Wyndham Championship

Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, N.C.

7,130 yards, Par 70

Defending champion: Patrick Reed (-14); won in a playoff over Jordan Spieth on the second playoff hole making birdie

TV: Thursday: Golf Channel: 3-6 PM ET/2-5 CT; Friday: Golf: 3-6 PM ET/2-5 PM CT; Saturday: Golf: 1-2:30 PM ET/12-1:30 PM CT; CBS: 3-6 PM ET/2-5 CT; Sunday: Golf: 1-2:30 PM ET/12-1:30 CT; CBS: 3-6 PM ET/2-5 PM CT.

Weather: Very good: low to mid 80’s Thursday through Saturday; 90 high on Sunday. o% rain thursday, Friday, Sunday; 10% on Saturday. Wind: Thursday: WNW 6 MPH; Friday: NNW 4; Saturday: South 7; Sunday: SW 11.

Notes of interest:

*Sam Snead won eight times here. “Slammin’ Sammy” won in 1938, 1946, 1949, ’50, ’55, ’56, ’60 and ’65. He became the oldest PGA tour winner with his win in 1965. Snead was 52 years old. Still the record. Snead still holds the record for most PGA victories with 82. Tiger is second with 79. In 48 years, he finished in the top 10, 330 times and he won seven majors: the 1949, ’52 and ’54 Masters; the 1946 British Open, and the 1942, ’49 and ’51 PGA Championship. He also finished second or tied for second in the U.S. Open in 1937, ’47, ’49 and ’53. Extremely impressive career for Snead, who passed away in 2002 at the age of 89, four days short of his 90th birthday.

**Rory is the third youngest player to ever win four major championships. Tiger won his fourth major, the 2000 British Open, @ 24 years, six months. Jack won his fourth, the 1965 Masters, @ 25 years, two months. Rory won his fourth, last week’s PGA, @ 25 years, three months.

***The collective records of the nine U.S. Ryder Cup team members are: Bubba Watson: 3-5-2; Rickie Fowler: 0-1-2; Jim Furyk: 9-17-4; Jimmy Walker: rookie; Phil: 14-18-4; Matt Kuchar: 3-2-2; Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed: rookies; Zach Johnson: 6-4-1. We have some new guys in there in Walker, Spieth and Reed who are young and hungry, which is good. The veterans need to be better this time. Tom Watson’s three captain’s picks will be critical. He has not ruled out Tiger for the team. He wants to see where he’s at in the next three weeks before making his selection on Monday, Sept 2.

Key holes at Sedgefield:

N0. 6

Par 4, 423 yards

The most challenging hole on the course requires a tee shot left of center near the creek. So a slight draw for righties and a slight cut for lefties is the play off the tee. The approach is uphill and difficult to an undulating green in what is called a natural amphitheater setting

No.7

Par 3, 223 yards

A long downhill par three that plays to  a “punchbowl” green. Players must avoid the creek in front and on both sides. Club selection and accuracy are critical here.

No.15

Par 5, 547

A downhill tee shot must avoid a small creek on the left side and a large fairway bunker on the right. Going for the green in two requires a long carry over water and deep greenside bunkering to a severe back to front sloping green. Pretty good risk-reward hole here.

No.18

Par 4, 507 yards

This is the toughest hole on the course. The pros hit approach shots from a downhill second shot lie to an uphill green that’s hard, fast and undulating. Wayward drives to either sides will find jail amongst the trees, and there are two bunkers just short of the green, and two in front of the green. A birdie here is excellent; par is pretty good. Should lead to some high quality drama on Sunday.

Contenders:

John Huh?

The 24 year old finished tied third here last year and finished tied third at the Barracuda Championship at the end of July in Reno, Nevada. It was played while the WGC Bridgestone Invitational was going on in Akron, which Rory won. Missed the cut at the PGA, but likes this course. Has a good overall game. Won on the tour in Feb. of 2012 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico. Harris English won there this year. Shot 68-62-70-68 here last year to finish tied for third with Brian Harmon at -12.

Hideki Matsuyama:

The 22 year old Japanese golfer has already made his mark this season by winning the Memorial, Jack’s tournament,  in late May. He finished tied 15th here last year shooting a 66 on the final day. He finished tied for 33rd at the PGA last week, but shot a 68 on the final day. Has the game to do some excellent things on the tour in the coming years.

Brandt Snedeker:

There is no Vandy bias in this pick though I know I’ll be accused of that. I do like Brandt a lot, and pull for him, but right now I really like the way he’s playing. He tied for 13th last week at the PGA shooting 73-68-66-67. He won here in 2007, his rookie season. The 33 year old seems to be on the brink of winning majors, but hasn’t been able to get there yet. His putting is not as good as it has been. His strokes gained putting were No.1 in 2012, the year he won the FedEx Cup, fourth last year, and 16th this year. This year is still pretty good, but not up to his previous two years’ standards. His switch to Butch Harmon as his swing coach seems to be paying off. If his putter is working this week, he’ll be right there with a chance to hoist the Snead Trophy on Sunday.

Patrick Reed:

Winner here last year and has won two more times on the tour since this one. Finished tied 59th last week at the PGA, but secured his spot on the Ryder Cup team as a rookie. The 24-year old has been outspoken about how good he is, even saying when he won the WGC at Doral in February, that he was a top five player in the world. I’m sure he’s calmed down a little about that, but he is quite a good player. Maybe he can back it up this week, then in the FedEx playoffs, and most importantly for Americans, at the Ryder Cup.

Webb Simpson:

Webb didn’t make the cut last week at the PGA, but his record here is very good. He won here in 2011 and finished tied for 11th last year shooting 63 on the final day. He’s ninth in strokes gained putting and the 29 year old Raleigh, North Carolina native is playing kind of in his backyard in Greensboro, which is an hour and 15 minutes from Raleigh. Simpson won the 2011 U.S. Open at Olympic Golf Club in San Francisco.

Winner:

Webb Simpson

Two predictions

Rory

A female host for the Golf Channel asked Golf Channel contributors Tripp Isenhour and John Feinstein what their over/under is for Rory winning majors. She set the over/under at 12. Isenhour is a former player on the PGA Tour who won four Web.com titles, but never a PGA tournament. Feinstein is a noted author who has written many very good sports non-fiction sports books including a couple of excellent ones on golf: A Good Walk Spoiled (1996), and The Majors: In Pursuit of Golf’s Holy Grail (1999). Feinstein is a Duke graduate and avid also an avid Duke basketball fan who has a shrine at his house for daily Coach K worship sessions.

Isenhour said McIlroy would get exactly 12. Feinstein went over. I’m going under at 11. I see him winning one Masters, one more U.S. Opens, two more British Opens, and three more PGA’s.  Rory’s talent will take him a long way, but he’ll probably marry a famous actress or supermodel when he turns 30 or so and they’ll be in the Big Apple or Hollywood most of the time living large and he’ll slack off on his golf commitment. But he’s still good enough to get 11.

Auburn vs. Arkansas, first game, Saturday, Aug.30th

Jeremy Johnson comes in the first series at quarterback as Nick Marshall is suspended. After a two yard run by Cameron Artis-Payne, a Johnson incompletion and a sack of Johnson, Gus turns to Nick and says: “Nick come’ere. I talked to Stoops and he said Green-Beckham was kiddin’ when he pushed his girlfriend down the stairs; so he was ready to play. Goodell told me that Ray Rice was just havin’ fun with his fiance when he punched her out, so two games was enough. You’re good to go now. Put your helmet on, get in there and hit Sammie on a hitch and go. Let’s score now! War Eagle.”

Bong hits are optional.