The Wyndham Championship Power Rankings: The 10 Best Golfers at Sedgefield CC
By Todd Moser
Last week, Scottie Scheffler won the Gold in Paris, giving us our 13th outright win of the season. I mis-classed Victor Perez and Mattieu Pavon as long shot and winner, but I still think there’s something magical about playing in your home country in the Olympics. Celine Boutier anybody?
This week, the PGA Tour returns to home soil for the last tournament before the FedEx Playoffs begin. The honor goes to the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC.
Nearly all the big names are taking the week off from their Olympic travels, but there are a few playing this week led by Shane Lowry; however, I’ll be avoiding any Olympics players due to fatigue, jet lag, and the letdown factor. There will also be a couple of contenders currently ranked outside the Top 70 in FedEx points as they battle to get into the playoffs. Can we pick the right ones?
The Wyndham Championship Power Rankings (with FedEx rank)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
10. Max Greyserman (64th) +6600
We had Greyserman as a long shot for the 3M and he nearly pulled it off as he was tied for the lead until the very last putt. That second-place finish goes along with his previous five events where he finished T-13, T-21, T-26, T-31, and T-21. I like him and nobody’s talking about him. He doesn’t have tournament course experience, but he went to Duke in nearby Durham. He does have some telling stats. He’s ranked 38th in SG overall, 40th in total driving, 14th in driving distance, and 20th in SG putting.
9. Kurt Kitayama (74th) +5000
Here’s a guy who needs a good finish to advance to the playoffs. In his last event at the 3M, he finished T-6 and finished T-41 at The Open Championship. Prior to that he made nine of 11 cuts with an average finish of around 30th. Like Greyserman, he has no course experience but has some decent stats. He ranks 53rd in total SG, 18th in SG off the tee, 30th in SG on approach but ranks a woeful 152nd in SG putting.
8. Maverick McNealy (58th) +5500
So far, it seems I’m picking the 3M leaderboard. McNealy finished T-3 there in his last event. That gave him his fourth Top 10 of the season. He ranks 11th in total SG, 22nd in SG off the tee, and is one of the better putters on Tour where he ranks 26th in SG putting. Mav’s played Sedgefield only once and missed the cut in 2020.
7. Akshay Bhatia (15th) +3500
Bhatia didn’t have a good finish at the 3M. He finished T-64 and surprisingly missed the cut at The Open. I say surprisingly because prior to that he finished T-2, T-5, T-16, and T-22. I think he gets back on track this week. Bhatia ranks 14th in total SG, 16th in total driving, 17th in SG on approach, and 36th in SG putting.
6. Will Zalatoris (45th) +6600
Remember him? Apparently, the experts don’t. I can’t recall seeing him on anyone’s list this week. Sure, I can see why. Three missed cuts, a WD, and a T-42 in his last five events. Maybe being back in his old stomping grounds will recapture lost glory for Willy Z. He’s a golf product from Wake Forest where he’s finished T-21 at Sedgefield in 2022. He does not have any good stats to shout about including his putting where he ranks 143rd in SG putting. I simply can’t pass up on the +6600 odds.
5. Cam Young (35th) +2800
I always expect Young to contend but have learned never expect him to win. Yet, I must rank him up there due to being another Wake Forest golfer. We all know he has a bunch of good finishes and a bunch of good stats. He has six Top 10s. He ranks 20th in SG off the tee, 18th in total driving, 34th in one-putt percentage, but the key here is he ranks 154th in final round scoring average. One good final round could finally get the monkey off his back.
4. Cam Davis (40th) +4000
Davis came through for us with a big win at the Rocket Mortgage. He played decently at The Scottish Open finishing T-26 and finished T-19 at the 3M where he was derailed with a final round 72. Each player in our Top four has had some success in this event. Davis finished T-7 last year and T-15 in 2020.
3. Si Woo Kim (36th) +2500
Kim has four Top 5s in this event including a win in 2016, a T-2 in 2021, and a T-3 in 2020. His current form is simply ok. His best finish this summer is a T-26 at The Scottish. Statistically, he ranks 22nd in total SG, 21st in SG off the tee, and 12th in SG on approach. All great but only ranks 150th in SG putting.
2. Sungjae Im (9th) +1400
This week’s betting favorite is heavily picked by the experts and with good reason. Mr. Consistency has played this event five times and has finished no worse than T-24. He finished T-14 last year, T-2 in 2022, T-9 in 2020, and T-6 in 2019. In 10 of his last 12 starts, he his worst finish is T-12, and his last two events were a T-7 at The Open and T-4 at The Scottish. He ranks 23rd in total SG, 30th in SG off the tee, and 19th in putts per round.
1. Billy Horschel (27th) +2500
I’m taking fellow Gator Billy Ho for the win this week. He’s shown good form recently and has had success here. He nearly won his first major at The Open before settling for a tie for second. I think that close call motivates him this week. At Sedgefield, he has four Top 10s including a solo fourth last year and a solo second in 2020. He ranks 30th in total SG and 13th in SG putting.
Longshot Plays at The Wyndham Championship
I’m leaning on a couple of old timers this week to throw a few dollars at.
Webb Simpson (149th) +8000
Simpson used to be THE guy for this tournament. He has seven Top 10s (six of those Top 5s) here including a win in 2011. Recent finishes include a T-5 last year, a T-7 in 2021, a T-3 in 2020, and a solo second in 2019. Throw the stats and current form away. He’s the horse for this course and is another Wake Forest golfer.
Kevin Kisner (198th) +25000
Kiz has three Top 10s here including a win in 2021 and a T-3 in 2020. Yes, he’s far from what he used to be and has played horribly all year. Yet, he finished a respectable T-33 at the 3M. If a win pick is too far out for you, he’s +1600 for Top 10 and +4000 for Top 5.
Ben Kholes (81st) +10000
Kholes needs a good finish to make the playoffs. His name has appeared on a few leaderboards this season including the Byron Nelson where he finished solo second, and Puerto Rico where he had the lead after round three before finishing T-6. His claim to fame is driving accuracy where he ranks second this year. He’s another ACC golfer where he played for Virginia.
Matthew NeSmith (120th) +10000
NeSmith most likely needs a win to make the playoffs. The South Carolina golfer also played well at the 3M finishing T-9 after coming off a disappointing playoff loss at the ISCO a week prior. His best stat is an 18th ranking in GIR. He’s played this
Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.