Nick Watney leads after the second round of the 75th anniversary Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. Watney fired a final-round 65, including a birdie at the difficult par-four 18th hole to take a one-stroke lead over Campbell University alumnus Brad Fritsch who lives in Holly Springs, N.C.
Freddie Jacobson and Heath Slocum are two strokes off the lead at 12-under-par. Former Wyndham winners Brandt Snedeker (2007) and Webb Simpson (2011) are three stokes out of the lead and will play together in the third-to-last group on Sunday. Wake Forest University alumnus Bill Haas is one of six golfers tied for eighth place at 10-under-par – just four strokes off the pace. Entering tomorrow’s final round, 12 golfers will be within four strokes of Watney’s lead.
Divots
Since making a return to Sedgefield Country Club in 2008, the third-round leader/co-leader has held on the for the win each year, with the exception of 2009. Carl Pettersson (2008), Arjun Atwal (2010), Webb Simpson (2011), Sergio Garcia (2012) and Patrick Reed (2013) all held on to take the win. In 2009, Sergio Garcia and Chris Riley led after the third round, before Ryan Moore claimed a playoff victory over Jason Bohn and Kevin Stadler.
So far this year, a third-round leader/co-leader has parlayed that position into victory 20 times in 39 stroke-play events. The most recent to do so was Rory McIlroy at last week’s PGA Championship.
Six past champions of the Wyndham Championship are in the field: Patrick Reed/2013 (T42), Webb Simpson/2011 (T5), Carl Pettersson/2008 (T26), Brandt Snedeker/2007 (T5), Rocco Mediate1993, 2002 (MC) and Davis Love III/ 2006, 1992 (MC).
Five of the last seven Wyndham Championship winners have been first-time TOUR winners: Brandt Snedeker (2007), Ryan Moore (2009), Arjun Atwal (2010), Webb Simpson (2011) and Patrick Reed (2013).
During today’s third round at the Wyndham Championship, David Toms and Kevin Foley recorded aces on the 7th and 12th holes, respectively. Toms used a 5-iron at No. 7 from 200 yards, while Foley used a 5-iron at No. 12 from 195 yards. It is the fourth time that multiple holes-in-one took place in the same year, occurring in 2007, 1998 and 1995, and the first time at Sedgefield Country Club. It is the second time two were recorded in the same round, the other time in the first round in 1995.
Four of the five hardest holes have been on the back nine this week, including the hardest (#18), second hardest (#11), fourth hardest (#14) and fifth hardest (#10).
Alex Cejka withdrew prior to the third round with a neck injury. He was -2 for the tournament after rounds of 68-70=138.
Tropical Wear Winners:
The third annual Wyndham Championship tropical wear contest was Saturday at the Wyndham, and the top-three finishers all won vacations from Wyndham. Greensboro’s Gary Brewer and family finished first and won a three-night stay at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort. Ayanna Benton from Fort Bragg, N.C., finished second and won a three-night stay at the Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront, and finishing third was Lori Warren from Gardner, Kan. She won a two-night stay at the Wyndham New Yorker
