Tag: Wyndham Championship

Billy Horschel explains why his clubs may have been responsible for his slump

“Somehow along the process of switching manufacturers and being on my own and everything maybe my numbers just got a little off.”

[anyclip pubname=”2122″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8171″]

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Could Billy Horschel’s set of irons be responsible for his disappointing performance this season?

Horschel, who won the Memorial last season for his seventh PGA Tour title and represented Team USA in the Presidents Cup for the first time, has experienced a big dip this season, recording just two top-10 finishes and entering the week at No. 116 in the FedEx Cup season-long point standings.

Horschel, who hit rock bottom shooting an opening-round 84 at Muirfield Village while defending his title at the Memorial in June, showed how far his game has come since then by posting 8-under 62 on Friday, his career low on the PGA Tour. Asked to explain what he attributed his improvement to, Horschel cited that he discovered on the Tuesday of the U.S. Open in June that the lie angles on his Titleist irons were 2-3 degrees too upright.

“Somehow along the process of switching manufacturers (from PXG) and being on my own and everything maybe my numbers just got a little off,” he said.

Horschel credited working with Michael Neff on the Gears 3-D system (Golf Evaluation and Research System), a full body optical motion tracking system designed to measure and analyze every aspect of sport-specific skills, in full 3-D.

“That made a massive difference,” Horschel said.

Horschel was quick to say that no one was to blame but he was able to dig up a spreadsheet from his days with Ping and confirmed they didn’t match the numbers he was using with his current set.

“So it was causing me not to hit the cut that I would want to hit,” he said. “So from there it gave me a lot of confidence that everything Todd (Anderson, his coach) and I have been doing in our swing was the right thing.

“And then recently we just realized that the more width and shorter I can keep it, the better the club stays out in front of me,” he said. “Getting back to a little bit of what we always did back in ’13, ’14 and ’15. Just got a little sloppy in the sense that the club runs off a little bit too much. So simple thing is keeping more width and keeping it more out in front of me in the backswing, which allows the club to stay more out in front of me on the downswing so I can hit my cut easier.”

The proof is in the pudding: Horschel has reeled off six straight rounds under par, something he said he hasn’t done for a while, and finished T-13 at the 3M Open last week.

[pickup_prop id=”34318″]

Russell Henley leads at Wyndham, Billy Ho’s back and JT still has life

Russell Henley is turning back the clock – just a bit, to 2021.

[anyclip pubname=”2122″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8171″]

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Russell Henley is turning back the clock – just a bit, to 2021.

That was the year he raced out of the gate with a 62 and 64 to grab the 36-hole lead, but he sputtered on Sunday and missed out on a six-man playoff. This week, he posted another 62 in the opening round and followed it up on Friday with a 66 at Sedgefield Country Club to grab a one-stroke lead over Billy Horschel at the midway point of the regular-season finale.

Henley’s goal is to avoid as Yogi Berra once said, déjà vu all over again. In other words, don’t fold like the Sunday paper on Sunday.

“I was in control of the tournament. Had a couple three-putts, missed a couple short ones and a couple bad swings on the back and missed out on the playoff by one shot. Definitely stings to kind of lose it right there because I played so well the first however many holes, 60 holes,” Henley said of blowing the lead here in 2021. “But again, you know, it’s why I’ve got to play all 72 holes. It’s just hard to do, hard to finish it off, but I’m excited hopefully for another good weekend.”

Here are four more things to know about the second round of the 2023 Wyndham Championship.

2023 Wyndham Championship Saturday tee times, TV and streaming info

Everything you need to know for the third round at Sedgefield Country Club.

The final regular season event on the PGA Tour schedule is on to the weekend

Russell Henley leads alone at 12-under 128 after a 4-under 66 in the second round. Billy Horschel shot 8-under 62, his lowest score on Tour, and is solo second at 11 under. Lucas Glover, Adan Svensson, Byeong Hun An and Brendon Todd are tied for third at 10 under.

Justin Thomas, who needed to make the cut and finish in the top 15 to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs, went on a tear Friday, shooting 5-under 65 and will play the weekend. He’s 5 under on the week, seven back of Henley.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the third round of the 2023 Wyndham Championship. All times Eastern.

Tee times

Tee time Players
7:40 a.m. Zecheng Dou
7:45 a.m.
C.T. Pan, Sam Bennett
7:55 a.m.
Sam Ryder, David Lipsky
8:05 a.m.
Trey Mullinax, J.J. Spaun
8:15 a.m.
Sam Burns, Chez Reavie
8:25 a.m.
Matti Schmid, Dylan Wu
8:35 a.m.
Michael Gligic, Nicholas Lindheim
8:45 a.m.
Matt NeSmith, Adam Schenk
8:55 a.m.
Andrew Putnam, Wesley Bryan
9:05 a.m.
Vincent Norrman, Alex Noren
9:15 a.m.
Martin Laird, Harris English
9:30 a.m.
Doug Ghim, Scott Piercy
9:40 a.m.
Brandt Snedeker, Thomas Detry
9:10 a.m.
Shane Lowry, Joel Dahmen
10 a.m.
Jim Herman, Gary Woodland
10:10 a.m.
Si Woo Kim, Michael Kim
10:20 a.m.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Ryan Brehm
10:30 a.m.
Carl Yuan, Austin Smotherman
10:40 a.m.
Taylor Moore, Scott Stallings
10:50 a.m.
Kyle Westmoreland, Adam Scott
11 a.m.
Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson
11:10 a.m.
Greyson Sigg, Carson Young
11:25 a.m.
Nick Hardy, Charley Hoffman
11:35 a.m.
Justin Thomas, Matt Wallace
11:45 a.m.
Kelly Kraft, Peter Kuest
11:55 a.m.
Sungjae Im, Luke Donald
12:05 p.m.
Richy Werenski, Cam Davis
12:15 p.m.
Max McGreevy, Nicolai Hojgaard
12:25 p.m.
Nate Lashley, Davis Thompson
12:35 p.m.
Eric Cole, Robert Streb
12:45 p.m.
Tyler Duncan, Chesson Hadley
12:55 p.m.
Stephan Jaeger, Andrew Novak
1:10 p.m.
Troy Merritt, Brandon Wu
1:20 p.m.
Ludvig Aberg, J.T. Poston
1:30 p.m.
Byeong Hun An, Brendon Todd
1:40 p.m.
Adam Svensson, Lucas Glover
1:50 p.m.
Russell Henley, Billy Horschel

How to watch

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. All times Eastern.

Saturday, August 5

TV

Golf Channel: 1-3 p.m.
CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
Peacock: 1-3 p.m.

Sunday, August 6

TV

Golf Channel: 1-3 p.m.
CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
Peacock: 1-3 p.m.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1375]

Hideki Matsuyama highlights notables to miss cut at Wyndham Championship

The ramifications of missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship on Friday, for some, meant the start of the offseason.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The ramifications of missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship on Friday, for some, meant the start of the offseason.

Only the top 70 in the season-long FedEx Cup advance to the playoffs next week after 44 regular season events. For Ben Griffin, who entered the week at No. 68, and Austin Eckroat, the “Bubble Boy” at No. 70, they could read the writing on the wall as they struggled to the finish of their morning round in the same threesome.

“The last three holes we tried to determine how many hole-outs we both needed to make the cut, and none of us had a hole-out. I thought I had a good chance of a hole-out on 8,” Griffin said. “But we were joking around towards the end. There’s not much you can do with when you’re four or five out with a few holes to go except try to have fun out there.”

Hope is not completely lost for these two, who will have to sit and wait, hope and pray that they hang on to their precarious rankings. After 36 holes, Griffin still was projected to be Memphis bound at No. 70 while Eckroat is going to need more help as he’s projected to be No. 72.

In all, 74 players moved on to the weekend with a 36-hole total of 2-under 138, including two-time champion Brandt Snedeker, who birdied the final two holes to earn a weekend tee time at 3 under. However, Ben Taylor, Garrick Higgo, K.H. Lee, David Lingmerth, the four players who entered the week Nos. 71-74 in the FedExCup standings, missed the cut and have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Here are some of the notable players this week that weren’t so lucky.

Lucas Glover rips PGA Tour playoff changes, field size at signature events, more

“I just think it’s silly.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Lucas Glover says the toothpaste is out of the tube, and the PGA Tour is trying to shove it back in with its latest moves.

When asked to describe the difference between this year’s top 70 advancing to the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the former model of 125, Glover didn’t hold back.

“It’s very contrived to me, the whole thing. I don’t even really understand it. I think if you finish in the top 125, I don’t know why you don’t get to play next week. That’s my opinion,” he said. “I think it’s silly that it’s only 70. I think it’s silly that we’re playing 70 in these elevated events (next year). I think it’s silly. I think it’s taken a lot of these last few tournaments of the regular season, a lot of that drama, and I just think it’s silly.”

That was the end of Glover’s press conference, who shot 66 at Sedgefield Country Club on Friday to jump into contention at the Wyndham Championship.

But Glover, the 43-year-old former U.S. Open winner, was just warming up on the topic when he continued talking exclusively to Golfweek.

“It feels like the toothpaste is out of the tube,” Glover said. “Some of the guys who were pushing for 70 are now backtracking a little bit. I don’t know if it is because they are outside the top 70 or they actually understand it’s kind of silly. We’re touting ourselves as the best Tour in the world, so why wouldn’t you reward the best 125 guys and let them play in your biggest events. Same with the elevated events. You finish 125th on the best Tour in the world, and you’re in one elevated event, the Players. That’s silly to me and always has been. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

[pickup_prop id=”34299″]

Glover has expressed his concerns in the past to the powers-that-be at the PGA Tour, but he doesn’t bother to do so anymore.

“It’s a waste of breath, a waste of time,” he said. “I’ve been out here long enough to know that it doesn’t matter. The PAC’s useless. They’re going to do what they’re going to do.”

He continued to express his displeasure with the majority of the designated events being limited to field sizes ranging from 70-80 players starting next season.

“Maybe now we can get some smarter people in the room and talk some sense into them,” he said of the players gaining majority control of the board for the first time with the announcement this week that Tiger Woods would get a new seat on the board. “I don’t understand why it’s going to be 70-80. We’ve seen the World Golf Championship model doesn’t work. We don’t play those anymore. So, why that number? They have models and all this and that, but no one has convinced me that this is better other than the guys who stood to be rewarded the most pushed for it and our brass thought they had to appease them. If that’s the case, that’s the case, but as we’ve seen that’s not working because we have another deal in place. Obviously, what they did last year at this time (following the players-only meeting at the BMW Championship) didn’t work or else we wouldn’t have to do all this other stuff. We’ll never get somebody to admit that, but now it’s pretty obvious. They’re trying to push it back into the tube a little bit, which is pretty impossible.”

Glover also shared some strong opinions on the Tour’s framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which was announced on June 6.

“Something was inevitable whether it was that or private equity or something. We couldn’t continue to go down the road we were going. Anyone with a brain knows (the Tour) didn’t have the money. (LIV) was going to drag this lawsuit out as long as they could. The Tour can’t prop up $20 million purses forever, pretty sure the sponsors don’t want to do it either. They’re not getting the return. That’s evident. We know that too. We’ve got some valuations of under $5 million, and you’re asking the sponsor for $20 million. That doesn’t work. So, of course, we were going to have to do something. It was just a matter of where the money was coming from.”

Photos: Inside the pro shop at the 2023 Wyndham Championship

Here’s a look at some of the items available this week at the Wyndham Championship.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Rain jackets, vests, ponchos and umbrellas were popular items at the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship on Thursday.

PGA Tour vet Kevin Streelman, who attended nearby Duke University, described the rainy conditions as “a consistent, annoying, cold, wet, gross day.”

The rain is gone but the shoppers still have plenty of good options to pick through at Sedgefield Country Club’s shop. It’s one of the tournament sites where spectators are invited into the pro shop.

Inside, they find a wide range of the typical merchandise options — who wants a Wyn hat? — with a better-than-average mix of items geared for women.

Here’s a look at some of the items available this week at the Wyndham Championship.

Russell Henley loves Sedgefield, Matt Wallace definitely does not among 5 things to know at Wyndham Championship

Catch up on Thursday’s action here.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Russell Henley has unfinished business at the Wyndham Championship.

The 34-year-old Georgia grad has finished in the top 10 at Sedgefield Country Club the last three years, including in 2021 when he raced out of the gate with a 62 but blew the lead on the final hole and missed a six-man playoff by a stroke.

“I think about it a lot,” he said. “I mean, I was leading by three going in the final round a couple years ago and was leading the tournament by a few going into No. 11 the last, or a couple years ago and didn’t get it done. That’s a good learning experience, you know, and feel like I’ve gotten better as a player because of it.”

On Thursday, Henley made an eagle and six birdies and shot another opening-round 8-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Canadian Adam Svensson and South Korea’s Ben An and two better than fellow American Andrew Novak.

Henley, who played in the afternoon wave, benefited from better scoring conditions after a steady morning rain stopped.

“The first little bit of the front nine it was raining and felt like, man, this could be a tough day, especially if it picks up a little bit,” he said. “So just kind of hoping it would slow down a little bit. And it did on the back nine, so we were fortunate.”

Henley, the winner of the World Wide Technologies Championship in November, led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green in the first round. His bogey-free 62 was his eighth score of 63 or better since the start of the 2020-21 season, tied for the most of any players on the Tour during that span with Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele. Henley opened with a round in the 60s for the seventh time in as many starts at Sedgefield and improved his first-round scoring average to 66.14. But Henley has never converted one of his hot starts into a victory — he’s 0-for-7 converting the first-round lead/co-lead to victory, including the 2021 Wyndham. Unfinished business, indeed.

Here are four more things to know from the first round of the Wyndham Championship.

2023 Wyndham Championship Friday tee times, TV and streaming info

Everything you need to know for the second round at Sedgefield Country Club.

The final regular season event on the PGA Tour schedule is underway.

A handful of big names have shown up at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, to solidify their spot in the top 70 of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, including Justin Thomas who will make his first start at the Wyndham Championship since 2016, the site of his Tour debut in 2009 as a 16-year-old.

Thomas opened his week with an even-par 70, battling rain for most of the morning. Adam Scott, who is also in need of a good week to make the postseason, fired a 5-under 65.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the second round of the 2023 Wyndham Championship. All times Eastern.

Tee times

1st tee

Time Players
6:50 a.m. Doc Redman, Paul Haley, Austin Smotherman
7:01 a.m. Scott Piercy, James Hahn, Andrew Novak
7:12 a.m. Patton Kizzire, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Greyson Sigg
7:23 a.m. Matt Kuchar, Martin Laird, Cameron Champ
7:34 a.m. Ryan Brehm, Lucas Glover, Adam Svensson
7:45 a.m. Richy Werenski, Garrick Higgo, Andrew Landry
7:56 a.m. Erik van Rooyen, Tyler Duncan, Sungjae Im
8:07 a.m. Aaron Rai, Henrik Norlander, Dylan Frittelli
8:18 a.m. Andrew Putnam, Wesley Bryan, Matthew NeSmith
8:29 a.m. Alex Smalley, Kelly Kraft, Will Gordon
8:40 a.m. Kyle Reifers, Brian Stuard, Adam Hadwin
8:51 a.m. Trevor Werbylo, Michael Gligic, Nicholas Lindheim
9:02 a.m. Kevin Roy, Kyle Westmoreland, Joey Lane
12:05 p.m. Harry Hall, Adam Long, Harrison Endycott
12:16 p.m. Jason Dufner, Russell Knox, Chun An Yu
12:27 p.m. Aaron Baddeley, Dylan Wu, David Lingmerth
12:38 p.m. Stewart Cink, Akshay Bhatia, Sam Burns
12:49 p.m. Billy Horschel, Kevin Streelman, Gary Woodland
1 p.m. Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Adam Scott
1:11 p.m. Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Moore, Joel Dahmen
1:22 p.m. J.J. Spaun, K.H. Lee, Nick Hardy
1:33 p.m. Callum Tarren, Thomas Detry, Beau Hossler
1:44 p.m. Ben Taylor, Davis Thompson, Nate Lashley
1:55 p.m. Matthias Schwab, C.T. Pan, Brice Garnett
2:06 p.m. Ryan Gerard, Nicolai Hojgaard, Estanislao Goya
2:17 p.m. Sam Bennett, Carl Yuan, Ludvig Aberg

10th tee

Time Players
6:50 a.m. Mark Hubbard, Danny Willett, Nick Watney
7:01 a.m. Sam Stevens, Robby Shelton, Justin Suh
7:12 a.m. Carson Young, Austin Eckroat, Ben Griffin
7:23 a.m. Zach Johnson, Harris English, Chris Kirk
7:34 a.m. Si Woo Kim, J.T. Poston, Webb Simpson
7:45 a.m. Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Davis, Russell Henley
7:56 a.m. Alexander Noren, Luke Donald, Vincent Norrman
8:07 a.m. Justin Lower, Zac Blair, Kevin Tway
8:18 a.m. Ben Martin, Jonathan Byrd, Denny McCarthy
8:29 a.m. Adam Schenk, Taylor Pendrith, S.H. Kim
8:40 a.m. Ryan Armour, Byeong-Hun An, Patrick Rodgers
8:51 a.m. Trevor Cone, Brandon Matthews, Scott Harrington
9:02 a.m. Brent Grant, Peter Kuest, Matthias Schmid
12:05 p.m. Ryan Moore, Brandon Wu, Troy Merritt
12:16 p.m. Michael Kim, Stephan Jaeger, Harry Higgs
12:27 p.m. Tommy Gainey, Chesson Hadley, Eric Cole
12:38 p.m. Chez Reavie, Brendon Todd, Jim Herman
12:49 p.m. Brian Gay, Trey Mullinax, Nicolas Echavarria
1 p.m. Robert Streb, Chad Ramey, Matt Wallace
1:11 p.m. Davis Riley, Brandt Snedeker, Scott Stallings
1:22 p.m. Jimmy Walker, Sam Ryder, Peter Malnati
1:33 p.m. Doug Ghim, David Lipsky, Kramer Hickok
1:44 p.m. Max McGreevy, Ryan Palmer, Tyson Alexander
1:55 p.m. Cameron Percy, Rory Sabbatini, Henry Lebioda
2:06 p.m. Austin Cook, MJ Daffue, Charley Hoffman
2:17 p.m. Augusto Nunez, Ze-Cheng Dou, Jon Mayer

How to watch

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. All times Eastern.

Friday, August 4

TV

Golf Channel: 2-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 12-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
Peacock: 2-6 p.m.

Saturday, August 5

TV

Golf Channel: 1-3 p.m.
CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
Peacock: 1-3 p.m.

Sunday, August 6

TV

Golf Channel: 1-3 p.m.
CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
Peacock: 1-3 p.m.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1375]

Adam Scott is treating the Wyndham Championship like four one-day qualifiers

“If I can be the low man every day, I’ll be just fine for winning the tournament and getting through to the playoffs.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Despite being frustrated to finish with two bogeys on his final three holes, Kevin Streelman was just thrilled to be done and to get out of a steady rainfall that fell during Thursday’s first round of the Wyndham Championship.

“It was a consistent, annoying, cold, wet, gross day,” he said after posting 2-under 68.

Justin Thomas, who is in desperate need to break out of his slump and to climb into the top 70 in the FedEx Cup season-long standings and qualify for the playoffs, agreed.

“The weather was a bummer,” said Thomas, who settled for an even-par 70. “When I woke up and looked at it this morning, didn’t think I was going to be playing 16 holes in rain.”

“It’s just annoying, right?” added Stephen Jaeger, who shot 29 on his first nine and carded 3-under 67.

But not even difficult conditions at Sedgefield Country Club could dampen the spirits of Australian Adam Scott, who made seven birdies to grab the early lead with a 5-under 65, a stroke better than Belgium’s Thomas Detry and newly-minted Swedish pro Ludvig Aberg.

Scott, 43, is among the pros who are in danger of missing the playoffs, which begin next week. He enters the week at No. 81 in points and in need of a minimum of a two-way T-9 to have a chance to move into the top 70 and a three-way T-3 or better based on the Tour’s projection. Scott and veteran Matt Kuchar, who is safe to make the playoffs once again, are the only two players who have qualified for the playoffs in each season since the inception of the FedEx Cup in 2007. Scott said he is treating each of the four rounds this week as if it is an 18-hole qualifier.

“If I can be the low man every day, I’ll be just fine for winning the tournament and getting through to the playoffs,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ve got a few more good ones in me.”

Scott made a bogey at No. 11, his second hole of the day, but quickly righted the ship with back-to-back birdies. Scott’s putter, which he considers the best part of his game the last few years, bailed him out whenever he had what he tabbed “a few squirrelly shots.”

“I rolled it nicely,” he said. “When you do that, it makes up for a lot of average stuff.”

Scott blocked his tee shot right at the 226-yard par-3 seventh, which nearly was in the penalty area, hacked on and escaped with par by canning a 14-foot putt.

“Sometimes you get lucky,” he said. “At this point, it’s all evened out in my career. I’ve had some good breaks and some bad breaks and that was a good one. They feel even better when you get it up and down.”

It was very much a vintage performance by Scott, according to PGA Tour Live analyst Colin Swatton, who was impressed with the way every time Scott dealt with adversity, he overcame it.

“If I’m going to walk around in the rain, I’m going to walk around and watch you play well,” Swatton said.

Scott wedged to three feet at the par-4 eighth to improve to 6 under for the day but dropped a shot at his last hole.

“Just a bit of a sloppy last hole, but when you shoot 65 you can stomach that,” he said.

England’s Matt Wallace held the lead for much of the day but made bogeys on three of his final five holes to shoot 3-under 67. Afterward, he complained that he didn’t like the golf course very much.

“Hopefully I can turn that tune around and at the end of the week I’ll tell you I absolutely love this golf course and thanks for having me and I’ll be back again next year,” Wallace said.

Photos: 2023 Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club

Here are some of the best photos from the week in Greensboro, North Carolina.

This week, the PGA Tour is in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, the final event of the 2022-23 regular season.

While some players are hoping to improve their FedEx Cup standing to give themselves a shot to make the Tour Championship at East Lake, many are hoping to make it to TPC Southwind for next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Justin Thomas, currently ranked 79th in the FedEx Cup standings, needs at least a top-18 finish to make the postseason. Adam Scott, Gary Woodland and Shane Lowry are also on the outside looking in and need to play well in Greensboro.

Lucas Glover outclassed the field this week, however, when it was all said and done. Glover won for the firsr time in two years and will take home $1.3 million for his efforts.

Here are some of the best images from the 2023 Wyndham Championship.