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When Andy Lack gave us his picks for last week’s Wyndham Championship, we said, “Huh?”

As in, John Huh.

The former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year had not exactly been on a tear. In fact, he’d missed the cut in three of his previous five starts.

But Lack liked him anyway, recommending that we take Huh, at 2-to-1 odds, to finish in the top 40.

Talk about easy money. Huh finished T-2.

It was Huh’s strongest showing of the season, and another winning week for Lack, who also had Justin Rose in a tournament matchup against Brian Harman.

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As GOLF.com’s expert prognosticator, Lack has been on a roll, and his hot streak couldn’t come at a better time, as the FedEx Cup Playoffs get underway this week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, in Memphis.

After a lull in the schedule, many of the game’s biggest names will be back in action, including current tournament favorite Rory McIlroy, who is followed on the betting board by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Open Championship winner Cameron Smith.

Who does Lack have his eye on this week? We’ve laid out his four favorite picks below.

If you want to see where public opinion is leading, keep reading, as we’re also including data from Chirp, a free-to-play mobile platform that allows users to engage in the action through a range of games.

ANDY LACK’S PICKS

Outright Pick to Win: Shane Lowry (+4000)

Odds available on BetRivers

While an extremely popular bet throughout the season, it appears that the shine has worn off on Lowry. Priced in the +3000 range at the last few major championships, the world No. 24 has dropped into the middle tier of the betting markets, despite now traveling to a course that I believe suits his game to a tee. Lowry is one of the most accurate drivers of the ball in the world, an elite short to middle iron player. He also has a sterling track record of success on Bermuda greens.

Many will look at his ho-hum T83 last week at the Wyndham Championship as evidence that the former Open Championship winner is in poor form, but he actually hit the ball extremely well and fell victim to a faulty putter. I believe this is an excellent buy on a premier player at a course that accentuates the strongest aspects of his game.

Top 10: Corey Conners (+550)

Odds available on DraftKings

Conners charged up the leaderboard on Sunday at the Wyndham en route to a very quiet 21st place finish. While he was never a factor to win, his ball striking improved throughout the week. The world No. 31 gained 3.7 strokes off the tee and 4.5 strokes on approach and is now traveling to a course where accuracy off the tee and mid-iron play is paramount. I believe the Canadian will be firmly in the mix come Sunday afternoon in Memphis.

Tournaments

Top 40: Mito Pereira (+120)

Odds available on FanDuel

This feels like an excellent time to buy back in on an extreme talent. I put little stock into his back-to-back missed cuts at the Scottish Open and Open Championship, as links golf is a far different test than what he will face this week at TPC Southwind. The Chilean remains one of the most accurate drivers of the ball on the PGA Tour, an excellent mid-iron player, and a great scrambler. His number in the betting markets have plummeted due to poor recent form, but on deeper inspection, the World. No. 50 still gained over three strokes on approach at St. Andrews and is playing far better than his results would suggest.

Matchup: Russell Henley (-120) over Tom Kim

Odds available on DraftKings

Taking nothing away from Kim’s breakthrough win at the Wyndham, Henley still outplayed him from tee to green by a healthy margin. Kim struck the ball well, but his victory at Sedgefield was buoyed by one of the best putting performances of the last decade. Henley accumulated his top-five finish in a far more sustainable manner, gaining 2.8 strokes off the tee, and 7.8 strokes on approach, good for his best ball-striking week of the season. As in the case of Conners, I was encouraged to see that Henley hit the ball better as the week progressed, culminating in a Sunday where he led the field in approach. I expect Henley to carry this momentum into Memphis, while Kim will certainly experience some regression with the flat stick.

WHO GOLF FANS LIKE TO WIN

Nearly 500 users have already made their picks in Chirp’s free-to-play Trifecta game, a healthy sample that gives us a sense of public opinion. The Trifecta game calls for players to make three picks: a favorite, a contender and a long shot, all categories based on the Official World Golf Ranking. (Want to play for yourself? Click here!)

Here’s a look at the three top vote getters in each category, along with the percentage of votes they received.

Favorites (players ranked 1-20)

Rory McIlroy (27.52 percent)

Scottie Scheffler (16.28 percent)

Cameron Smith (14.22 percent)

Contenders (players ranked 21-60)

Shane Lowry (20.64 percent)

Tom Kim (18.12 percent)

Kevin Kisner (14.68 percent)

Long Shots (players ranked 61 and higher)

Davis Riley (22.94 percent)

Matt Kuchar (11.93 percent)

Gary Woodland (9.63 percent)

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The post 10 surprising players who lost their PGA Tour cards on Sunday  appeared first on Golf.

The post 10 surprising players who lost their PGA Tour cards on Sunday  appeared first on Golf.

Two former Masters champs. A former PGA Championship winner. A former world No. 1. An Olympic silver medalist. And a star of one of the wildest moments of this, or maybe any, golf year.

All gone. For now at least. 

It all can be a little confusing, so we’ll try to help. To begin, this week’s Wyndham Championship, as the last event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, was also the last regular-season chance for players to lock up Tour cards for next season. Through the season-long FedEx Cup competition, the top 125 players both move on to next week’s playoffs and secure playing privileges — while those who don’t start to look at other avenues for 2022-’23.  

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Harris English, for example, finished 186th in the standings, but is good for next season thanks to his victories last year. Others aren’t as fortunate and have work to do. 

For a few, the easiest move will be to unlock a career money list exemption. Others will have to play — those who finished from 126th to 200th in the FedEx Cup standings are qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, a three-tournament series that puts that group of 75 with the top 75 from this year’s Korn Ferry Tour regular-season points list, and 25 PGA Tour cards will be handed out to the top 25 players at the end of that series.

So for some, like the ones below, there’s still a chance all could be back as regular PGA Tour cardholders in short order. Here are 10 players who lost their full status, at least for now.

10 players who lost their PGA Tour cards on Sunday 

Matt Wallace (126th) — He was 125th — until Joohyung Kim won on Sunday. On his Instagram account, he’s already indicated he’ll play in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. 

Danny Willett (130th) — The exemption the Englishman earned for winning the Masters in 2016 is up. That victory was his only one to be recognized by the PGA Tour; he’s won seven times on the now-named DP World Tour, including three times since his win at Augusta National. 

Harry Higgs (136th) — Higgs had three top 25s this season, but missed 17 cuts. But he’ll be forever remembered for his par on the 16th hole during the final round of the Waste Management Open, where he then celebrated with the arena-like gallery — by lifting up his shirt.   

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Zach Johnson (140th) — The next U.S. Ryder Cup captain, Masters champ and Open Championship winner can use an exemption as the 14th all-time money winner. This season, he had four top 25s.

Rory Sabbatini (141st) — The Olympic silver medalist was playing on his all-time money winner exemption. This season, he tied for third in his second event, the Shriners Children’s Open, but had only one other top 25 after that.  

Charley Hoffman (150th) — Hoffman had qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs for all 15 of its years. He has an exemption as the 33rd all-time money winner. 

Bill Haas (154th) — The 2011 Tour Championship winner used his all-time money winner exemption this season, and he had two top 25s. 

Luke Donald (159th) — The next European Ryder Cup captain and former world No. 1 has used both of his all-time money winner exemptions. This season, he played in 21 events and made 10 cuts. 

Brandt Snedeker (171st) — The nine-time Tour winner has exemptions as the 22nd all-time money winner. This season, he had two top 25s.

Jimmy Walker (190th) — His exemption for winning the 2016 PGA Championship is up. This season, he played 14 events and made six cuts. 

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The post Joohyung Kim made an 8. Then he made PGA Tour history at the Wyndham Championship. appeared first on Golf.

The post Joohyung Kim made an 8. Then he made PGA Tour history at the Wyndham Championship. appeared first on Golf.

After his first hole at the Wyndham Championship, Joohyung Kim was the owner of a potentially ruinous quadruple bogey. After his last, he was the owner of his own piece of golf history.

On Sunday, Kim became the second-youngest men’s winner since World War II, shooting a blistering final-round 61 to win by five strokes. After his quad on the tournament’s first hole, the ascendant 20-year-old played his final 71 holes at 24 under, blowing away the competition on a rain-delayed, 26-hole Sunday.

“I stayed very patient this week. That was the thing,” Kim told CBS’s Amanda Renner afterward with a laugh. “I felt like after that quad, once I started to laugh it off, I could feel like, you know what, I’m in a better mental state. Instead of getting angry and depressed, I stayed in the moment and I can’t believe I won with a triple bogey on the first haul. Hopefully that doesn’t happen again. But yeah, it’s definitely a week that I’ll remember forever.”

Patience hasn’t been necessary for much of Kim’s career to date. The 20-year-old, who also goes by ‘Tom’ for his beloved childhood show “Thomas the Tank Engine,” has been a force in the world of pro golf ever since arriving on the PGA Tour scene on a special exemption earlier this summer. After a top-25 at the U.S. Open in June, Kim racked up a solo-third at the co-sanctioned Genesis Scottish Open and a top-50 finish at the Open at St. Andrews.

In just three starts since joining the Tour on a special exemption in mid-July, Kim has made three cuts and clinched a pair of top-10 finishes, including Sunday’s win at the Wyndham Championship. His victory not only guarantees him immediate entrance into the FedEx Cup Playoffs (and the coinciding $75 million bonus pool), it also places him as one of the youngest PGA Tour winners in the last 90 years, second only to Jordan Spieth.

“I can’t believe that. I’m speechless right now,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “I’ve worked really hard to get this point. I’m sorry. I mean, just walking off that 18th green, just thinking about the behind-the-scenes work. And just I want to thank my team first, you know, they’ve supported me so much. My family, my parents, my agents, my coaches, just everyone who’s worked beyond their line to just help me reach this point.”

According to stats guru Justin Ray, Kim is the only player in recorded PGA Tour history (the last 40 years) to win an event after starting his opening round with a quadruple bogey, and he’s just the second player in that same span to win an event after recording a quad at any point in his opening round.

Of course, the records are only beginning for Kim, who now enters the most lucrative stretch on the PGA Tour schedule on one of golf’s hottest streaks. There’s a legitimate possibility for the 20-year-old to quadruple his lifetime earnings in the span of just the next three weeks, should his firebreathing brand of ball-striking continue stand up against the game’s best players.

There is, however, at least one downside: the party will have to wait for young Joohyung — he won’t turn 21 for another 10 months.

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The post Nick Faldo receives emotional farewell from CBS Golf team in final broadcast appeared first on Golf.

The post Nick Faldo receives emotional farewell from CBS Golf team in final broadcast appeared first on Golf.

It’s a weekend of lasts on the PGA Tour. The last tournament of the 2022 regular season. The last opportunity to claw into the FedEx Cup playoffs. The last chance to lock up a PGA Tour card for the 2023 season and beyond.

It’s also a weekend of lasts for the people broadcasting the PGA Tour. The Wyndham Championship is CBS’ final broadcast of the 2022 season — the last show before a much-deserved break for one of golf TV’s two weekend warriors — which also means it’s the final broadcast for one of CBS’ most beloved teammates, Nick Faldo.

Faldo announced in June his plans to retire from the CBS Golf booth at the conclusion of the 2022 season after 16 years next to Jim Nantz, citing a desire to take time with his family and, more presciently, to quiet his travel schedule for the first time in more than four decades.

It was a surprising decision from one of golf’s preeminent voices — even to those who worked closely with him. With so many weeks on the road, golf’s television production teams are one of the sport’s tightest-knit communities. In saying goodbye to his job, Faldo was also saying goodbye to some of his closest friendships.

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“I am honored and humbled to have worked alongside all those in ‘The Team,’ which includes my good buddies, ‘the guys’ in the now Super Tower,” Faldo said. “Leaving a full schedule of broadcasting will now provide me the ability to entertain other opportunities and partnerships.”

On Sunday at the Wyndham, the CBS Golf team serenaded Sir Nick with a going-away celebration, sharing stories, laughs and more than a few tears. Early in the afternoon, it was Ian Baker-Finch who kicked things off.

“You taught me so much, and for that I’m grateful. I’m honored to have my name sandwiched between yours on the Claret Jug — ’90, ’91, ’92 — I look at that all the time with great pleasure,” Baker-Finch said. “The last two decades we’ve been paired together many times on various TV towers around the world, and in fact the last 16 years here at CBS.”

“I’m so sad to see you go,” he said, his voice cracking. “Like all of us here at CBS are so sad. Well boy, perhaps we’ll have the chance to be paired together on the Gallatin River in Montana with a Fly Rod instead of a golf club.”

Faldo could hardly hide his emotion.

“Cheers, mate,” Faldo squeaked out as tears rolled down his face.

Then, as the broadcast reached its conclusion, it was Faldo’s closest teammate, Jim Nantz, who stepped to the podium.

“Congratulations, Sir Nick,” he said as the broadcast reached its final commercial break. “Let’s bring it home.”

“You know, folks, it’s rare for anyone to be the best in the world at one thing. But Nick, you’ve been the best in the world twice and that my friend is extraordinary,” Nantz continued as the broadcast briefly flipped through a highlight reel of Faldo’s finest moments. “The six majors, world number one ranking, and then in 2007 you join CBS and your second act as the world’s best. Thank you, Nick, for gracing this booth and our lives. Now you and Linds will go to your happy place. God bless you, Nick, thanks my friend.”

Once Nantz was done, the attention shifted back to Faldo, who could hardly form words through the tears.

“To the crew, as I affectionately and respectfully call you the workers. They put the pictures out, we do all the rattling, the easy job,” Faldo said. “Thank you all. I’m a single [inaudible], but I’ve found these three brothers. Thank you. Thank you. I’m ready.”

As the camera panned out, the three men surrounding Faldo gave him a standing ovation. The camera faded to black on that image — a well-deserved feat for one of golf’s great ambassadors.

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The post 2022 Wyndham Championship purse: Payout info, winner’s share in Greensboro  appeared first on Golf.

The post 2022 Wyndham Championship purse: Payout info, winner’s share in Greensboro  appeared first on Golf.

You can call this the appetizer before the main course. Or the opener before the main act. You get the idea. 

There’s a healthy purse up for grabs this week at the Wyndham Championship — $7.3 million, with the winner bringing home $1.314 million. Not bad! Then the money grows. Next week, the playoffs begin, and they culminate with the Tour Championship — where last year’s winner, Patrick Cantlay, earned a whopping $15 million.

Tournaments

But first things first. The contenders on Sunday at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., include third-leader Sungjae Im; John Huh, who is one shot back; and Brandon Wu and Joohyung Kim, who are two strokes behind. 

Below, find everything you need to know about payout information, including winner’s share, for the Wyndham Championship’s purse; you can catch the action all afternoon long on CBS.

2022 Wyndham Championship payout, winner’s share 

1. $1,314,000

2. $795,700

3. $503,700

4. $357,700

5. $299,300

6. $264,625

7. $246,375

8. $228,125

9. $213,525

10. $198,925

11. $184,325

12. $169,725

13. $155,125

14. $140,525

15. $133,225

16. $125,925

17. $118,625

18. $111,325

19. $104,025

20. $96,725

21. $89,425

22. $82,125

23. $76,285

24. $70,445

25. $64,605

26. $58,765

27. $56,575

28. $54,385

29. $52,195

30. $50,005

31. $47,815

32. $45,625

33. $43,435

34. $41,610

35. $39,785

36. $37,960

37. $36,135

38. $34,675

39. $33,215

40. $31,755

41. $30,295

42. $28,835

43. $27,375

44. $25,915

45. $24,455

46. $22,995

47. $21,535

48. $20,367

49. $19,345

50. $18,761

51. $18,323

52. $17,885

53. $17,593

54. $17,301

55. $17,155

56. $17,009

57. $16,863

58. $16,717

59. $16,571

60. $16,425

61. $16,279

62. $16,133

63. $15,987

64. $15,841

65. $15,695

66. $15,549

67. $15,403

68. $15,257

69. $15,111

70. $14,965

71. $14,819

72. $14,673

73. $14,527

74. $14,381

75. $14,235

76. $14,089

77. $13,943

78. $13,797

79. $13,651

80. $13,505

81. $13,359

82. $13,213

83. $13,067

84. $12,921

85. $12,775

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The post Wyndham Championship Saturday leaderboard and FedEx Cup bubble watch  appeared first on Golf.

The post Wyndham Championship Saturday leaderboard and FedEx Cup bubble watch  appeared first on Golf.

A leader who finished with a hole-out from 147 yards. Rain, thunder and lightning. And bubble boys. Saturday’s play at the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., ran the gamut. Let’s take a look.

Complete leaderboard here. 

Sungjae Im and Brandon Wu lead 

While the story of the day was the storms — third-round play was stopped at about 4:15 p.m. ET and was eventually postponed until Sunday — the shot of the day came at about 4:14. 

Then, from the 147 out on the par-4 11th, Brandon Wu dropped his iron shot about 20 feet short of the pin, his ball rolled those 20 feet, and it dropped for an eagle two — and it gave him a share of the lead when the horns sounded. Wu and Sungjae Im shared a one-stroke lead, at 12-under, while John Huh and Joohyung Kim are two shots back, and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Brian Stuard, Anirban Lahiri, Davis Riley, Russell Henley and Ryan Moore are three behind. 

Rain, thunder and lightning 

Of the 86 players who made the cut, only 12 completed their rounds, including Aphibarnrat, who made seven birdies and no bogeys on his way to a seven-under 63. 

Among the other nine players who were within three shots of the lead or better, all were under par for the day when play was stopped. Im was four-under, and Wu three-under; Huh was three-under, and Kim was two-under; and Stuard, Lahiri and Riley were three-under, Henley two-under and Moore one-under. 

FedEx Cup bubble 

The Wyndham also is the last event of the Tour’s regular season, with the top 125 players in the season-long FedEx Cup standings moving on to the start of next week’s playoffs. So who’s on the bubble?

According to the Tour’s live tracker, players No. 120-130 on Saturday night were: No. 120 Stuard; No. 121 Lucas Glover (who is two-over through 14 and is tied for 61st); No. 122 Webb Simpson (who withdrew on Friday); No. 123 Kramer Hickok (one-under through 16 and tied for 35th); No. 124 Nick Taylor (one-under through 17 and tied for 66th); No. 125 Justin Lower (four-under through 15 and tied for 23rd); No. 126 Rickie Fowler (who missed the cut); No. 127 Matt Wallace (who missed the cut); No. 128 Austin Smotherman (who missed the cut); No. 129 Danny Willett (who missed the cut); and No. 130 Nick Hardy (who missed the cut). 

Notably, the live tracker does not include any of the players who have left for LIV Golf and are suspended. It is unclear how the standings will officially look after Sunday’s play, though Golf Digest is reporting that the playoffs will include 125 Tour players. 

Also to be determined is the fate of the three LIV players — Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones — who have petitioned a court to issue a temporary restraining order allowing their participation in the playoffs. That case will be heard on Tuesday.     

The Tour’s live tracker can be found here.   

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The post Will Zalatoris emotionally reveals why he broke up with longtime caddie appeared first on Golf.

The post Will Zalatoris emotionally reveals why he broke up with longtime caddie appeared first on Golf.

Will Zalatoris’ business decision was also a personal one, he says. 

In a surprising move, the world’s 14th-ranked player split with longtime caddie Ryan Goble in between the second and third rounds of the Wyndham Championship, replacing him with one of his coaches for the week, and another veteran looper for the weeks ahead. While these transactions happen, explanations like the one Zalatoris gave sometimes don’t.  

Three times in an interview after Saturday’s third round he said “friend.” Twice, he said “friendship.” 

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“Yeah, it was the toughest decision I’ve had to make in my golf career,” Zalatoris said. “Ryan’s a brother for life. We’ve kind of had a rough month together, and it was starting to affect our relationship. I know guys say that when they split, but it really was. We were guys that we would love to have dinner together and hang out, and it started — what was going on on the course was starting to bleed off the course, and that’s not what you want.

“He’s an incredible friend, I love him to death, and I told him I had to do what’s best for me. Like I said, he’s just an amazing friend. You know, obviously you can tell how hard this decision was on me, especially the timing of it, but I think it was just getting a little unhealthy for both of us, and it was — obviously it hurts.”

The “rough month” speaks to Zalatoris’ rapid rise. Going back to the start of June, the 25-year-old impressively has, in order, tied for fifth (Memorial), tied for second (U.S. Open), missed a cut (Scottish Open), tied for 28th (Open Championship), tied for 20th (Rocket Mortgage), and this week, he is playing on the weekend — but while he’s compiled a whopping 16 top 10s since the 2020 U.S. Open, including a memorable eight last season as a non-PGA Tour member, Zalatoris has yet to win.   

So the change was made, though reporters at the tournament did not ask why the move was made mid-tournament. For the rest of the Wyndham, Josh Gregory, one of Zalatoris’ coaches, will carry the bag, and after that, Joel Stock, who has looped for Ben Crane, Cameron Tringale and Kevin Tway, will take over. 

Tournaments

“We both kind of sensed it for a little bit,” Zalatoris said of the split. “And, you know, nothing’s permanent. It’s just something that, like I said, he’s a brother. I love him to death.

“And obviously it was on my mind. I mean, the finish that I had obviously made the day [Friday] a little bit better, but the frustration between the two of us had just kind of carried over over the last month. Like I said, first and foremost, I love him to death and, you know, he’s one of the funniest guys I know and obviously I’ll miss his humor over this next bit, but as I said, nothing’s permanent.”

A reporter then asked Zalatoris: “Hug it out?” 

“Yeah, we did, we absolutely did,” he said. “Like I said, most guys in this, when they kind of release a statement and they say they don’t want to ruin a friendship, but this actually was absolutely kind of bleeding into our friendship and I don’t want that. He’s obviously — he’s basically been my best friend for the last three years. He was my only caddie I had on any sanctioned tour, on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, and so, like I said it’s the toughest decision I’ve had to make in my golf career and I had to do what I think is best going forward.

“Like I said, nothing’s permanent and we’ll kind of see how everything goes from here.”

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The post Devastating finish likely cost pro his Tour card — but there’s more to the story appeared first on Golf.

The post Devastating finish likely cost pro his Tour card — but there’s more to the story appeared first on Golf.

Max Homa twice tweeted about it. Shane Lowry shared a picture of a jet. 

Then there is the reaction of the man himself, and if you view nothing else on Saturday, watch Austin Smotherman. Though if his response to one of the most unfortunate sequences you’ll see tells you anything, he’ll probably shrug his shoulders at your condolences and well-wishes, too.   

To begin, Smotherman and three others on Friday stopped their second rounds at the Wyndham Championship due to darkness, and this week, the last of the PGA Tour’s regular season, that’s very notable. For one, there was the cutline for weekend play — the top 65 players and ties move on on the PGA Tour; at the time of Friday night’s stoppage, there were exactly 65 players at two-under at Sedgefield Country Club; and the four players all were floating around that number: Smotherman was one-under with a birdie putt on 8 (his 17th hole) ahead; Chris Gotterup was two-under with a bogey putt on 18 facing him; Bo Hoag was three-under through 16 holes; and Joshua Creel was even-par with a birdie putt on 18 ahead. If the number dipped to one-under, a whopping 23 other players would survive.

Tournaments

Whew. But there’s more. The Wyndham is also the last week of the Tour’s regular season, with the top 125 players both moving on to next week’s start of the playoffs, and in some scenarios, securing their Tour cards for next year. This was in play for Hoag, Creel and very much so for Smotherman — entering the week, Hoag was 186th in the standings, Creel 201st and Smotherman, yes, 125th. (Gotterup is a sponsor exemption this week.)      

“This is nuts,” Max Homa tweeted Friday night. “Also Gotterup has 4 feet for bogey to potentially make the cut. But if Smotherman plays his last 2 in 1 under, the cut moves from -1 to -2 and there are currently 88(!) guys at -1. Chaos”

Indeed. All four returned Saturday probably before you awoke. On 18, Gotterup bogeyed and Creel parred, and Hoag played his final two holes at even-par. Which brings us back to Smotherman. We hope you’ve stuck around. Again, it’s worth it. 

On 8, Smotherman rimmed out his 11-footer for birdie. 

On 9, needing a par to make the weekend, Smotherman double-bogeyed; his tee shot found the fairway, then he missed the green right, chipped long and three-putted. And some celebrated. The cutline was now one-under, and that meant the 23 survived — including Shane Lowry, who tweeted out a picture of him boarding a jet back to Greensboro. 

Then there was Smotherman. 

His season likely done, his Tour card likely lost, he shrugged his shoulders in the direction of his caddie, Austin Gaugert, and said a few words as a Tour social media person videotaped nearby. He kissed his wife, Jessie. He then signed his card. It was nothing. And the response was everything.  

“Damn,” Homa tweeted. “Cut stays at -1. Smotherman misses. I feel for him that’s gotta be brutal to sleep on that w/ ur season on the line. #golf af.”

Damn is right. 

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The post 2022 Wyndham Championship tee times: Round 3 pairings for Saturday appeared first on Golf.

The post 2022 Wyndham Championship tee times: Round 3 pairings for Saturday appeared first on Golf.

The 2022 Wyndham Championship is already at the halfway point, and continues on Saturday, with the third round at Sedgefield Country Club. You can find full Round 3 tee times for the tournament at the bottom of this post.

Featured grouping for Wyndham Round 3

The stakes at this week’s Wyndham Championship are high, but looking at the scoreboard, those nerves don’t appear to be affecting players’ abilities to make birdies.

On Friday, six players fired rounds of 65 or better — including your co-leader, Joohyung Kim. His six-under 64 on Friday earned him a spot in the final grouping for Round 3. He’ll be joined by fellow co-leaders Brandon Wu and Ryan Moore, both of whom also sit at nine under entering the weekend. They will tee off at 12:20 p.m. ET.

The penultimate grouping features a trio of PGA Tour winners in John Huh, Russell Henley and Sugjae Im, who all sit a shot back of the lead. They will tee off at 12:10 p.m. on Saturday.

You can stream Saturday’s third round via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+.

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Browse the complete third-round tee times for the 2022 Wyndham Championship below.

2022 Wyndham Championship Round 3 tee times (All times ET)

Tee No. 1

10 a.m. – Rafa Cabrera Bello, Yannik Paul, Will Zalatoris
10:10 a.m. – Lee Hodges, Joel Dahmen, Si Woo Kim
10:20 a.m. – Martin Laird, Henrik Norlander, David Lipsky
10:30 a.m. – Brian Harman, Keith Mitchell, J.T. Poston
10:40 a.m. – Kramer Hickok, Scott Brown, Charley Hoffman
10:50 a.m. – Kevin Tway, Lucas Glover, Billy Horschel
11 a.m. – Peter Malnati, Christian Bezuidenhout, Taylor Moore
11:10 a.m. – Cameron Percy, Aaron Wise, Ben Kohles
11:20 a.m. – Tyrrell Hatton, Richy Werenski, Chesson Hadley
11:30 a.m. – Matthew NeSmith, Max McGreevy, Zach Johnson
11:40 a.m. – Brett Drewitt, Martin Trainer, Alex Smalley
11:50 a.m. – Andrew Putnam, Satoshi Kodaira, Blake McShea
12 p.m. – Brian Stuard, Anirban Lahiri, Davis Riley
12:10 p.m. – Russell Henley, John Huh, Sungjae Im
12:20 p.m. – Brandon Wu, Joohyung Kim, Ryan Moore

Tee No. 10

10 a.m. – Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Sam Ryder, Harry Higgs
10:10 a.m. – Bo Hoag, Vaughn Taylor, Taylor Pendrith
10:20 a.m. – Nick Taylor, K.H. Lee, Robert Streb
10:30 a.m. – Stewart Cink, C.T. Pan, Adam Scott
10:40 a.m. – James Hahn, Scott Stallings, Ben Griffin
10:50 a.m. – Michael Gligic, Justin Lower, Luke Donald
11 a.m. – Jared Wolfe, Adam Svensson
11:10 a.m. – Russell Knox, Kelly Kraft, Corey Conners
11:20 a.m. – Shane Lowry, Chris Stroud, Aaron Rai
11:30 a.m. – Jason Dufner, Jonathan Byrd, David Skinns
11:40 a.m. – Callum Tarren, Joseph Bramlett, Doc Redman
11:50 a.m. – Stephan Jaeger, Brendon Todd, Justin Rose
12 p.m. – Chez Reavie, Scott Piercy, Mark Hubbard
12:10 p.m. – Rory Sabbatini, Patrick Rodgers, Chris Gotterup

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The post Wyndham Championship Friday leaderboard and FedEx Cup bubble watch appeared first on Golf.

The post Wyndham Championship Friday leaderboard and FedEx Cup bubble watch appeared first on Golf.

A leader who started his tournament with an eight. A contender who was 10 shots worse than the day before. And bubble boys. Friday’s play at the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., had a little bit of everything. Let’s take a look.

Complete leaderboard here. 

Joohyung Kim is tied for the lead 

Joohyung Kim is 13-under par over his past 35 holes. Of course, you know well that they play 36 over two rounds on the PGA Tour, and that’s where it gets interesting. 

On the par-4 1st on Thursday, Kim marked himself down for a quadruple-bogey eight. 

“I mean just, I mean, all I did was laugh. I didn’t really take it — it’s just one bad hole,” he said Friday. “Told myself, you know what, I’ve got plenty of holes to bring it back if I just play well on my next 35 holes, and that’s exactly what I did. I played better than I thought I was going to, so it’s a bonus. Yeah, just definitely happy to finish the round today and just kind of laid back knowing I’ve got the weekend to play.”

That he does, and then some. Kim, after making seven birdies and no bogeys on Thursday after his quad, recorded seven birdies and a bogey on Friday, shot a six-under 64, and he held a share of a one-stroke lead, at nine-under, with Brandon Wu and Ryan Moore when darkness stopped the second round. 

Did Kim have any flashbacks to the first hole on Friday?

“Yeah, I went in the bunker again and I was like, well, here we go, just don’t make a quad,” he said. “I was like, let’s just get this on the fairway, and I did. I had a good number, I hit a great shot to two feet, and I was like, you know what, this is strokes gained right here, four shots better than yesterday, so most improved on hole No. 1.”

38 players are within five shots of the lead 

Thirty-eight players were no worse than five shots out of the lead when play was suspended. Among them were Sungjae Im, Russell Henley and John Huh, who were one shot out of the lead; and Brian Stuard, Anirban Lahiri and Davis Riley, who were two strokes back. 

Notably, Huh, the first-round leader, was 10 shots worse than he was on Thursday — he shot a 61 during the first round and a 71 on Friday. 

“Yeah, I think that’s golf,” Huh said. “One day I get a good break, another day I don’t get a good break.”

FedEx Cup bubble 

The Wyndham also is the last event of the Tour’s regular season, with the top 125 players in the season-long FedEx Cup standings moving on to the start of next week’s playoffs. So who’s on the bubble?

According to the Tour’s live tracker, players No. 120-130 on Friday night were: No. 120 Kramer Hickok (who shot a second-round 70 and was tied for 25th); No. 121 Patton Kizzire (69, tied for 89th); No. 122 Max McGreevy (67, tied for 15th); No. 123 Webb Simpson (WD); No. 124 Brian Stuard (68, tied for seventh); No. 125 Nick Taylor (67, tied for 25th); No. 126 Martin Trainer (67, tied for 10th); No. 127 Rickie Fowler (69, tied for 89th); No. 128 Matt Wallace (69, tied for 89th); No. 129 Austin Smotherman (two holes to play, tied for 66th); No. 130 Danny Willett (70, tied for 135th). 

Notably, the live tracker does not include any of the players who have left for LIV Golf and are suspended. It is unclear how the standings will officially look after Sunday’s play, though Golf Digest is reporting that the playoffs will include 125 Tour players. 

Also to be determined is the fate of the three LIV players — Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones — who have petitioned a court to issue a temporary restraining order allowing their participation in the playoffs. That case will be heard on Tuesday.     

The Tour’s live tracker can be found here.   

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