The Wyndham Championship offers the final chance for players to secure a place in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
As a result, many PGA Tour stars heading to Sedgefield Country Club will be doing so fully aware they’ll need a good week to reach the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings to progress to the first of the three Playoffs events, the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
With the Rocket Classic not finishing until Sunday evening, there is plenty of scope for players to change position in the FedEx Cup standings, but we have a good idea of which ones confirmed for the Wyndham Championship will be playing for their places in the first Playoffs event.
Jackson Koivun, who won the 3M Open in just his third start since turning professional, began the Rocket Classic in 70th in the standings.
Andrew Putnam, Mac Meissner, Johnny Keefer, Jason Day, Austin Smotherman and Keegan Bradley – who are all in the Wyndham Championship field – were the players directly beneath him.
Just inside the top 70 at the start of the Rocket Classic, and all playing in the Wyndham Championship, were Jordan Smith, Ricky Castillo and Michael Thorbjornsen.
With those players, and others, all vying for a place in the top 70 of the standings, the tension is sure to be high throughout the week, but particularly as events come to a head next Sunday evening.
One player with no such concerns over his FedEx Cup Playoffs place is Cameron Young.
The American is having a brilliant year on the PGA Tour, winning its flagship event, The Players Championship, and the inaugural Cadillac Championship, to leave him third in the FedEx Cup standings.
It was at the Wyndham Championship a year ago that Young’s performance proved a catalyst for what was to come, when he beat Meissner by six to claim his maiden PGA Tour title at the 94th attempt.
The World No.3 headlines the field, looking to make it three wins this year.
Young is the only player in the world’s top 10 in the line-up, but there is plenty of top talent elsewhere, including Ben Griffin, who won three times on the PGA Tour last season.
2024 Wyndham Championship winner Aaron Rai, who also won this year's PGA Championship, plays as well, along with a man who has won the Major twice, Justin Thomas.
Other big names set to tee it up in North Carolina are 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, 2022 Wyndham Championship winner Tom Kim, Patrick Cantlay, who co-led the Rocket Classic at the halfway stage, and three-time Major winner Jordan Spieth.
