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Power Rankings: Wyndham Championship
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August 09, 2021
By Rob Bolton , PGATOUR.COM
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Webb Simpson has won before at Sedgefield Country Club. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Editor's note: Patrick Reed withdrew on Tuesday.
The Wyndham Championship isn’t part of the FedExCup Playoffs, but playoffs are as much about who survives and advances as who doesn’t. So, for many at Sedgefield Country Club this week, their personal playoffs begin now.
A field of 156 is assembled in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the conclusion of the PGA TOUR’s regular season. Scroll past the projected contenders for a review of what’s at stake, how Sedgefield is expected to test and more.
RELATED: How the field qualified | The First Look
POWER RANKINGS: WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP
RANK PLAYER COMMENT 15 
Robert MacIntyre Received a sponsor exemption after having achieved Special Temporary Membership on Sunday. Needs a two-way T7 to catch the current No. 125 in the FedExCup for a 2021-22 TOUR card.Received a sponsor exemption after having achieved Special Temporary Membership on Sunday. Needs a two-way T7 to catch the current No. 125 in the FedExCup for a 2021-22 TOUR card.
14 
Rory Sabbatini The silver medalist in Tokyo is 141st in the FedExCup, so Sedgefield has arrived at a great time. He’s recorded two of his last nine top 10s on the PGA TOUR on the course (2017, 2019).
The silver medalist in Tokyo is 141st in the FedExCup, so Sedgefield has arrived at a great time. He’s recorded two of his last nine top 10s on the PGA TOUR on the course (2017, 2019).
13 
Will Zalatoris Shout it with me now: Beware the injured golfer! Overcame serious pain in his lower back to finish T8 at TPC Southwind. His odyssey to compete in the Playoffs will end without a victory.
Shout it with me now: Beware the injured golfer! Overcame serious pain in his lower back to finish T8 at TPC Southwind. His odyssey to compete in the Playoffs will end without a victory.
12 
Brandt Snedeker Second to Webb Simpson in all-time earnings. Sneds opened his lone win at Sedgefield (in 2018) with a bogey and still shot 59. Sparkling play in 2021 includes two top 20s in July.
Second to Webb Simpson in all-time earnings. Sneds opened his lone win at Sedgefield (in 2018) with a bogey and still shot 59. Sparkling play in 2021 includes two top 20s in July.
11 
Kevin Kisner The South Carolina native has been a lot of all-or-nothing this season, but he’s often a threat at Sedgefield where he’s back for more after a T3 in last year’s edition that followed a two-year hiatus.
The South Carolina native has been a lot of all-or-nothing this season, but he’s often a threat at Sedgefield where he’s back for more after a T3 in last year’s edition that followed a two-year hiatus.
10 
Seamus Power Rested since breaking through and punctuating a sick surge with victory at the Barbasol Championship four weeks ago. No stranger to Sedgefield where he’s making his fifth appearance.
Rested since breaking through and punctuating a sick surge with victory at the Barbasol Championship four weeks ago. No stranger to Sedgefield where he’s making his fifth appearance.
9 
Si Woo Kim The 2016 champ came within 18 holes of his second title last year but failed to pay off the 54-hole lead with a closing 70 to finish T3. Also placed fifth in 2019. Simply a horse for the course.
The 2016 champ came within 18 holes of his second title last year but failed to pay off the 54-hole lead with a closing 70 to finish T3. Also placed fifth in 2019. Simply a horse for the course.
8 
Russell Henley Among the most aggressive in the field, so Sedgefield is a great fit. Ranked third in GIR en route to a personal-best T9 here last year. Currently 18th on TOUR in GIR. Three top 20s this summer.
Among the most aggressive in the field, so Sedgefield is a great fit. Ranked third in GIR en route to a personal-best T9 here last year. Currently 18th on TOUR in GIR. Three top 20s this summer.
7 
Brian Harman His confidence is high for a reason because the lefty has been a force for months. So, as long as he’s feelin’ it, expectations should remain high. Mixed bag here but T6 just two years ago.
His confidence is high for a reason because the lefty has been a force for months. So, as long as he’s feelin’ it, expectations should remain high. Mixed bag here but T6 just two years ago.
6 
Patrick Reed Editor's note: Patrick Reed withdrew on Tuesday. Broke through here in 2013 and hasn’t missed a cut in six trips. Last year’s T9 was his fifth straight top 25; his scoring average in 24 rounds is 67.33. Also indefatigable given recent travel.
Editor's note: Patrick Reed withdrew on Tuesday. Broke through here in 2013 and hasn’t missed a cut in six trips. Last year’s T9 was his fifth straight top 25; his scoring average in 24 rounds is 67.33. Also indefatigable given recent travel.
5 
Louis Oosthuizen Renown for runner-up finishes on big stages, it’s apt that a solo second would clinch victory in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 and he’d enter the Playoffs as the top seed without a win.
Renown for runner-up finishes on big stages, it’s apt that a solo second would clinch victory in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 and he’d enter the Playoffs as the top seed without a win.
4 
Hideki Matsuyama After the Olympics, it would’ve been understood if he collapsed at TPC Southwind. Instead, he got into the playoff. Wow. All three of his paydays (in six starts) at Sedgefield are top 15s.
After the Olympics, it would’ve been understood if he collapsed at TPC Southwind. Instead, he got into the playoff. Wow. All three of his paydays (in six starts) at Sedgefield are top 15s.
3 
Jason Kokrak As if you needed more proof that he’s not a one-trick thoroughbred, he’s gone for a T6 among three top 20s at Sedgefield in the last four years. Sits 28th in GIR, fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting.
As if you needed more proof that he’s not a one-trick thoroughbred, he’s gone for a T6 among three top 20s at Sedgefield in the last four years. Sits 28th in GIR, fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting.
2 
Sungjae Im Checks all of the boxes. In two starts, he’s finished a respective T6 and T9 with a scoring average of 66. As statistically impressive as anyone anywhere. Zero issues about remaining busy.
Checks all of the boxes. In two starts, he’s finished a respective T6 and T9 with a scoring average of 66. As statistically impressive as anyone anywhere. Zero issues about remaining busy.
1 
Webb Simpson Has “only” one win at Sedgefield, and it’s been 10 years, but he’s been beaten by only six golfers in the last four editions combined. Scoring average in his last 16 rounds is 65.31.
Has “only” one win at Sedgefield, and it’s been 10 years, but he’s been beaten by only six golfers in the last four editions combined. Scoring average in his last 16 rounds is 65.31.
Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood, Lucas Glover, Francesco Molinari, Barracuda Championship winner Erik van Rooyen and defending champion Jim Herman will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider.
The Wyndham Championship has served as the anchor of the PGA TOUR regular season throughout the FedExCup era and Sedgefield CC has hosted since 2008. Because statuses for golfers will be subject to change at its conclusion, the gathering in Greensboro presents a little like the last day of high school. Some guys never will see each other again, for even a reunion must be earned.
For most, it’ll preface a rebirth that results in a run at the FedExCup during the three-event Playoffs on deck, the Korn Ferry Tour Finals that’s contested concurrently, or perhaps a spot in the second stage of qualifying school to regain status on the KFT in 2022. Churn is the norm in the constant of the meritocracy.
Leading the qualifiers for the Playoffs is the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10. Of the 25 mathematically within reach to be rewarded, four are in the field at Sedgefield – Louis Oosthuizen (eighth in FedExCup points), Jason Kokrak (12th), Hideki Matsuyama (14th) and Patrick Reed (22nd). Of them, only Oosthuizen can stretch to No. 1. He cannot finish lower than 10th.
Another impactful bubble hovers over Bo Hoag at 125th in points. From Sepp Straka at 105th through Rafael Campos at 151st, only Charles Howell III (137th) isn’t committed at Sedgefield. (CH3 is fully exempt through the 2021-22 season, so he forfeits only the chance to qualify for the 2021 Playoffs).
Sedgefield is a stock par 70 measuring 7,131 yards. With no significant changes and with customarily favorable scoring conditions, it’ll play as the racetrack with which the entrants are familiar. Last year’s scoring average of 68.779 aligned with its recent history.
Bermuda greens are ready to touch 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, but the daily threat for rain and increased chance of storms deeper into the tournament could impact that. The two-and-a-half-inch primary rough will be consistent. Wind will not be a factor, so every bit of the daytime highs in the low 90s will be felt before a relative cooling on Sunday.
En route to the title last year, Jim Herman showcased the textbook formula for success in a shootout. He led the field in greens hit (63 of 72) and finished third in Strokes Gained: Putting, connecting on 14 tries outside 10 feet, tied for most in the field. He went 10-for-21 from 10-20 feet and ranked second in average distance of putts holed.
Because the Wyndham Championship is the final stop before the Playoffs, all top 10s at Sedgefield will be eligible for entry into the Fortinet Championship on Sept. 16-19.
ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE
PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled.
MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers; Fantasy Insider
SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch
* - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.
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