This week sees a quick turn around from the events in Paris as the PGA Tour wraps up its regular season with the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. Shane Lowry and Seamus Power will tee it up with plenty of jeopardy throughout the field as the top 70 in the FedEx standings will move forward to the post season playoffs.
Sedgefield Country Club will play host to the action this week with Lucas Glover looking to retain his crown in what would be a timely boost to his chances of advancing to the St. Jude Championship next week. Glover currently sits five spots outside the qualification cut off on 75th so will look to repeat last years antics to progress to the post season action.
Shane Lowry comes into the week after his Parisienne adventure as the highest ranked player in the FedEx standings in 10th spot and will look to consolidate his position with a strong performance this week to ensure a payout for the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 – the top 10 players in the FedEx Cup Regular Season standings who will earn bonuses for their efforts.
Seamus Power sits precariously in 68th with the likes of Glover et al gunning for his spot. The Waterford man needs to go well this weekend not just to retain his top-70 spot but to challenge for the top-50 who will move forward to the BMW Championship in two weeks’ time. This would ensure his spot at the big money signature events for the ’25 season. Power has just over 44 FedEx Cup points grace over 70th position so he has a job on his hands to keep the hunting pack at bay.
Sedgefield CC will play a 7131-yard, tricky par-70 for the field this week. A 35-35 split with a single par-5 per nine and a pair of threes on each. Opportunity to attack will come in the shape of two short par-3s for the pin seekers. The 174-yard third and the 175-yard 16th are bound to see plenty of action for the Douglas Ross Designed bermudagrass challenge over the week.
Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland are among the big hitters with work to do over the next fortnight. The pair currently sit outside the top-50 cut off on 62nd and 55th spot respectively.
“My goal this week is to try to move up as far as I can in the FedExCup and head into the Playoffs on a high note,” said Spieth on Tuesday as he laid out his plan for the week. “I love the golf course, I think it’s spectacular. You can’t hide your game. And I like the Bermuda. You’ve got to think your way around it, you can’t really miss above the hole out here. And then when you’re on the greens, it requires a lot of precision and touch.”
Asked about his lingering wrist injury, Spieth gave some insight into how it was progressing.
“Yeah, it’s been a frustrating year because it’s been maybe my best driving year ever, and then the clubs that I make the most impact into the ground with, which normally are my bread and butter, have been pretty off. It’s not hurting, but subconsciously it’s hard not to look at the numbers and think this isn’t a coincidence,” he reflected.
“I’ve been taking trips out as well as being in contact with a lot of doctors, getting it scanned again and trying to figure out what the next move is. Probably going to have to do something about it this offseason. I’m going to pretend nothing’s happening, fully trust it given that I’ll be able to get it fixed, and I know there’s a lot of golfers that have had similar situations and come back better than ever.”
Spieth will kick off his week off the 10th on Thursday with Justin Rose and Will Zalatoris for company on the opening two days. They head out at 12.23 Irish time in an eye-catching three ball. They will be followed out on the back nine by Lowry who will be joined by Akshay Bhatia and Sungjae Im as they head off at 12.34.
Seamus Power will begin his journey off the first tee tomorrow evening with Adam Svensson and Cameron Champ. They hit the course at 6.27PM as he looks to start strong and secure his spot for next week. Rain and wind are expected over the opening two days before a more benign weekend for the field is predicted. Playing the conditions before moving day could prove crucial for those looking both upward and behind them in the rankings with so much to play for throughout the pack.
Expect fireworks in North Carolina in the finale of the PGA Tour regular season.