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.
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
