The Starter, Round 1: Wyndham Championship
The first round of the Wyndham Championship is set to begin Thursday. Here's a preview:
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Brett Wright previews Thursday's action:
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The weather forecast the first round of the Wyndham Championship is for scattered thunderstorms throughout the entire day. We have seen this kind of weather here before, and any rain at all will make this course play a little longer and increase the severity of the thick Bermuda rough.
On the other hand, wet conditions make the greens and fairways softer, so players can better control the rollout or release distance in the fairways, and the backspin on the greens. This will increase the birdie count for straight hitters.
Anthony Kim will be playing his third event since his thumb injury. He will be trying to get his game in shape for the Playoffs and says he loves this type of atmosphere.
Tiger Woods is now No. 108 on the FedExCup points list for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. It is unlikely, yet numerically possible, for Woods to be pushed out of the top 125.
Several long hitters will be fun to watch this week, even though there are limited opportunities to hit driver at Sedgefield. Robert Garrigus is looking for his first win on TOUR this week. John Daly continues to improve his Official World Golf World Ranking and played great in the pro-am.
INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: Todd Jones, Head Instructor at THE TOUR ACADEMY at TPC Sawgrass, provides a few helpful hits while you watch the first round.. For more information about THE TOUR ACADEMY, click here.
This week, the players face a course that not only challenges them off the tee but also around the greens.
The Donald Ross-designed green complexes of Sedgefield Country Club are designed appropriately to fit the approach shots and have a tremendous amount of slope. The players who have done their homework around the greens will be prepared to score well in Thursday's opening round.
That homework takes place during practice rounds early in the week. If you are truly looking to learn more about playing the game, you would do well to visit an event on a Tuesday as this is the most popular day for on-course practice. The players are meticulous with their preparation leading up to the opening round -- an aspect of their games that can be overlooked as we tend to get caught up their ability to hit shots. We forget that each shot has a specific purpose as dictated by the game plan that they have established during practice rounds.
With complex green complexes such as these, players at the top level will establish their strategy to play the hole from the green back to the tee. This allows them to select the proper tee shot (club and placement) in order to control the ball into the green. This is something that every player can do to shoot lower scores.
Take some unspoken advice from the best players in the world, do your home work, look at the every hole from green to tee, and establish a game plan that allows you to control the ball into the greens.
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