Wyndham Championship Preview, TV Times

Henrik Stenson defends the Wyndham Championship

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 14 August 2018

It’s the final PGA Tour event before the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs. Sweden’s Henrik Stenson defends the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield CC in North Carolina.

Wyndham Championship Preview, TV Times

With 125 players going into the first FedEx Cup playoff event – The Northern Trust, the players will be battling to make the grade in this week’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield CC.

Although this event may not boast the strongest field of the year on the PGA Tour, the excitement is set to be high as players look to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Henrik Stenson defends but 91 of the 100 players currently ranked 90th to 190th on the FedEx Cup standings will do battle this week to try and play their way into the Northern Trust.

2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia needs a good result to make it, and to stake his claim to a Ryder Cup place.

This is one of the oldest tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule. It was first contested in 1938 as the Greater Greensboro Open and Sam Snead was the winner, Snead won the tournament seven further times, lastly in 1965. Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros and Sandy Lyle have all been winners.

In last year’s championship, Henrik Stenson came out of the pack to win by one from Ollie Schneiderjans. The Swede birdied three of his last four holes.

The Ross Course at Sedgefield Country Club dates from 1925 and was designed by Donald Ross. The course was restored and revamped in 2007.

The weather looks like being dry on day one with rain moving in from Friday. It’s going to be warm and humid.

Venue: Sedgefield CC, Greensboro, North Carolina Date: Aug 16-19 Course stats: par 70, 7,127 yards Purse: $6,000,000 Defending champion: Henrik Stenson (-22)

How to watch the Wyndham Championship

TV Coverage: Thursday 16 – Sky Sports Golf from 8pm (Featured groups on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm) Friday 17 – Sky Sports Golf from 8pm (Featured groups on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm) Saturday 18 – Sky Sports Golf from 6pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 9pm Sunday 19 – Sky Sports Golf from 6pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 8pm

Not a Sky Sports customer and want to watch the Wyndham Championship?

BUY NOW: Now TV Sky Sports Pass – £7.99 for a day, £12.99 for a week or £33.99 for a month

Players to watch:

Rafa Cabrera-Bello – The Spaniard finished strongly in the USPGA to record a top-10. He’s desperately trying to secure himself a Ryder Cup spot so will be fired up for this event. He was tied 5th here in 2016.

Julian Suri – The American who developed his professional career on the European Tour is emerging as a top player. He finished in the top-20 at Bellerive and is returning to an area he knows well having attended college at nearby Duke.

Joaquin Niemann – The young Chilean has enjoyed incredible success since turning pro earlier this year having won the LAAC. He’s recorded four top-10s and earned more than $1,000,000 in prize money.

Key hole: 18th. At 507 yards, this is a demanding closing hole. The second shot is played uphill but generally it will be from a downhill lie. The large green is guarded by four bunkers and par is a good score here.

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Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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