Wyndham Championship: Golf Odds And Predictions

If you simply stuck to betting on golfers in this year’s four major championships whose first and last names were each six letters, then you really cashed in: Sergio Garcia won the Masters, Brooks Koepka the U.S. Open, Jordan Spieth the British Open and Justin Thomas on Sunday took his first major title at the PGA Championship in Charlotte. Now that’s a trend! This week the PGA Tour stays in North Carolina for the Wyndham Championship. Here’s a look at the Sports Interaction favourites and golf odds on the Canadians.

What’s At Stake At Wyndham Championship

The FedExCup four-event playoffs begin a week from Thursday with the Northern Trust Tournament in New York. To qualify for the playoffs and have a shot at winning the $10 million FedExCup prize, players must be in the Top 125 in points after this week’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

It’s not a great field overall this week as many golfers who are safely inside the Top 125 are taking the week off ahead of potentially playing the next four tournaments in a row. All but 15 players from Nos. 90-190 are entered, however. Right around the bubble are No. 124 Daniel Summerhays, No. 125 Geoff Ogilvy and No. 126 Cameron Tringale. There’s usually a guy or two outside the cutline who gets in the playoffs at this event, meaning a guy or two is knocked out. In the 10-year history of the FedExCup, no player has made the season-ending Tour Championship starting the Wyndham Championship outside the Top 125. Any players in the Top 5 in points at the Tour Championship would win the FedExCup with a victory in Atlanta.

Sedgefield Country Club is a par 70 measuring 7,127 yards; it’s an entirely different layout than last week’s PGA at Quail Hollow. Sam Snead’s record 82nd and final victory on the PGA Tour was at Sedgefield in 1965 (he won there eight times overall). The course record is a 60, shot by 2016 winner Si Woo Kim in the second round. He finished at 21-under 259, tying the event 72-hole record as well and won by five shots. Kim will not defend his title as he was forced to withdraw from the PGA Championship with a back injury.

Wyndham Championship Favourites

Sweden’s Henrik Stenson is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 9 in the world and is the +1200 betting favourite. Interesting choice by oddsmakers considering he has missed the cut at this event in his past three trips. He did play solidly last week with a 13th at the PGA Championship.

Kevin Kisner is +1800. He led the PGA by a shot over Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Stroud entering Sunday, but Kisner’s putter largely betrayed him Sunday as he shot 74 to finish tied for seventh. His best result in four trips to this tournament is eighth in 2014.

Then there’s a dropoff to Webb Simpson, Bill Haas and Jason Dufner each at +2500. Simpson is from this area of the country and won the tournament in 2011. He also had a T5 in 2014 and T6 the next year. Dufner’s best finish here was seventh in 2012. Haas has three Top 10s in the tournament, led by a runner-up in 2014 when he was a stroke behind Camilo Villegas.

Canadian Golfers

Adam Hadwin is 13th in FedEx Cup points and is taking this week off. Mackenzie Hughes (32nd) and Graham DeLaet (64th) are both safe and not playing.

David Hearn is +11300 and Nick Taylor +14200. Hearn is 121st, so he could be bumped should he miss the cut. Taylor is 84th in the points and thus safe. Neither has made a cut at Sedgefield.

One Canadian has won the Wyndham Championship: Stan Leonard in 1957 when it was called the Greater Greensboro Open.

Wyndham Championship Predictions

I would recommend Top 10s on Simpson and Haas, another North Carolina guy, but my winner at +2900 is Ryan Moore. He has a win (2009) and Top 10 (2015) here and played well last week in finishing 13th.