The PGA heads to North Carolina this week for the annual Wyndham Championship. This is the last event of the regular season, as the PGA playoffs begin next week. The Wyndham Championship is one of the older events on the PGA and is played at Sedgefield Country Club, a classic Donald Ross design that plays as a short Par 70 at just over 7,000 yards.
Sedgefield CC is the exact opposite of a bomber’s course as it tends to reward accurate drivers and great iron players. Last year’s winner, Aaron Rai, gained over 8.8 strokes on approach with his irons and was also one of the leaders in driving accuracy as well.
I wrote more about Sedgefield CC and the traits it will take to succeed at this venue in this week’s Wyndham Championship PGA DFS Cheat Sheet.
“Eight of the 12 par 4s on the course measure in at under 450 yards in length and can be had for birdies by players going well with their irons. These holes aren’t drivable, and they do require accurate tee shots and place a large emphasis on short iron play. That makes Sedgefield more of a positional course and a big reason why we have seen so many veteran winners at this venue over the last decade or so (four winners of 40+ years of age since 2015).
As for how important iron play is at Sedgefield, four of the participants from the 2021 six-man playoff gained over 5.0 strokes for the week on approach, and the top three finishers from 2023 all gained over 4.0 strokes on approach. Last year’s winner, Aaron Rai, gained over 8.8 strokes on approach alone. Assuming you are capable of clubbing down and finding fairways, approach and putting are pretty much all that matter this week for the pros.
Other comparable venues with tighter fairways and Bermuda greens include Harbour Town Golf Links, Waialae Country Club and TPC Sawgrass. Leaderboards at those courses are a decent starting point to see who might handle this week’s layout the best.”
The weather doesn’t look too bad for this week, as there is a little rain on the first two days but clearer skies the last two days. Wind is expected to get up a bit on Days 3 and 4, which could keep scoring a bit higher and put a bigger emphasis on elite ball-striking.
DraftKings Pick6 has full tournament totals up for this week, so I’ll again be focusing on FULL TOURNAMENT totals, specifically finishing positions (“Better Than” or “Worse Than”), but also the holes played market, which essentially acts as a “make or miss the cut” question.
Top DraftKings Pick6 Picks for the Wyndham Championship
Adam Scott Better Than 43.5 Finishing Position
This has traditionally been a great venue for veteran players. Brandt Snedeker won here in his 40s in 2018 and Davis Love III won at Sedgefield at the age of 51 in 2015. The 44-year-old Adam Scott has been very close over the past couple of seasons to notching a late career win, and he even went off in the final group of the US Open in June. He’s also performed well at Sedgefield (and other Par 70 venues), landing a playoff loss at this event back in 2022.
Scott can still be a very boom-or-bust prospect, as he proved last week at the 3M when he finished T-53 and lost over 3.0 strokes putting, but his long game has been in great form of late. He gained over 5.0 strokes on approach in Minnesota and now comes to a course where he’s flashed upside before. I see this as a great time to buy low on the Aussie, who also needs points big time as he sits outside the top 80 right now in the FedEx Cup race on the PGA.
Henrik Norlander More Than 36.5 Holes Played
Norlander has been struggling with closing out his events, but at the same time, he arrives at the Wyndham on a six-event made cut streak and is hitting his irons well. He gained over 1.7 strokes on approach in Rounds 1 and 2 at TPC Twin Cities last week and has gained over 4.0 strokes on approach in two of his last four starts (Scotland and Detroit).
An accurate driver of the ball who comes in ranked 29th in Driving Accuracy on the season, he has had success at these shorter, point-to-point venues, having racked up multiple top 10’s at Sea Island and a top 10 at Waialae CC, which, like Sedgefield, are also both short Par 70s. There is definitely a bust factor with Norlander when we get to the weekend, as he has struggled to hold his game together for four rounds, but his consistency seems to be a little underrated in this weaker field and makes him a great Pick6 option to get through the weekend on a course that should suit his game perfectly.
Ben Kohles More Than 36.5 Holes Played
Kohles is another player who sets up well for a technical Par 70 and has the sort of long game that should allow him to succeed and find another weekend, even if his putter holds him back from contending. The American enters this week on a three-event made cut streak and also needs points badly as he sits at just 151 in the FedEx Cup standings.
He’s had limited success at Sedgefield with a best finish of just T-54 two years ago, but he has made 2-of-4 cuts here and also enters with his long game in the best shape it’s been for quite some time. Again, with not having to take a deduction on the multiplier, Kohles looks like a solid value here just to get through the weekend, and he is a player I don’t mind being bullish on at all in this spot.
Adam Svensson More Than 36.5 Holes Played
At the risk of pushing this strategy too far, I’ll add one more play in the same market with Adam Svensson. The Canadian has had a pretty horrific season but came to life last week with a T-14 at the 3M Open, where he opened with a 60. He gained over 7.0 strokes on approach at that event, and his Top 20 is more impressive when you add in the fact he was relatively awful off the tee.
There is always the chance this was a one-week blip for Svensson, but he does have the sort of game that sets up well for Sedgefield and has had his best weeks on similar courses. With him sitting at 162 in the FedEx Cup, making the weekend will be paramount for him, so I like being bullish on him for Rounds 1 and 2 and taking him to make the cut and play more than 36.5 holes this week.
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