2022 Wyndham Championship: Top 10 Power Rankings at Sedgefield
The Wyndham Championship continues to hold down its spot as the last regular season event on the PGA Tour schedule.
It’s the 48th of 48 events for a season that began September 2021. This distinction of being the last event has been a blessing and a curse for tournament organizers.
The blessing is there’s inherent drama to follow, even if it doesn’t always involve big names. You don’t even have to care about the FedEx Cup race. It’s intriguing to see guys playing for their livelihoods.
A spot in the top 125 of the season-long standings earns a playoff berth, but more importantly it assures the player full status on the PGA Tour next season. Prior to the FedEx Cup, the money list distinguished a coveted spot in the top 125.
Further stratification grants Nos. 126-150 conditional status and Nos. 126-200 earn a spot in Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
An interesting wrinkle with the top 125 from a FedEx Cup perspective is ineligible LIV Tour players. After last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, eight LIV players sit in the top 125 and are still listed on the PGA Tour’s official standings despite being ruled out for the playoffs.
So, No. 133 is likely the true bubble number to watch this week.
The Wyndham Championship began as the Greater Greensboro Open in 1938 and has been a staple on the PGA Tour schedule since the 1960s. It’s been at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The course opened in 1926 and is a classic Donald Ross design. It currently measures 7,127 yards for a par-70.
Fairways and greens are covered in Bermuda grass, a common sight in the southeastern U.S.
It’s a tree-lined layout that features fast, tricky greens as its main defense. Brandt Snedeker owns the course record 59 when he went low in round one on the way to his second Wyndham Championship win in 2018.
Sedgefield offers a good variety of easy and challenging holes.
The two par-5s are fairly short and are musts to birdie if you’re going to contend.
Eight of the par-4s are between 400-450 yards.
Power is useful in spots, but it’s all about positioning off the tee to attack Sedgefield’s sloped greens.
Weather for the week looks fairly normal for the season with some chance for storms around Friday and Saturday. The course usually plays soft, but precipitation will ensure that. High temperatures will be in the 80s and wind doesn’t expect to be a big factor.
Let’s dive into who will go into the playoffs with momentum with this week’s top 10:
Tyrrell Hatton is back at the Wyndham Championship for the first time in six years. His only appearance at Sedgefield Country Club was a missed cut. Rounds of 68-71 were pretty respectable for a newcomer and to American golf at large, but at a birdie fest like this, he was one shot from playing the weekend.
I like Hatton’s chances better this time to make some green in Greensboro. He comes to North Carolina in solid form from his home continent with T-24th at the Genesis Scottish Open and T-11th at The Open Championship.
Two weeks off since St. Andrews should be a nice boost after a busy summer of golf.
The fiery competitor is hungry for his first worldwide win since prevailing early in 2021 on the DP World Tour at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Despite no trophies, it’s still been a decent year for the Englishman. Hatton rattled off three straight top-10s to open 2022 on the DP World Tour. He defended his title nicely at the Arnold Palmer Invitational where he took T-2nd.
Hatton is up to 12 top-30s worldwide against just two missed cuts.
The 30-year-old ranks 28th on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained per round (1.038). His superiority comes from short range. He’s 42nd in SG around the green (.242) and fifth in putting (.745).
Hatton’s approach play isn’t as sharp as past years, but this is his best putting season of his career.
I like him to find this week’s Bermuda greens palatable to roll in a lot of birdies.