will Zalatoris (16-1)
2. Sung-Jae Im (17-1)
2. Shane Lowry (17-1)
4. Billy Horschel (20-1)
5. Webb Simpson (22-1)
Full Field & Odds
Wyndham Championship | Sedgefield CC | Greensboro, NC | Aug. 4-7, 2022
