Daily Fantasy Golf Course Primer: Wyndham Championship
Well, Tiger Woods is certainly back (if you weren't already convinced), but Woods couldn't do quite enough last week to fend off Brooks Koepka, who won his second major of the year and his third overall.
It always feels a bit underwhelming (and by a bit, I mean entirely) to transition from a major to a non-major, especially an event that typically yields a weak field.
But the Wyndham Championship at least gives us a lot of scoring to root for, and if you like birdies, this is an event for you. Let's dig into the course -- Sedgefield CC -- and see what stands out as the most important for our golfer selection on FanDuel this week.
Course and Tournament Info
Course: Sedgefield CC
Par: 70
Distance: 7,127 yards
Greens: Bermudagrass
Fairways: Bermudagrass
This week's 150-golfer field should be a birdie festival if the past history is any indication. Sedgefield CC -- a 7,127-yard par 70 -- has been one of the most scorable courses on tour year after year since its inclusion 10 years ago.
Year | Difficulty Rank | Course | Par | Yards | Avg Score | Avg O/U Par |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | 37 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,127 | 68.813 | -1.187 |
2016 | 37 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,127 | 68.972 | -1.028 |
2015 | 40 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,127 | 68.858 | -1.142 |
2014 | 38 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,127 | 69.209 | -0.791 |
2013 | 23 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,127 | 69.972 | -0.028 |
2012 | 35 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,117 | 69.373 | -0.627 |
2011 | 39 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,117 | 68.974 | -1.026 |
2010 | 45 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,117 | 68.183 | -1.817 |
2009 | 41 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,117 | 68.871 | -1.129 |
2008 | 44 | Sedgefield CC | 70 | 7,118 | 68.753 | -1.247 |
Sedgefield features Bermudagrass greens and fairways. The fairways are some of the easiest to hit on the tour, via FutureOfFantasy, and the greens are about average in difficulty to hit. This leads to scoring possibilities.
The past four winners all shot at least -17: Henrik Stenson (-22 in 2017), Si Woo Kim (-21 in 2016), Davis Love III (-17 in 2015), and Camilo Villegas (-17 in 2014). So we know our golfers need to score, but which stats have led to those chances?
Key Stats
These stats have been tied most closely to success at Sedgefield CC in the past.
Key Stats for the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield CC |
---|
Strokes Gained: Approach |
Proximity from 175+ |
Birdie or Better Rate |
Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermudagrass |
Driving Accuracy |
According to FantasyGolfMetrics, golfers finishing top 10 here since 2008 have averaged 0.93 strokes gained: approach. Those missing the cut lost -0.58.
The par 3s all range from 175 to 235 yards, so proximity from the 175-plus range -- in addition to strokes gained: approach -- should capture a lot of the scoring chances this weekend.
Converting birdies and eagles needs to be on the list this week, given how low you need to go to contend for the top of the leaderboard.
Strokes gained: putting is always a bit flukey to include, but when we're looking at something other than bentgrass, it's worth weighting a bit. You can see some Bermudagrass specialists on Future of Fantasy.
Fairways are easy to hit, but that puts a premium on making sure our golfers don't miss fairways. Top-10 golfers hit 67% of fairways, compared to 59% for the trunk slammers.
Course History Studs
Webb Simpson (+1.88) leads the field in adjusted strokes gained per round at Sedgefield CC, according to datagolf. Simpson finished 3rd here last year, maring his eighth consecutive cut. His prior finishes were 72nd, 6th, 5th, 11th, 22nd, 1st, and 8th. Even including a 72-71 missed cut in 2009, Simpson has averaged a 67.18 at Sedgefield, putting him on pace for -12.3 over four full rounds.
Bill Haas (+1.38) is second in the field. Haas has made six straight cuts here: 75th, 22nd, 6th, 2nd, 20th, and 7th.
Hideki Matsuyama (+1.34) has actually missed two cuts here (2014 and 2015) but was 15th in 2013 and 3rd in 2016. Matsuyama's two missed cuts were a 65-73 in 2015 and a 69-70 in 2014. The missed cuts are a bit misleading.
Matt Every (+1.29) is the stone minimum on FanDuel at $7,000. He was the first-round leader here last year and finished 13th (61-72-68-66). Every was cut in 2016 (72-68) and finished 5th in 2013 and 14th in 2012.
Davis Love III (+1.17) is only $7,200 and finished 10th last year and won here in 2015. His past eight rounds have all been under par.