Wyndham Championship Preview
The 2021 edition of the Wyndham Championship will begin tomorrow, August 12th, at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. This is a huge event for many players in the field jockeying for a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs as it is the final event before the first playoff event.
The playoffs begin next week at THE NORTHERN TRUST. The Top 125 players in the FedEx standings will qualify for the playoffs, and there are some notable players who have work to do this week in order to break into that Top 125.
Among those players are Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood, and Justin Rose.
My Outright Picks
Rickie Fowler (+5000)
Rickie Fowler has been struggling for a while now, but it feels like he is starting to come around. Fowler had success at the PGA Championship, in which he finished tied for 8th, which is only top 10 of the season. He followed that up with a tied 11th at the Memorial Tournament. Two weeks later, Fowler held the lead at multiple points at the 3M Open after opening with a 64 but failed to break 70 in the next 3 rounds.
In 2017 Fowler ranked number 1 on tour in strokes gained putting. Fowler made his living around the greens being able to sink putts from anywhere. He has had a -.067 SG: Putting this season, but in his last 5 events, he has had a +2.64 SG: Putting. This is a huge opportunity for Fowler to build on the momentum he has created. He has admitted his recent struggles have been extremely frustrating. If Fowler can break into the playoffs and perform well, he can shoot his name right back up in the world rankings.
I love how Fowler’s game sets up for this course. He has been finding many more fairways as of late, and his putter has come along. If Fowler can keep his putter hot, he will be in contention on Sunday with a ton of determination to get back into the winner’s circle.
Will Zalatoris (+2500)
Zalatoris only has one way to qualify for the playoffs, and that is with a win. Will is technically not a full PGA Tour member. Zalatoris has earned enough points to put him in the 26th spot in the standings but would need a win to become a full tour member. Zalatoris has had an amazing rookie season, and I am sure we will see a lot more of his name in the future if he is not able to win this week.
Despite the unfortunate circumstance, I think this creates some value for Zalatoris. He knows he needs a win and will be gunning for it hard. Do not expect him to be playing conservative this week; he will be pin-seeking and hitting aggressive shots all week.
Zalatoris has 8 top-ten finishes this season which is amazing for such a young player. He is 7th on tour in strokes gained approaching the green, which is going to be important this week, especially at a course like Sedgefield. If Zalatoris can give himself some short putts and stay out of trouble, he will be towards the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.
Longshot
Harold Varner III (+8000)
Harold Varner III has had a quiet season. He is currently comfortably inside the top 125, but he will want to continue to improve his position so he can be within striking distance of making the TOUR Championship. Varner III is a solid ball striker if he can get some putts to drop, he can have a big week in North Carolina. What a golf weekend this will be.
