A Look Back at the 2009 Wyndham Championship

For some, it will be hard to get past the final round of the 2010 PGA Championship so quickly, but the show must go on, as the tour gears up for the Wyndham Championship this week in Greensboro. While this tournament never really boasts a star-studded field due to the timing the event, it does tend to offer some great golf and exciting finishes. Look no further than the 2009 edition to back up that claim.

The course has always allowed for low scoring when the conditions are right, and that was the case last year, as there were a ton of players battling for the lead in the final round. But when it was all said and done, Ryan Moore came out on top in a playoff over Kevin Stadler and Jason Bohn.

While Bohn’s final round 62 and Moore’s performance in the playoff were both spectacular in their own right, the end of the tournament will probably be remembered more for the shot that wasn’t. And of course, that shot came from Sergio Garcia.

It was yet another disappointment for Sergio, as he shot rounds of 67, 64, and 64 the first three days, but the final round 70 was not where he needed to be. He was at 18-under early in the final round (Moore won the tournament with 16-under), and seemed to be in complete control…..as long as he didn’t start stumbling and allow others the opportunity to get back in the mix. Well, you know what happened next.

Sergio bogeyed 8, 11, and 12 to fall back to 15-under, which opened things up for the rest of the field. Still though, he had his chance. All he needed to do was hole out from the green-side bunker on 18, and he would join the other three men in a playoff. Easier said than done, right?

Well, you can’t really explain in words how close he came to holing it. It was an amazing shot that not only landed about one inch from the hole, but seemed to roll around the hole and taunt Sergio. Even though he’s not exactly a huge fan favorite on tour, this was still agonizing to watch.

But one person’s loss is another’s gain, and Moore picked up his first ever PGA Tour win by playing solid, consistent golf down the stretch, and we’ve seen signs of him breaking out ever since. He started off well at Whistling Straits last week before struggling mightily for the final few days, but the potential is still there. He’ll be just fine.

Here’s a video with some final round highlights from last year, including the heartbreaking shot by Garcia:

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