It feels like this week there ought to be extra points awarded for First Round Leader. Of course, it is the final week of the Regular Season on the PGA TOUR and everything is on the line for many in the field at the Wyndham Championship. For some, their season is on the line, including Justin Thomas, who currently sits 79th in the FedExCup Standings. Others are trying to strengthen a position inside the top 50 in FedExCup points and others are trying to hold down a spot in the most coveted bracket, top 30.

In this column last week we spoke about weighing a golfer's position in the FedExCup Standings in our handicap and how much can it really translate into a player's performance - and conversely, how the pressure may hinder one's performance. Cam Davis was a player last week who charged on Sunday to finish top 10 at the 3M Open and move from 77th on the points list to 69th, getting himself currently inside the cut line of the top 70 players that will qualify for the Playoffs. With this being the final week to make a move, the stakes have been raised - and with that, the pressure, too. For many in this week's field, it seems getting off to a hot start on Thursday will be of great importance.

Sedgefield Country Club, a par-70 Donald Ross design, is a smaller, more positional golf course where accuracy trumps distance. How one has performed here in the past has been very predictive of future performance - and so too has how one has fared at similar golf courses. For comp courses this week, there are many that have shown crossover success with Sedgefield. TPC Sawgrass, TPC River Highlands, TPC Potomac, East Lake Golf Club (another Ross design), Harbour Town, Innisbrook (Copperhead Course), and Sea Island were all pointers I used this week in trying to find who might be a good fit at this year's Wyndham Championship.

Skill sets that have proven to carry weight here are approach play from 100-175 yards, strokes gained on par 4's measuring 400-450 yards, Driving Accuracy, Scrambling, strokes gained putting on Bermuda grass, and Birdies or Better Gained.

Let's see if we can turn this soup of ingredients into a winning meal - or shall we say "appetizer" as we are trying to find out only who will be atop the leaderboard for Thursday's first course. (Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook.)

Aaron Rai (+5000)

Rai is one of the few players in this field who, over the last 36 rounds, ranks in the top 10 in the field for both SG: Approach and on Par-4s measuring 400-450 yards. Over that span, he is also 20th for Birdies or Better Gained and is No. 1 in proximity from 150-175 yards. Earlier this season, Rai opened the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town with a 63. He shot 67 on Thursday at the Travelers and proceeded to shoot a pair of 66s as that week went on. It was just last month that he began the Rocket Mortgage Classic with a 65 – and that was on another Donald Ross design in the Detroit Golf Club.

Andrew Putnam (+6600)

Putnam excels in two areas we like when seeking a First Round Leader and that is in approach play and putting. Since the Masters, Putnam has played eight rounds in which he gained two more strokes on the field in approach alone. During that same time, he's also played seven rounds in which he gained two or more strokes on the field in putting. He opened with a 65 earlier this season at Sea Island and did so with a round of 67 at both Harbour Town and TPC River Highlands. Last season he shot a 64 here at Sedgefield in Round 2. Over the last 36 rounds, Putnam ranks fifth in this field for SG: Putting on Bermuda grass.

Davis Riley (+8000)

Riley grabbed First Round Leader honors earlier this summer at the Memorial by shooting a 67. He finished 13th here at the Wyndham Championship last season, shooting all four rounds in the 60s. Riley was also runner-up at the Valspar Championship last year after opening with a 65. Over the last 36 rounds, he is 25th in this field for SG Approach, 21st for Birdies or Better Gained, 16th on the par 4s of 400-450 yards, 15th in Hole Proximity from 100-125 yards and 25th from 125-150 yards. Will it be a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide Golf Team leading the charge on Thursday for a second consecutive week on TOUR? Roll Tide.