Mother Nature rained during the Wyndham Championship parade on Saturday as play was interrupted not once but twice, forcing players to finish the third round on Sunday. With the final group in the 11th fairway, approximately 26 holes will have to be completed in what will be a sprint to the finish in the upcoming tournament and, most importantly, the regular season as a whole.
Leading the pack are Brendon Wu and Sungjae Im, who are both 12 under and one stroke ahead of Tom Kim and John Huh. Wu ended his Saturday in style as he went looking for eagle on his last swing of the day on the 11th par-4 to catapult himself to the top of the leaderboard with Im.
Just two strokes adrift are Anirban Lahiri, Russell Henley, Davis Riley, Ryan Moore and Brian Stuard. While the majority of these men are well into the postseason as it stands, Moore and Stuard’s eyes are sure to be drawn to the FedEx Cup Playoffs photo as they entered the week outside the top 125.
They are not alone as Max McGreev, Chesson Hadley and Justin Lower all need strong Sunday performances to be in the field next week. With additional golf, play-off ambitions and careers at stake, the final day at Sedgefield Country Club is sure to be one to remember.
The leaders
T1. Sungjae Im and Brendon Wu (-12)
I was the most controlled player on the field for the first 70 percent of this tournament, and you would expect him to keep his calm and calm demeanor tomorrow. While he hasn’t had his best of things both off the tee and irons in hand, he has continued to find ways to score around this Donald Ross design and top the standings alongside Wu.
The South Korean has had an odd year, but a win would see his name creep into the top 10 of the FedEx Cup standings. His compatriot, Kim, has been making headlines this week – and for good reason – but it’s sometimes easy to forget that Im only 24 years old and has a fantastic shot at his third career win on the PGA Tour.
other contenders
T3. John Huh and Tom Kim (-11)
T5. Anirban Lahiri, Russell Henley, Davis Riley, Ryan Moore and Brian Stuard (-10)
11. Aaron Wise (-9)
There’s plenty to parse from the chase pack, but Stuard is an intriguing name to delve deeper into. Starting week 137 into the all-season race, the 39-year-old was looking for some much-needed magic. He had missed his last nine cuts on the PGA Tour and so far has been able to pull a rabbit out of a hat as he is currently expected to rise to 120th in the FedEx Cup standings.
“Honestly, not much at all, really,” Stuard said of the post-season pressure on Thursday. “I don’t have much to lose. I’m not really in a good place, so I’m just trying to figure out how to play good golf again and see what happens.”
Saying this Thursday is one thing, but the intensity has been kicked up a notch since then. It’ll be interesting to see if Stuard will be able to maintain this laid-back approach as he’s cashed in on a chance to qualify for the St. Jude Championship next week.
Heartbreak in the early morning
Austin Smotherman started the week solidly on the FedEx Cup bubble as he was number 125 in the season-long race. Smotherman was unable to complete his second round on Friday due to darkness and returned to the golf course at 1 below Saturday morning and with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 eighth.
Unable to convert, all he had to do was make par on his last hole to secure a weekend start time and more than likely a PGA Tour card for next season. If only golf were that easy, as the PGA Tour rookie doubled-bogey on ninth, moved the cut line to 1 under and booked his trip to the Korn Ferry Tour Playoffs, where he hopes to regain full-time status on the PGA to get. Tour.
Bubble boys on their way to Sunday
Smotherman’s early resignation has opened the door for a few players, including Rickie Fowler. While Fowler is an omission of the weekend after missing the cut by a single stroke, he still has a shot at finishing 125th in the FedEx Cup. He will likely need Justin Lower to have a bad Sunday, which is a tough result to cherish given the 33-year-old rookie’s path to the PGA Tour.
|
Brian Stuart |
137 |
120 |
|
Lucas Glover |
118 |
121 |
|
Webb Simpson |
117 |
122 |
|
Kramer Hickok |
122 |
123 |
|
Nick Taylor |
120 |
124 |
|
Justin Lager |
128 |
125 |
|
Rickie Fowler |
123 |
126 |
|
Matt Wallace |
124 |
127 |
|
Austin Smotherman |
125 |
128 |
|
Danny Willett |
127 |
129 |
2022 Wyndham Championship Updated Odds and Picks
- Sungjae Im: 23/10
- Tom Kim: 23/4
- Brandon Wu: 27/4
- Russell Henley: 15/2
- Davis Riley: 17/2
- John Huh: 11-1
- Aaron Wise: 14-1
- Anirban Lahiri: 16-1
- Ryan Moore: 22-1
- Brian Stuart: 30-1
There is still so much that can happen in this golf tournament and so it can be beneficial to take some risks. Lahiri has been seen of great renown where he played his best golf in 2022. Second at TPC Sawgrass and finishing in the top 10 at TPC Potomac, the Indian man leads the field in strokes from tee to green this week. Lahiri is third in both strokes from the tee and strokes on approach. Lahiri has gradually improved on the greens every day and should continue to do so on Sunday.