Horse For The Course: PGA DFS Course History - Wyndham Championship

Hello PGA DFS family and welcome back to Horse For The Course! Abraham Ancer stormed to a breakthrough victory in Memphis, besting Hideki Matsuyama and Sam Burns in a sudden-death playoff for the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational title. It was the first win on the PGA Tour for Ancer, a talented young player that's been a consistent performer throughout the year.

With all four majors now in the rearview, all eyes turn to the FedEx Cup Playoffs. This week's Wyndham Championship marks the last chance for some players to earn a coveted spot in the PGA Tour's "postseason".

Horse For The Course is an article that highlights players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA DFS content here at RotoBaller. For my favorite DFS plays of the week check out my Core Four article here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our amazing PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using Promo Code: NICE for an extra discount at checkout!

2021 Wyndham Championship

It has been a long, jam-packed golf season and we wind down the "regular" portion of it this week at the Wyndham Championship, an event which annually stands as the last chance for players to earn a coveted spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Thanks to its place on the schedule, the Wyndham often serves as a spot where many of golf's top players will take a week off to prepare for the looming playoffs, while the "borderline" guys attempt to play their way in. This year however, those that are trying to play their way into the top-125 include some very big names, with players such as Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, and Tommy Fleetwood currently on the outside looking in, while stars like Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar are currently inside the top-125 but are by no means safe yet.

The aforementioned players with playoff implications will join the likes of "Mr. Wyndham" Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed, Hideki Matsuyama and Louis Oosthuizen, as well as defending Wyndham champion - and PIP star - Jim Herman. It all adds up to a Wyndham field that I would label as stronger-than-usual. This is a long-standing Tour stop, so a really nice sample size of course history to dive into this week. Let's go!

You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week. And be sure to read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS articles to help you win big!

The Course: Sedgefield Country Club

Par 70 - 7,127 Yards, Greens: Bermuda, Architect: Donald Ross

This little Donald Ross gem has been a presence on the professional circuit since the 1930's and has now played host to this event for 14 consecutive years. At just over 7,100 yards, length won't be an issue for the players this week (Henrik Stenson won here a few years ago without hitting his driver one time. Literally never hit driver all week!). Fairways and greens are the order of the day at Sedgefield. In true Ross fashion, these greens are some of the smallest on the PGA Tour schedule and do have tricky undulations, but this track routinely ranks as one of the easiest on the PGA Tour schedule.

It seems like we emphasize ball striking every week, but it is without a doubt crucial at Sedgefield. It's a bit of an outlier event in that I'm paying absolutely no attention to distance. I'll be focusing on ball strikers that are both accurate off the tee and precise with their irons on approach. J.T. Poston went bogey-free for the tournament in 2019 and Sneds dropped a 59 here a few years ago en route to victory. The winners over the past five years have been at least 21-under par and lots of birdies will be needed this week, so I'll also be searching for players that can go low.

For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!

Recent Wyndham Championship Winners

• 2020: Jim Herman (-21)
• 2019: J.T. Poston (-22)
• 2018: Brandt Snedeker (-21)
• 2017: Henrik Stenson (-22)
• 2016: Si Woo Kim (-21)

The Horse

Webb Simpson

Notable Course History: T3 (2020), 2nd ('19), T2 ('18), 3rd ('17), Win ('11)
DraftKings Price: $10,600 FanDuel Price: $

I'm sure it comes as a huge shocker to find Webb Simpson as this week's Horse since this will be his first-ever start in this event. Ok, just kidding, I had to make sure you guys were paying attention! In actuality, Simpson has become synonymous with this tournament over the years. The guy even named his daughter Wyndham for crying out loud! You can't really blame him, as Wyndham can live in comfort the rest of her life just off Dad's winnings in this event alone.

Simpson captured the Wyndham title back in 2011 and has been in hot pursuit of another in subsequent years. He hasn't finished outside the top-three in this event in five years! In addition to the ultra-elite track record on this Ross layout, the Wake Forest alum comes in on the heels of a dazzling final-round 64 in last week's WGC-FedEx Cup St. Jude Invitational. His outing in Memphis was a nice follow-up to a top-20 result in the Open Championship and indicates Webb is finally finding his groove after an otherwise sub-par summer. Don't overthink this one, the only real reason to fade Simpson this week would be due to his expected popularity.

The Ponies

Sungjae Im

Notable Course History: T9 ('20), T6 ('19)
DraftKings Price: $9,600 FanDuel Price: $

You have to imagine Sungjae Im is dealing with some level of emotional letdown after failing to medal in the Olympics two weeks ago. Most of you were probably aware of the situation, but suffice it to say, Tokyo was extremely important to the South Korean and his future, but he unfortunately came up short. He understandably looked sluggish last week in Memphis, turning in an uninspired T46, so we're not really basing this play on hot form - though he has gained strokes on Approach in each of his last five starts. I hate to guess as to a player's mental state, so hopefully, Im will be motivated to put a nice stamp on what's otherwise been a disappointing season. His track record at Sedgefield isn't lengthy, but is nonetheless impressive, as he's went T9-T6 in his two career Wyndham starts. The consistency hasn't been there from Sungjae this year, but his irons are firing and we know that Bermuda is his preferred putting surface.

Russell Henley

Notable Course History: T9 ('20), T31 ('19), MC ('18), T46 ('16)
DraftKings Price: $9,400 FanDuel Price: 

Anytime sharp iron play is a priority, Russell Henley jumps to the top of the conversation. Henley certainly has his flaws as a player, but his Approach game has been a bankable asset for the better part of the last two years. He grades out eighth in the Wyndham field SG: Approach over the last 24 rounds and first over the last 50 rounds. 

That ball-striking ability has served him well both as of late and throughout the years at Sedgefield. The Georgia Bulldog has posted top-20 results in three of his last four and averaged +3.9 SG: Approach over his last five. This Ross layout has proven to be a nice fit for him, as he snagged a T9 in last year’s Wyndham and has played the weekend in three of four career trips to Sedgefield.

Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium DFS PGA subscription?

Like what you read today? You can show your support for Joe by using promo code NICE when purchasing a PGA Premium Pass. You get 10% off and full access to all of our Premium PGA articles, DFS tools, and Lineup Optimizer!

Brandt Snedeker

Notable Course History: T42 ('20), T39 ('19), Win ('18), T3 ('16), T5 ('14)
DraftKings Price: $7,900 FanDuel Price: $

Sneds is something of a throwback and is fighting to remain relevant in the modern age of “bomb and gouge”. As a result, the Vandy product isn’t a player that we can target on a regular basis, but this Sedgefield layout is one of the remaining tracks on the Tour schedule on which Snedeker is still a truly viable DFS option. 

At just over 7,100 yards, the light hitter can play his natural game on this golf course: fairways, greens, and great putting. He dropped a little 59 in the 2018 Wyndham Championship en route to victory and has two additional top-five finishes on his sterling Sedgefield resume. Snedeker’s recent form has been good enough (top-20s in two of his last three starts) to justify giving him a serious look this week. 

Ryan Armour

Notable Course History: T25 ('20), T22 ('19), T8 ('18), T4 ('17)
DraftKings Price: $7,000 FanDuel Price: $

A really eye-catching blend of course history and recent form with Ryan Armour this week. The veteran heads to Carolina off back-to-back top-six outings in his last two starts at Barbasol and the 3M, bringing his top-10 count to three since June. He’s gained an average of 2.7 strokes T2G over his last five starts and ranks first in this Wyndham field in Good Drives Gained, while grading out third in Fairways Gained over the last 24 rounds. Armour has a pair of top-10s and two top-25s over his last four appearances at Sedgefield, and trails only Webb Simpson in SG: Total in this event (+31.87).

Win Big With RotoBaller

If you read my articles @RotoBaller or listen to @TheTurnGolfPod I’ve been telling y’all it was #WinningSeason when golf came back! Shoutout to the entire @RotoBallerPGA squad and all you guys that support my work for all the ❤️ pic.twitter.com/07a4ynvbSU

— Joe Nicely (@JoeNicely) June 28, 2020

Congrats @tenndolly2 ???

Thanks for being a @RotoBaller PGA DFS Premium subscriber & checking out all the amazing golf content that @JoeNicely produces every week! https://t.co/tHKZVsPbbt

— RotoBaller PGA (@RotoBallerPGA) August 10, 2020

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks

More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks