Fun Fact: The last five winners of the Wyndham Championship have finished in the Top 10 in this tournament at some point in their career. To see all tournament history including the final leaderboards for the past three years, head over to the Tournament History page!
Course Description
After an exciting PGA Championship, the Tour moves to Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC for the Wyndham Championship. This will be the final Tour stop before the Fed Ex playoffs and many golfers on the Top 125 bubble will be playing this week to secure their spot in the playoffs. Sedgefield CC is a 7,127 par 70 course with small firm greens, tight fairways, and thickish rough. The course is not overly long and there will be a lot of short irons into the undulating greens. The greens are bermuda grass so they will be firm and fast even if it rains. There are 12 par 4s and both par 5s will be reachable in two.
Stats To Look For
Looking at the description of the course above, a few key stats stand out to me as important for picking your DraftKings lineup during this week’s Wyndham Championship. They are listed in order of importance with the most important first.
Greens in Regulation (GIR): The average GIR% in Tour events at Sedgefield CC is 73%. This is one of the higher averages on Tour for a specific course. Golfers will need to match or better this average to keep up with and surpass other players. The average winning score at Sedgefield CC over the years is -17. Birdies are going to be needed and step 1 for making a lot of birdies is getting a high percentage of GIRs.
Overall Proximity and Proximity from 125-150 Yards (Proximity 125+): With the course being on the shorter side, many approaches to the green will be from the 125-150 yard area. Being able to hit it close from this yardage will help golfers tremendously this week.
Strokes Gained Putting and Strokes Gained Tee 2 Green (SG:T2G, SG:P): These two stats compare a golfers performance to the rest of the field in tournaments played. You should be using these two stats every week to help you make the right decision when it comes to your DraftKings lineups.
Par 4 Scoring (P4): With twelve par 4 holes every round, P4 scoring will be an important stat. Since there are only two par 5s on the course, many birdies will need to come from the par 4 holes to give a golfer a chance to win.
Driving Accuracy (DA): Golfers will need to hit tee shots (not necessarily driver) to certain areas to give them the best chance at hitting it close on these small firm greens. Hitting it in the rough off the tee will make getting it close more difficult but not impossible because the course is short. That is why DA is lower on the stats to look for list than usual.
High End Picks ($9,000 and up)
Hideki Matsuyama ($10900): Hideki is as consistent as you can get. He has made 19/20 cuts this year with seven Top 10s. His stats for the course are as good as anybody in the field. He’s 23rd in GIR, 43rd in Proximity, 42nd in Proximity (125+), 5th in SG:T2G, 4th in P4 scoring, and 49th in DA. The only problem I have with him is that he only has one Top 10 in his last seven tournaments played. At this price point you need at least a Top 10 and to me Hideki is a risky pick because of that. I’m not fading him completely but he won’t be on too many of my lineups.
Brooks Koepka ($10800): This young stud is one of the hotter players on Tour. He has made a total of 15 out of 17 cuts this year with four Top 10s in his last 6 tournaments and two Top 20s in the other two. Some of his stats for the course are really good. He’s 21st in GIR, 29th in SH:T2G, 7th in SG:P, and 8th in P4 scoring. Because of his recent form and stats, Brooks has a good chance to succeed this week. He is just outside my personal Top three picks to win.
Brandt Snedeker ($10300), Snedeker is my #1 pick to win this week. His course history is solid. He has made 5/7 cuts at Sedgefield CC with three Top 10s. He also made 6 of his last 7 cuts on Tour with five Top 12s during that span. His stats aren’t the best but he is 7th in SG:P and 8th in P4 scoring. His recent form and course history has me thinking he’ll do very well this week, especially because of the weak-ish field. I expect him to be holding the trophy above his head on Sunday evening.
Bill Haas ($9600): After a little slump earlier in the summer, the former Fed Ex Cup Champion has been playing well of late. He made the cut last week and finished 4th at Quicken Loans. He is from North Carolina and has played well here in the past. He has made 5 of 6 cuts here and finished 2nd last year. His stats are just ok but being on a course he is comfortable with should help him. I can see a Top 10 finish for him this week.
Webb Simpson ($9500): Another North Carolina boy with great course history. He is officially my Horse for the Course pick of the week. Webb has made his last 5 cuts at the Wyndham Championships with four Top 11s and a victory here in 2011. With all his success here, he is going to have good stats for the course. He’s 68th in GIR, 59th in Proximity, 21st in Proximity (125+), 7th in SG:T2G, and 30th in DA. If he can make a putt or two, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the leaderboard on Sunday.
Justin Thomas ($9400): JT has been somewhat inconsistent this year but that is to be expected for a Tour rookie. He has been playing well recently though with an 18th place finish last week at Whistling Straits and two Top 5s in his two tournaments prior. He also won an amateur event at Sedgefield CC when he was 16 years old so he actually has good course history here even though he is a Tour rookie. JT is my #3 pick to win. His stats are average but a victory is coming for him and it could be this week.
Paul Casey ($9200): Paul Casey is my #2 pick to win this week. He has been playing solid golf for a while now making 13 of his last 14 cuts with five Top 10s during that span. His stats for the course are some of the best in the field. He’s 5th in GIR, 19th in Proximity, 4th in Proximity (125+), 10th in SG:T2G, and 24th in P4 scoring. He has made 4 of 5 cuts at Sedgefield CC and finished 18th last year.
Mid Level Golfers ($6900-$8900)
Harris English ($8600): Harry has probably hurt more lineups this season than helped but he has been playing his most consistent golf of the year recently. He has made his last 8 cuts and has solid stats for the course. He’s 63rd in GIR, 73rd in Proximity, 28th in Proximity (125+), 23rd in SG:P, and 42nd in P4 scoring. I think a made cut and Top 20 finish is likely for him this week.
Wil Wilcox ($8400): Wilcox has great stats for the course. He’s 4th in GIR, 23rd in Proximity, 20th in SG:T2G, 40th in SG:P, 5th in P4 scoring, and 14th in DA. He is the number one player on my list when it comes to stats for the course. He also has been playing well recently with 5 of his last 7 cuts made and Top 22s in all of those made cut starts. He should be a staple in your cash game lineup and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get his first victory this week.
Ollie Schniederjans ($8300): This guy is playing just his third tournament as a professional but DFSers already know him well. He has made 4/5 cuts this year with three Top 25s in his last three starts. Stats for him are hard to come by (only 5 tournaments played), but I feel comfortable using him every week he plays until he shows me something different.
Russell Knox ($8100): Knox has not been playing well lately but his stats fit the course. He’s 7th in GIR, 5th in Proximity, 25th in SG:T2G, 8th in P4 scoring, and 26th in DA. He could finish Top 5 or miss the cut making him a GPP play only.
Chad Campbell ($8000): Chad has been playing his best golf of the year recently with 7 straight made cuts and three Top 11s during that span as well. He finished 4th in 2012 at the Wyndham and his stats are solid. He’s 33rd in GIR, 34th in Proximity, 55th in Proximity (125+), 46th in SG:T2G, and 44th in DA. I feel safe using him in cash games and GPPs.
David Toms ($7600): I’m really not a fan of many golfers in the $7000-$7900 range this week but David Toms is one of the few I do like. He plays extremely well at Sedgefield with 6/7 made cuts. He has five Top 25 finishes here with a 2nd place finish in 2010. He is extremely accurate of the tee (2nd in DA) and has good Proximity stats as well. I expect him to easily make the cut and I will have a lot of exposure on him and Dufner due to the fact that I don’t like many people in their price range.
Jason Dufner ($7600): Dufner’s price this week seems low to me. He has made 8 of his last 9 cuts and finished 7th last year at the Wyndham. He’s 39th in GIR, 43rd in Proximity, 17th in SG:T2G, and 13th in DA. Another Top 10 finish for him is not out of the question this week.
Low End Value Picks ($5300-$6900)
Colt Knost ($6900): Colt is 48th in GIR, 8th in Proximity, 41st in SG:P, 35th in P4 scoring, and 6th in DA. All great stats especially for his price point. He is also playing solid golf recently. He has made 8/10 cuts with three Top 12s. I expect him to make the cut and with the weaker field, he has an opportunity to surprise people this week.
Vaughn Taylor ($6700): Taylor is my safest play under $7000 this week. He has made 9 of 10 cuts this year with five Top 25s. Another guy who I think is underpriced, especially when you look at his stats for the course. He’s 25th in GIR, 1st in Proximity, 8th in SG:T2G, 35th in P4 scoring, 28th in DA, and 1st in P3 scoring. He will more than likely be my highest owned player this week.
Hudson Swafford ($6700): He has made 7 of his last 8 cuts. Great numbers for someone who is only $6700. He’s 37th in GIR, 11th in Proximity, 29th in SG:P, and 64th in P4 scoring. He was a bit inconsistent earlier in the year so there is some risk with this pick, but I will be using him in quite a few GPPs.
William McGirt ($6600): McGirt has had success at Sedgefield CC in the past with 3 of 4 made cuts here including an 8th place finish last year. He has also made 7 of his last 9 cuts on Tour and has solid stats for the course. He’s 54th in GIR, 28th in Proximity, 48th in SG:T2G, 40th in P4 scoring, and 22nd in DA. If I had to pick someone under $7000 to win, McGirt and Taylor would be my picks.
John Peterson ($6300): He hasn’t been playing that well lately but he has made 83% of his cuts this year. Really good for someone with a $6300 price tag. He’s 43rd in GIR, 10th in Proximity (125+), 56th in SG:T2G, 24th in P4 scoring, and 29th in DA. He is also 5th in Bogey Avoidance which should help him this week. I expect him to easily make the cut.
Jim Herman ($6100): Herman has played well here in the past making 2/3 cuts with an 11th place finish a few years back. He’s 2nd in GIR, 13th in Proximity, 77th in SG:T2G, and 36th in DA. Once we get to players this low on the pricing scale, risk goes up. He is a risky play but he could be one of those low priced players that surprises people.
Chad Collins ($5800): My super value sleeper this week is Chad Collins. He’s 23rd in Proximity, 25th in Proximity (125+), 30th in P4 scoring, 26th in P3 scoring, and 66th in DA. Pretty solid stats for a sub 6k player. His current form is fairly good as well. He has made 5/7 cuts with a 6th place finish at Greenbrier a few weeks back.
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