Draws and Fades: Home-field edge makes Alex Smalley a valuable Wyndham Championship long shot

After firing a fantastic 9-under 61 in the opening round of the Wyndham Championship, Beau Hossler (+500) remained in the lead with a 3-under 67 on Friday.

Honestly, it was one of those rounds Hossler should be proud of, given how poorly it started. He bogeyed each of his first two holes before quickly settling in with a birdie at the par-3 third. Hossler played his opening nine in 1-under par and finished 2 under on the back nine to keep himself on top of the leaderboard.

Hossler holds a one-stroke lead over Ben James(+650) and Jordan Smith (+500), two players searching for their first PGA TOUR victory.

The scoring was much tougher in the second round compared to Thursday. The field averaged 1.39 strokes under par (via DataGolf) in the opening round before that number rose to just 0.8 strokes under par on Friday. The back nine played over par, with Nos. 12, 14 and 18 each playing more than one-third of a stroke over par.

It wasn't just the rough, either. There were some diabolical pin locations, especially at No. 12.

There was basically a 2-foot target in front of that pin. Miss it short, and your ball could roll off the green and about 10 yards down the slope. Miss too far left, and you're off the green. Go too far right, and the putt is impossible.

But that's the beauty of Sedgefield Country Club.

The course might be short, but these Donald Ross greens are domed and give the tournament plenty of options when it comes to pin locations. They can make this course extremely gettable or extremely difficult depending on how they set it up.

I do think Sedgefield plays a little more difficult this weekend than it did in the opening round, but I can't imagine it gets much tougher than what we saw Friday.

There are still birdies out there, which means basically anyone within seven or eight strokes of the lead still has a chance to win this tournament.

Alex Smalley, to win (+1600, DraftKings)

How poetic would it be for Alex Smalley to win this golf tournament?

Not only is he from the Greensboro area, but he's also missed the cut in three straight starts at the Wyndham Championship. After all of that frustration, winning here would feel like finally popping the cork and pouring champagne out of it on Sunday night.

Smalley put himself in position with a 6-under 64 in the second round.

It was a decent start. He was 1 under through his first six holes, but his round was jump-started at his ninth hole, the par-4 18th, when he holed out for eagle. Smalley birdied three of his final nine holes and suddenly found himself just two strokes off the lead.

Whenever I'm handicapping a tournament, I'm looking for something beyond simply where a golfer sits on the leaderboard.

Yes, Smalley hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation Friday after also hitting 14 of 18 Thursday. Yes, he's been playing some really good golf over the last three months. But there are also plenty of reasons to believe this performance is legitimate.

You can say his approach numbers were inflated by the hole-out on No. 18 if you want. He still gained 3.8 strokes on approach in the second round while adding another 1.18 strokes putting. His driver was basically neutral.

Smalley isn't someone who's going to pump a drive 350 yards down the gullet, but he hits plenty of fairways and gives himself opportunities with his irons. The putter has always been an important part of the equation when he's playing his best golf, so seeing him bounce back from losing strokes on the greens Thursday to gaining Friday is encouraging.

He's chasing, but I actually like where he sits. He's two back, playing at home and doesn't have the pressure of sleeping on the lead.

At +1600, I'm interested.

Alex Fitzpatrick, Top 20, ties included (+100)

No matter what happens this weekend, I am going to leave this tournament convinced Alex Fitzpatrick (+8000) should have been contending.

He's five strokes back, and I'd imagine he's pretty disappointed with how Friday went. I watched his entire round, and I kept thinking the same thing: If Fitzpatrick could make a putt, he'd be right near the top of this leaderboard.

He was 2 under, so it's not like the round was a disaster. But it certainly felt like he left a ton out there.

Fitzpatrick gained 1.7 strokes on approach while losing 0.66 strokes putting. And these weren't all putts burning the edge. There were some total misreads and some really poor short putting. His speed from longer range wasn't terrible, but he rarely gave himself a chance to get hot.

That's frustrating because this should be a golf course Fitzpatrick dominates.

He's fairly long off the tee, accurate enough and really good with his mid and short irons. Put a wedge in his hand from around 100 yards, and there's a pretty good chance he's hitting it within 10 feet.

Fitzpatrick has gained 2.49 strokes tee to green through two rounds, 10th best in the field.

Of course, it's always easy to say, "If this guy just putts better, he'll play better." That's not exactly groundbreaking analysis.

But I really do believe Fitzpatrick has a low round coming. Whether it happens on Saturday or Sunday, the ball striking has been too good for him to stay stuck where he is.

Sitting around T26 (-6) after what might end up being his worst round of the tournament, even money for a top-20 finish feels better than a coin flip.

I'll take my chances.

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