The Wyndham Championship is almost like three tournaments in one PGA Tour event. The season-ending tournament, which begins on Thursday, has players trying to get into the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs, and others trying to keep their playing privileges for next season.
Oh, yeah, and there is also the event itself, which pays out more than $1 million to the winner. Though most of the star players will sit this one out, resting after the PGA Championship, there are three players in the Official World Golf Rankings that will play this week.
One is Webb Simpson, who is the 12/1 favorite to win. Simpson, who is ranked No. 20 in the OWGR, won The Players Championship in May, finished tied for 12th at the Open Championship, and tied for 19th at last week’s PGA Championship.
Hideki Matsuyama is No. 16 in the OWGR, but has not had the season Simpson has had. He is winless this year, and his three top 5s were early in the season. Since July, his best finish is a tie for 35th. He is at 15/1 this week.
The last player in the top 20 of the OWGR is Henrik Stenson. The Swede is No. 19 and is also without a victory, but did finish tied for sixth at the US Open. He is at 18/1.
Positioning for Playoffs
There have been 13 players that have played in every Fed Ex Cup Playoff since its inception in 2007, but Sergio Garcia and Bill Haas, could fall off that list this week. The two need high finishes to crack the 125 and qualify for next week’s playoff opener, The Northern Trust.
Garcia, who is 131st, seems to have the better chance, but is by no means a sure bet. The 2017 Masters champ, has struggled this year. Since this year’s Masters, where is missed the cut, the Spaniard has missed an additional seven cuts out of nine events. In the other two tournaments, he finished 70th and tied for 39th. He would have to finish inside the top 20 to get enough points to advance to next week. He is 33/1 to win this week.
Haas, who has 100/1 odds for the Wyndham, has a tougher road. He is at 150th in points, and needs a finish of fourth or better to make it to the playoffs. Haas has missed playing on the weekend five of his last seven events, and the two tournaments he did make the cut he finished tied for 71st and 72nd.
Staying Alive for Next Year
Then there are the golfers who are just trying to finish high enough to crack the top 125 and keep exempt status for next year. The one player hovering near the mark is Chad Campell. He is at 126 and a strong finish this week would bump him into the top 125. He is listed at 66/1 to win this week.
Another player on the bubble is Robert Garrigus. He is currently at 127 and would need at least a top 20 finish to secure his playing privileges for next year. He is listed at 175/1 to win.
