PGA Pin Seeker 8-18-15

The Wyndham Championship Preview

The Wyndham Championship is the stop this week after a fantastic 97th PGA Championship last week. I was really happy to see Jason Day erase his major championship demons after so many close calls the last few seasons. Paired with Jordan Spieth of all people, he shot a final round 67, making a bunch of high difficulty, high pressure shots look easy along the way.

The Course

Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro N.C. is the host of the Wyndham Championship. Sedgefield has a classic layout that rewards precision shot making over length, with tricky fairways and even trickier greens. The majority of the greens have undulations that fall off the front and the back, letting balls funnel into numerous collection areas. Sedgefield CC also means a return to Bermuda style grass that is prevalent in the Florida swing early in the season. It's a par 70 layout that measures 7,127 yards from the tips. Multiple reports have said the conditions will be slower than usual due to recent rain, so the course might play a tad longer than normal. The two par 3's that are 223 yards and 235 yards respectively are a couple of the toughest on tour and will be fun too watch.

The Field

The field for this years' Wyndham Championship is a lot stronger than in the past, with many players' on the bubble for the FedEx Cup playoffs. Tiger Woods is also in the field this week, but will need a top 3 finish to have any chance at making the playoffs. He's one of five former #1 players in the field, joining Adam Scott, Luke Donald, Vijay Singh and Martin Kaymer. There are also eight of the top thirty in the FedEx Cup standing in attendance, including Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker, Hideki Matsuyama and Paul Casey. If you're looking for a narrative play this week, Webb Simpson won his first ever PGA Tour event here in 2011, and subsequently named his first born daughter Wyndham in 2014. His track record is also very good here, with multiple top 10 finishes, so even though he wasn't written up in the 'Top Pin Seekers' section, he makes a solid play for $9,500 this week. Finally, this is the last week to accumulate points before the playoffs, and there are quite a few players on the bubble with extra motivation. Charl Schwartzel, Luke Donald, Scott Langley, and defending champion Camillo Villegas are just a few of the players on or around the bubble that will be looking for strong showings this week.

Key Stats for Sedgefield Country Club

The first key stat I perused this week was par 4 scoring (P4S), as I always do on par 70 layouts. In the past two editions of the Wyndham, the golfers who finished in the top two have been in the top 62 in P4S at the end of the season. When Webb Simpson won in 2011, he led the tour in P4S and strokes gained tee to green (T2G). T2G is the second key stat I identified, as it's going to take some very precise shots to reach these tricky greens. The last two runner ups here have been in th top 20 in T2G at the end of the season. When Sergio Garcia won in 2012, he was 27th in T2G. Greens in regulation (GIR) was the final key stat I looked at, as last year's champ Villegas finished 39th to end the year, and runner-up Bill Haas finished 15th. With the tricky, ultra quick greens, I want players who are giving themselves as many looks at birdies as possible. If you're looking for some tie-breaker stats to help you make lineup decision, have a look at proximity to the hole and strokes gained putting.

Top Pin Seekers

Hideki Matsuyama

DK Salary	P4S	T2G	GIR
10,800	3	5	23

Strong showing at the PGA Championship, one of these weeks he will string four good rounds together and lap the field. He finished 15th here in 2013, five straight made cuts, top 50 in Driving Accuracy and Proximity. GPP Ownership Guess: 15-20%

Brandt Snedeker

DK Salary	P4S	T2G	GIR
10,300	10	62	135

Coming in great form, 12th last week at the PGA. Has three top 10 finishes here, great play for cash games as well. GPP Ownership Guess: 10-15%

Billy Horschel

DK Salary	P4S	T2G	GIR
9,500	46	84	15

One of the most honest self evaluators on tour says his game is where he wants it to be, with seven straight made cuts with his worst finish being 33rd. He got hot at this time last year as well before winning the FedEx Cup. GPP Ownership Guess: 10-15%

Justin Thomas

DK Salary	P4S	T2G	GIR
9,400	46	21	35

Awesome current form, with a 4th, 5th and 18th in his last three starts GPP Ownership Guess: 15-20%

Middle Tee Plays

Paul Casey - DK Salary $9,200 - 18th here last year, good form currently with six straight cuts made with a 2nd - top 20 in Prox, P4S, T2G & GI

Charl Schwartzel - DK Salary $8,900 - 14th here in 2012, trending in right direction with four straight cuts made - 53rd T2G

Harris English - DK Salary $8,600 - Eight straight cuts made, 10th here in 2012 - 28th P4S, top 75 T2G, GIR & Prox

Will Wilcox - DK Salary $8,400 - Getting a lot of buzz around the DFS industry, expect < 15% ownership - 3rd P4S, 4th GIR & 20th T2G

Russell Knox - DK Salary $8,100 - 6th P4S, 7th GIR, 2th T2G & 6th Prox

Ben Martin - DK Salary $7,900 - 35th GIR, 58th T2G & 80th P4S

Jason Dufner - DK Salary $7,600 - 7th here in 2012, six straight cuts made - top 43 in T2G, GIR & Prox

GPP Dart Board Dreams

Vaughn Taylor - DK Salary $6,700 - favorite play of the week, six straight cuts made with four top 30 finishes - top 46 in GIR, T2G, Prox & P4S

Hudson Swafford - DK Salary $6,700 - top 46 in GIR, P4S & Prox

Boo Weekley - DK Salary $6,600 - under priced, six straight cuts made with two top 8 finishes - top 57 in GIR, T2G & P4S

William McGirt - DK Salary $6,500 - 8th here last year - top 54 T2G, GIR, P4S & Prox

Daniel Berger - DK Salary $6,500 - boom or bust, will be around 1-2% owned - top 46 in three key stats

Matt Every - DK Salary $6,100 - 5th in 2013, 14th in 2014

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