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 [August 08, 2024]
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Wyndham Championship serves as a final
chance to improve positioning for the FedEx Cup playoffs, so the
last stop on the PGA Tour's regular season has the attention of
plenty of golfers.
The first round comes Thursday at Sedgefield Country Club.
"Whether it's the playoffs or people making moves for eligibility,
there's a lot at stake at this event," Jordan Spieth said. "My goal
this week is to try to move up as far as I can in the FedEx Cup and
head into the playoffs on a high note."
Only the top 70 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings advance to the
playoffs.
While the Wyndham has naturally often been about creating momentum
for the playoffs -- or simply making the field for next week --
another factor is bound to loom large for at least a couple of days:
wet weather.
Due to the forecast for dangerous weather conditions developing from
the remnants of Hurricane Debby, Thursday's first round will be
played without spectators on the tournament grounds.
Tournament officials announced late Wednesday afternoon that plans
are to begin as scheduled at 6:50 a.m. Thursday without fans. Play
will continue as long as conditions allow.
"This decision was a difficult one for us to make with our partners
at the PGA Tour, but everyone's safety is our top priority,"
tournament director Bobby Powell said. "The most-recent forecast
looks like the storm could clear our area sometime Friday."
The golfers are paying close attention to the situation.
"Lord willing, the weather will not be as bad as forecasted and we
can get it in and play 72 holes and have some fun," said Brandt
Snedeker, a past champion of the tournament.
"Everyone's going to have to deal with it," Spieth said. "Then maybe
it may make it a little bit more scoreable, so you change your
mindset a little bit in that regard. Looks like the weekend will be
beautiful, so, hopefully, we move along just fine and, hopefully,
the forecast improves."
Spieth, playing for the first time since The Open Championship last
month, is No. 63 in the standings. He's in the Wyndham Championship
field for just the fourth time, with a memorable 2013 playoff loss
to Patrick Reed resulting in his best finish.
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Will Zalatoris, who was a college standout at
nearby Wake Forest, said the Sedgefield greens tend to be slick and
putting up good scores is possible for golfers who find the right
touch.
"It's just trying to run the tables around here," Zalatoris said.
"These are some of the best greens we have on tour, so just give
yourself as many looks as you can and get hot with the putter and
make a run."
Jhonattan Vegas won the 3M Open two weeks ago, so he will look to
build on that.
"It's a golf course that requires a lot of precision off the tee and
into the greens and even around the greens," Vegas said. "I love
where I'm at and excited to make a push to the end of the year."
Snedeker was presented with the Payne Stewart Award, which is based
on character, sportsmanship and charitable giving, on Tuesday at the
course. He tends to be a fan favorite here.
"Obviously been a tough year for me on the golf course," said
Snedeker, a two-time winner (2007, 2018) in Greensboro. "But I think
grinding and practicing hard and feel like I'm close to doing
something really good and hoping all these things line up this week
for a good week for me."
The defending champion is Lucas Glover. The tournament hasn't had a
back-to-back winner since Sam Snead's 1956 title.
Twenty-one golfers who competed in last week's Olympics are in the
field. Keegan Bradley, who was recently named captain of the U.S.
team for the 2025 Ryder Cup, is playing in Greensboro for the first
time since 2017.
-- Bob Sutton, Field Level Media
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