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Who is playing in the 2023 Wyndham Championship? Field, top players, and predictions
The talented Tom Kim earned a unique record at last year’s Wyndham Championship: he was the first player born in the new millennium to win on the PGA TOUR.
The 2023 Wyndham Championship is set to begin on Thursday at the Sedgefield Country Club. This tournament marks the end of the 2022-23 PGA Tour regular season, and only the top 75 players in the FedEx Cup standings will make it to the playoffs, which start the following week in Memphis. As a result, the 2023 Wyndham Championship will have a strong lineup of players eager to secure a spot in the postseason or solidify their position in the rankings.
The Wyndham Championship, one of the oldest events on the PGA TOUR, takes place annually at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. The tournament was established in 1938 and has a history of 83 years. Famous champions like Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Seve Ballesteros have all won the event in the past, and 18 former winners are now members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Notably, the Wyndham Championship is the only regular-season PGA TOUR event on a course originally designed by Donald Ross. In 2023, the tournament will celebrate its 84th edition from August 2-6, continuing to be North Carolina’s oldest and most prestigious professional golf event.
Sedgefield Country Club underwent a restoration process in 2007 to bring back its original design by Donald Ross. The course was also lengthened to fit the needs of modern-day PGA TOUR golfers. The restoration, led by Kris Spence, a Donald Ross course restoration expert, took 10 months and cost $3 million. As a result, the course now boasts a classic design covering 7,117 yards and playing to a par 70.
2023 Wyndham Championship: Field and top players
The upcoming 2023 Wyndham Championship hosted by the PGA Tour is set to feature 14 of the top 50 Official World Golf Ranking players as the top contenders. The highest-ranked golfer in the event’s field will be Sam Burns, ranked 20th globally. Other notable players include Justin Thomas, Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry, and Hideki Matsuyama. Sadly, last year’s champion, Tom Kim, will not defend his title this year. J.T. Poston, who performed well last week, will be present at the Sedgefield Country Club. However, the 3M Open champion Lee Hodges has withdrawn from the event. Andrew Novak is replacing him.
Top 50 players at the 2023 Wyndham Championship
- 20 - Sam Burns
- 26 - Justin Thomas
- 27 - Sungjae Im
- 30 - Shane Lowry
- 31 - Hideki Matsuyama
- 32 - Denny McCarthy
- 34 - Russell Henley
- 37 - Si Woo Kim
- 38 - Harris English
- 39 - Adam Scott
- 41 - Chris Kirk
- 42 – J.T. Poston
- 47 - Adam Schenk
- 48 - Billy Horschel
2023 Wyndham Championship: predictions
According to the 2023 Wyndham Championship odds, Sungjae Im is the favorite at 16-1, while Hideki Matsuyama follows closely at 18-1. Justin Thomas, currently ranked 79th, has odds of 28-1 in this week’s PGA Tour. As a 15-time PGA Tour winner, Thomas must perform well at Sedgefield to climb up the standings.
Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry, Adam Scott, and Billy Horschel are in danger of not qualifying for the FedEx Cup events, ranked 79, 76, 81, and 116, respectively. They will need a top-40 finish at the very least to join the party. Meanwhile, Sam Burns and Sungjae Im are comfortably poised. Hideki Matsuyama, currently ranked 55th, must also work hard to make the TOUR Championship. Past winners J.T. Poston and Si-Woo Kim hope to double up their wins at Sedgefield CC, while course horses like Webb Simpson aim to improve their form line, having delivered seven top-10 finishes in their last nine visits to this layout.