The Wyndham Championship Golf 2022 – Event Overview

General Summary

How time flies when you’re having fun and backing winners.  This week is the last event before the final 125 players tee it up for the FedEx Cup playoffs and the chance to earn some incredible prize money. There will be heartache for some and jubilation for others, as those who sit on the bubble around 120th – 130th on the prize money list battle it out for the final spots.

With many players already guaranteed their place in the final 125 next week, they have chosen to take the week off and we don’t have any of the world Top 10 players in the field this week, but we do have some big names from the world’s top 25 such as Sung-Jae IM, Will Zalatoris, Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry to name just a few.

Sedgefield Country Club is a par 70 course with two par 5s, four par 3s, and 12 par 4s. In terms of distance per hole, the 7,131 yardage falls barely short of the TOUR average. The preponderance of short par 4s is what distinguishes Sedgefield CC and makes it so repeating for elite course horses. Eight par-4s range in length from 400 to 450 yards. This has resulted in an average of over 30% of approach shots from 150-175 yards, significantly above the TOUR average. Sedgefield CC is your standard short, positional PGA TOUR course. It favours accuracy over distance off the tee and necessitates a steady diet of wedges and mid-iron approaches. The winners of this event don’t scream big hitter or aggressive golfers with names like Kisner, Si Woo, Stenson and Herman all winners in recent years.

The prototype could be the same this year and you may want players onside who are in steady but not necessarily spectacular form as arriving in top nick isn’t a prerequisite to succeed.

We may expect low scoring surpassing 20 under and plenty of birdies will be required to lift the trophy aloft on Sunday. Let’s break down those all-important key skill sets required to win here at the iconic Sedgefield Country Club.

Event & Course Details

• Course: Sedgefield Country Club
• Location: Greensboro, NC
• Date: 4-7, 2022
• Par: 70 / Yardage 7,131
• Purse: $7.3 Million / Winner $1.2 M
• Fairways/Rough: Bermudagrass
• Greens: Champion Bermudagrass
• Champion: Kevin Kisner

Key Skill Sets Required

Driving Accuracy  – The majority of PGA Tour event favour length off the tee though not here at Sedgefield Country Club. Here it is more about precision from the tee box and hitting the right side of the fairways to open up scoring opportunities with iron in hand. Even the longest players in the world are somewhat forced to layup off the tee, meaning all players face similar length approach shots.  Short accurate hitters have flourished here at Sedgefield County Club.

SG Approach – 5 of the last 6 winners have ranked in the TOP 5 for approach play over the course of 4 days and we may expect very much the same this week.  Approach play will be critical, especially with mid iron in hand.

Proximity 125-175 Yards – As touched upon, even the most powerful players on tour will have to lay up to the correct spots off the tee, thus forcing similar length second shots for all players. That distance will be 125-175 yards with circa 40% of all shots coming from this region. You may want players onside who have pedigree in with mid-iron in hand as this will be the difference come Sunday.

Par 4 Scoring 400-450 yards – In low-scoring affairs, like we can expect this week, players must dominate the Par 4 holes, especially the par 4 that are 400-450 yards in length. We have 8 of those this week. Performance on these holes will have a massive say on who lifts that trophy come Sunday evening.

Birdies or Better – We can expect a winning score lower than 20 under par this week. Players are required to make a birdie on 1 in 3 holes this week. Without hitting 6/7 birdies per round, players have little chance of success come the back nine on Sunday.

SG Putting – They are playing on the Bermuda green this week so you will be looking for players who have proven their liking for these surfaces as they aren’t for everyone. The greens here are undulating and fast so those with favourable putting stats will be at a huge advantage. As with all low scoring events like this one is likely to be, making the majority of putts inside of 10ft in a must.

Best Outsiders /big priced player/ bomb picks / to consider 50/1 and above

1. Charley Hoffman 150/1

• His best chances come in low scoring affairs like this week, where approach play is key and attacking golf is required.
• Led the field for SG Approach last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
• Ranked 4^TH for ‘Greens In Regulation’ Gained which will be critical this week at Sedgefield Country Cub.
• Putts his best on the surfaces he faces this week.

2. Mark Hubbard 70/1

• A missed cut last week means his price is fair after being too short over the last few weeks
• Iron game is dialed in right now, ranking in the top 5 for proximity to the hole from 125-175 yards, which we know is a key distance this week.
• Performs best in lows scoring, easy courses like he faces this week.
• Gained strokes with Approach play in 6 of his last 7 events.
• Gaining strokes putting in 7 of his last 8 events.

3. Scott Stallings 50/1 

• 3 Top 10 finishes in a row, the most consistent his game has been for years.
• He is an aggressive golfer who makes plenty of birdies.
• Ranked in the top 10 for proximity to the hole from 125-175 yards a key distance this week.
• Ranks in the top 20 for Par 4 scoring on holes 400-450 yards in length.
• Ranks in the top 20 for SG Putting over the past 24 rounds on tour.
• Ranks in the top 10 for SG Approach play over the past 24 rounds.

Best Outright Picks

1. Will Zalatoris 16/1

• Arrives in good form with 2 top 10 finishes in his last 5 starts, he headlined last week, and you may be prepared to stick with him for one more week.
• Driving the ball as good as anyone in this field and is the arguable the number 1 T2G player teeing it up this week.
• Ranked 2nd SG Approach play over the last 36 rounds.
• Ranked 4th Proximity to the hole from the key distance of 150-175 yards.
• Ranked 11th for SG Approach play last week, this week is all about iron play.
• Ranked 1^st in birdies made over the past 24 rounds on tour.

2. Russell Henley 22/1

• 3 top 10 finishes in his last 6 events.
• 2 Top 10 at the event previously.
• Ranked 1^st in approach play of all players teeing it up over the past 36 rounds on tour.
• Ranked in the top 10 for proximity to the hole from 75- 175 yards, his overall iron game is top class and this is backed up by the stats.
• Ranked 6^th for Par 4 scoring from 400-450 yards, eight holes each day fall in this range.
• His weakness is putting for sure, however, these green surfaces are his most favoured and best statistically by some distance.
• Trending in the right direction and a huge performance is very possible.

3. Brian Harman 33/1

• 2 top 10 finishes in his last 3 starts show his game is trending.
• He has 2 top 10 finishes at the event previously
• A super driver of the ball, one of the most accurate teeing it up this week.
• Gaining on average half a stroke per round on the field for approach play over his last 5 events, he will need to outperform that average this week, something he can most definitely do.
• His best putting stats come on the Bermuda greens he faces this week.

4. Matt Wallace 150/1

• Arrives here off the back of a Top 10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic
• He will be fully motivated this week, given he needs a good week to secure his place in the final 125 for the FedEx playoffs.
• A proven winner who has gained stokes with approach play in 6 of his last 8 events.
• Gained strokes putting in 5 of his last 6 events.

5. Tyrell Hatton 30/1

• A winner of big events in the US already this drop in grade on his first outing since the open should provide a real opportunity for him to gain another win stateside.
• Ranked 6th in Par 4 scoring over the past 24 rounds on tour.
• Ranked 8^th in Par scoring from 400-450 yards, eight holes each day fall in this range.
• An aggressive iron player who should give himself plenty of birdie looks this week.
• Gained strokes putting in each of his last 10 events and putting could be the key skill set required this week.

Top 20 picks this week

Russell Henley 13/10

• 3 top 10 finishes in his last 6 events.
• 2 Top 10 at the event previously.
• Ranked 1^st in approach play of all players teeing it up over the past 36 rounds on tour.
• Ranked in the top 10 for proximity to the hole from 75- 175 yards, his overall iron game is top class and this is backed up by the stats.
• Ranked 6^th for Par 4 scoring from 400-450 yards, eight holes each day fall in this range.
• His weakness is putting for sure, however, these green surfaces are his most favoured and best statically by some distance.
• Trending in the right direction and a huge performance is likely.

Zach Johnson 6/1

• 2 top 10 finishes at the event previously, this type of test remains in reach from him.
• An accurate driver of the ball, who won’t be at a disadvantage this week because of his lack of length.
• A world-class wedge game that should set him up with plenty of birdie opportunities this week.

First Round Leader

1. Charley Hoffman 100/1

2. Russell Henley 33/1

3. Davis Riley 60/1