GREENSBORO, N.C. – With Tuesday’s announcement of the PGA TOUR’s new structure of its qualifying procedure, the Wyndham Championship will enjoy increased focus as not only the last regular-season event before the FedExCup Playoffs, but also the final opportunity for players to make the top-125 in FedExCup points and guarantee themselves playing privileges for the following season.

Since the FedExCup format began in 2007, the Wyndham has been the last chance to earn enough FedExCup points to qualify for the playoffs the following week, but after the TOUR Championship, golfers could play the Fall Series events to earn points to reach the top-125 in the final standings and keep their TOUR cards.

Starting in 2013, the top 125 will be set following the Wyndham, and the next 75 players in points will join the top-75 finishers on the Nationwide Tour for three qualifying tournaments after which the top-50 players will earn their PGA TOUR cards for the following season.  The remaining golfers will play on the Nationwide Tour.  PGA TOUR Qualifying School will remain, but its top finishers will earn Nationwide Tour access.

“We are excited to announce these significant changes, as we strongly believe that they will strengthen both Tours,” Finchem said. “The Nationwide Tour, which has proven to be the most effective indicator of future success on the PGA TOUR, will now become the primary path to the TOUR starting in 2013 by awarding all 50 cards. And with the restructuring, those final three events will create a particularly exciting and dramatic finish to the season.”

“The Wyndham Championship is now the last chance to make the Playoffs and the last chance to guarantee a TOUR card,” Wyndham tournament director Mark Brazil said.  “That’s great news for our PGA TOUR event because finishing the Wyndham in the top 125 will mean a great deal more than just making the playoffs.  It means a golfer is guaranteed to have a card for the next season.  That’s a very important dual emphasis on the Wyndham Championship, and we welcome the competition that will take place as players fight to keep their cards and make the playoffs.”

Also starting in 2013, the 2014 PGA TOUR season will begin in October of 2013 after the FedExCup Playoffs are complete.  The 2013 fall events will award an undetermined number of 2014 FedExCup points.

“In regard to the change to the start of the PGA TOUR season, the fall tournaments certainly will benefit by becoming part of the FedExCup season,” Finchem said.  “But the benefit also extends to FedEx, our telecasts of those tournaments and the understanding among fans that there’s a true finality to the season, with the FedExCup and eligibility for the PGA TOUR concluding at the same time.”

Contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the seventh-oldest event on the PGA TOUR.  Tickets will be available soon at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office.  The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Flow Automotive, Harris Teeter, McConnell Golf, Sunbrella^®, Technology Concepts & Design, Inc. and VF Corporation for their continued support.  Additional tournament information, including ticket packages and sponsorship information, is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570.  For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

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Now, with an eye on having Sedgefield’s Donald Ross-designed golf course ranked among the state’s Top 10 within the next five years — and preventing the club’s maintenance staff from having to worry about hot weather and its effects on bent grass greens every summer — McConnell Golf CEO John McConnell has announced that Sedgefield will convert its green complexes to a more heat-resistant strain of Bermuda grass.

McConnell said the decision followed considerable research and after his company sought the advice of its maintenance supervisors and Sedgefield’s advisory board. Sedgefield will close the golf course on May 14, and McConnell promised the facilities would be in pristine condition prior to the August 16-19 Wyndham Championship.

“It is my conclusion that Bermuda greens will become the norm for the golf putting greens in the Carolinas,” said McConnell in a letter to the Sedgefield membership, in which he also said the total project is estimated to be a $400,000 investment in club improvements.

Bobby Long, chairman of the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation Board of Directors, issued the following statement on behalf of the Wyndham Championship: “This news is fantastic for the members of Sedgefield Country Club,” said Long. “They already had a beauty of a golf course, but now John McConnell is shining it up so it can truly reveal itself. People tend to think the greens should be soft so a player can scream a low 3-iron into a green and have it stick, but that is not what Donald Ross had in mind when he designed this golf course.

“Bermuda greens will transform Sedgefield into a true test of golf, and we are ecstatic that John has made this decision,” said Long. “Sedgefield is one of the finest courses in North Carolina, and we are honored to play the Wyndham Championship on such a wonderful course.”

In addition, PGA TOUR golfer and two-time Wyndham Championship winner Davis Love III said he was equally pleased about the decision: “Changing the Sedgefield greens to Bermuda grass is great news for the members at Sedgefield, but it’s also great for the Wyndham,” said Love, who in September will captain the U.S. Ryder Cup squad. “I thank Mr. McConnell for having the vision and leadership to make this change. The new greens will allow the course to be played the way Donald Ross intended most of the year. I look forward to playing Sedgefield’s new greens in August.”

2011 Wyndham winner Webb Simpson offered similar thoughts: “With Bermuda greens, Sedgefield becomes one of the great golf courses on the PGA TOUR,” said Simpson. “Even in the heat of August, the greens will be hard and fast, and that means the course will play much tougher. I think it’s safe to say that the days of 20-under par are over. I’ve always loved Sedgefield, but I’m really looking forward to playing the Wyndham this August on the new greens.”

For John McConnell, the big question was not “if” but “when.” In his letter to the Sedgefield membership explaining the timing of the greens renovation, McConnell mentioned the long list of items at Sedgefield that were in need of repair and maintenance when McConnell Golf took over ownership, and that the company was steadily reducing that list as it strives to complete these property improvements.

“The [new Sedgefield] activities building currently under construction will be a gem when completed,” McConnell said. “Each time I visit I am impressed with all the design detail and functionality that this building will offer our members. I can hardly wait to sit on that patio and watch the birdies being made on No. 9. The Boardroom will be updated this spring with new furnishings and audio visual equipment so I hope these changes will be beneficial to future business meetings held at the club.”

McConnell said that Sedgefield’s golf course is a prime candidate for a changeover to Bermuda because there is a minimum of tree cutting that needs to take place, and that green complexes would not need to be rebuilt. Therefore, the bent grass could be quickly burned out and Bermuda sprigs planted that will grow quickly in the hot summer months.

“[Sedgefield] enjoyed great greens last summer due to a mild July and August, but I vividly remember how the previous summer had left these same putting surfaces very stressed,” said McConnell in his letter. “Many other North Carolina golf courses have converted to Bermuda greens or are in the process of converting so we need to get on board with the future of golf in our region.”

McConnell said that in addition to changing the grasses on the greens, the company would be doing other work to the course as well. Golf course architect Kris Spence will oversee the project, which will include enlarging the second green in the back for a better pin position and modifying the front of the 17th green. Spence will also oversee adding bunkers to holes 5 and 15 to better reward great shots and penalize bad ones on the tournament’s two par-5s.

“I would like to stress that we are making this decision for the benefit of Sedgefield’s long term facility improvement plan without any influence from the Wyndham Championship and the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation,” said McConnell. “Certainly the tournament and the PGA TOUR players will prefer to play Bermuda greens in August’s heat and it will be interesting to see what the winning scores will be in the future with the new greens. Sedgefield’s golf course deserves better than having these skilled players shoot 21-under on our beautiful old layout.

“Bottom line is when you consider the long term maintenance savings that these Bermuda greens provide, this is a decision that is easy to make. And having other McConnell Golf courses in close proximity to play, we hope the inconvenience for our golfing members this summer will be minimal.”

About McConnell Golf

McConnell Golf (www.mcconnellgolf.com) offers pure golf for the true golfer as a privately held company offering unlimited access to world-class facilities and golf courses designed by legends Donald Ross, Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Hale Irwin. Founded in 2003, McConnell Golf provides members a quality golf experience at any of its eight award-winning courses: Raleigh Country Club in Raleigh, N.C.; Cardinal Golf & Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.; Treyburn Country Club in Durham, N.C.; Old North State in New London N.C.; Musgrove Mill Golf Club in Clinton, S.C.; The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island, S.C.; Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C; and TPC Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh, N.C. All clubs are maintained and serviced to the highest standards with an emphasis on true golf, complete service and absolute quality. McConnell Golf offers individual club memberships, as well as innovative corporate and national/international memberships that deliver unmatched access to the top courses in the Carolinas

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When it was over, he was mentioned in the same breath as Jean Van de Velde.

Brandt Snedeker won the Farmers Insurance Open in a playoff that never seemed possible when Stanley, who led by seven shots early in the final round, hit a sand wedge into the water and three-putted for triple bogey on the 18th hole.

“It’s not a hard golf hole,” Stanley said, his eyes glassy from tears. “I could probably play it a thousand times and never make an 8.”

The playoff ended on the second extra hole when Snedeker, after his 5-iron bounced off a TV tower behind the par-3 16th green that kept it from going into the canyon, chipped to 5 feet and saved par.

Stanley three-putted from 45 feet, missing a 5-footer for par.

“It’s just crazy,” Snedeker said. “To get my mind around what happened the last 30 minutes is pretty hard to do right now. My heart is out to Kyle. I feel bad for him to have to go through this.”

Crazy doesn’t begin to describe it.

Stanley was so dominant at Torrey Pines that he had a six-shot lead when he made the turn at 21-under par, just one shot from the tournament record last set by Woods in 1999 before the South Course was beefed up for the 2008 U.S. Open.

Snedeker was so certain of being the runner-up that after a tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th for a 5-under 67, he got in a cart and drove up the hill to the media center for an interview. He settled into his chair and looked over at the television, where Stanley was in the 18th fairway, 77 yards from the hole.

Stanley could have taken five shots from there and still captured his first PGA Tour event.

“I knew I needed to shoot something low,” Snedeker said, one eye on the TV. “But I just was too far back. Kyle had too big a lead.”

Just then, Stanley’s wedge landed behind the hole and zipped off the green, tumbling slowly down the bank and into the water.

“Uh-oh,” Snedeker said, before he started doing some math.

“That’s three and four,” he said referring to the wedge and the penalty shot. “He’s hitting five. How many shot-lead does he have?”

None by the time Snedeker got down to the putting green to warm up for a most unlikely playoff.

When it ended, Snedeker removed his visor and hugged his caddie, Scott Vail, who walked toward Stanley and said, “I’m sorry.”

There was not much else to say.

“He’s going to have a tough night,” Snedeker said. “There’s no way around it. But he can be better from it. The thing I hope he doesn’t do is dwell on it. I hope he moves past it pretty quick.”

Stanley is no stranger to heartache. Last summer, he was two shots ahead at the John Deere Classic until he bogeyed the final hole from a bunker, and Steve Stricker closed with two straight birdies to win.

This loss, however, put him in the wrong kind of company.

It was reminiscent of Van de Velde at Carnoustie, who made triple bogey on the last hole of the 1999 British Open and lost in a playoff; of Robert Garrigus, who made triple bogey on the last hole of the St. Jude Classic in 2010 and lost in a playoff; and even of Frank Lickliter at Torrey Pines, who three-putted from 12 feet on the 17th hole in 2001 to make triple bogey in the third playoff hole in losing to Phil Mickelson.

“I know I’ll be back,” Stanley said, pausing to allow the words to come out of his mouth. “It’s tough to swallow right now.”

For 71 holes, Stanley had shown the power, poise and polish of a rising star. He was like a machine, really, his emotions hidden behind sunglasses as he crushed one 300-yard drive after another, and then calmly rolled in par putts of 12 feet, 5 feet and 8 feet late in his round to keep his cushion.

Snedeker was in the group ahead of him and took his lone bogey of the final round on the 17th hole. That put Stanley up by four shots as he walked over to the 18th tee to play the easiest hole at Torrey Pines.

A perfect drive. A short iron to a good distance to hit the green with his wedge.

“We tried to lay it up close enough so that we wouldn’t put that much spin on it,” Stanley said. “Thought I had a pretty good shot, but just had too much spin.”

He took his drop, hit wedge that landed on the top shelf, and his 45-foot putt down into the bowl of the green stayed 3½ feet above the hole. He missed the putt to the left and had to sign for a 74.

Both players made birdie on the 18th in the playoff — Stanley went just over the back of the green with his second shot — and Snedeker closed him out on the second extra hole.

“This one I kind of backed into,” Snedeker said. “You never like winning a tournament that way. But you do like winning.”

He offered condolences, but no apologies.

“If anybody wants to see the trophy, it will be at my house the rest of my life,” Snedeker said. “It’s not a tainted win. Winning out here is hard to do. There have been a lot of guys that have had trouble closing out. And I’m sure Kyle will end up winning plenty of golf tournaments in his career. He’s got that kind of talent.”

Snedeker now has three PGA Tour victories, coming from at least five shots behind in all of them.

He also knows emotion, having first gained national attention after the 2008 Masters, where he had a roller coaster round and wound up with a 77. Speaking to the media, he buried his face in a towel and wept openly.

So to hear that Stanley’s eyes were wet, that his lip was quivering and that he could barely get out a sentence without choking on emotion, was not a surprise to Snedeker.

“I don’t think anybody should feel embarrassed about showing their emotions,” Snedeker said. “I think that’s part of who you are. That’s how much we care about it.”

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Photo courtesy Stan Badz/ US PGA TOUR

GREENSBORO, N.C.

The week kicked off with a visit to the pediatric unit at The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, where  Wyndham  Worldwide leaders and associates, with PGA TOUR Professionals Roland Thatcher and Troy Matteson surprised the children and their families with a “vacation day” filled with a magic show, face painting, putting practice with the pros, story time, and a special lunch. The afternoon closed with the unveiling of two brand new Nintendo Wii Fun Centers donated on behalf of Wishes by Wyndham and Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Charities that included the Kevin Harvick Foundation and PGA TOUR Wives Association received donations at events throughout the week, with First Tee of the Triad, an organization that teaches children character development through the game of golf, being named as the first Charity of Choice winner. Spectators at the tournament voted throughout the week for the favorite charity through special computer kiosks in the Wyndham Worldwide Key to Wyn tent. After the tournament trophy presentation on the 18th green, First Tee was presented with a check of $100,000 from Wishes by Wyndham. First Tee in turn, then donated $5,000 to each of the four runners up organizations: United Way, Victory Junction, Greensboro Children’s Museum, and the Autism Society of North Carolina.

As part of the tournament’s innovative social media presence, Wishes by Wyndham also donated $50,000 to each of its three signature charities, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Christel House, and Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, as patrons “checked in” at the Wyndham Championship through Facebook and FourSquare.

“Philanthropy has been an important part of the Wyndham Championship, and what makes this event so very special,” says Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO, Wyndham Worldwide. “We are so proud to support so many wonderful organizations through our tournament, and exploring new ways to spread their message to new supporters.”

The wish granting didn’t stop there, as Wyndham Worldwide and the Wyndham Championship also donated $100,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. The money donated will provide 700,000 meals to local residents in need.

“Part of the core values that drive our company is a commitment to the communities in which we live and work,” said Holmes. “We have been proud to be a part of this community during the past five years of this tournament, and felt this charity was especially important this year, as the economic downturn continues to impact so many local families in this region.”

About Wyndham Worldwide Corporation
As one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, Wyndham Worldwide offers individual consumers and business-to-business customers a broad suite of hospitality services and products across various accommodation alternatives and price ranges through its premier portfolio of world-renowned brands. Wyndham Worldwide encompasses approximately 7,380 franchised hotels and vacation ownership resorts with approximately 633,700 rooms worldwide. Wyndham Exchange & Rentals offers leisure travelers, including its 3.8 million members, access to approximately 97,000 vacation properties located in approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Vacation Ownership develops, markets and sells vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to owners through its network of vacation ownership resorts serving nearly 815,000 owners throughout North America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Wyndham Worldwide, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., employs approximately 26,000 employees globally.  For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit the Company’s website at www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

About the Wyndham Championship
Contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the seventh oldest event on the PGA TOUR.  Additional tournament information is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570.

Moves you to 3rd in the FedExCup standings going into The Playoffs.  Kind of talk a little bit about your emotions right now getting your first win and we’ll take a few questions.

WEBB SIMPSON:  Yeah.  I’m super-excited.  You know, I was obviously in the last group yesterday, felt a good amount of pressure and I think it showed starting out but I just stayed patient.

I was really happy the way I finished yesterday and leading into today I felt a little more pressure and I was nervous as can be, but, you know, my wife and I talked last night and this morning.  I kept a verse in my head that the Lord is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

That really calmed me down.  And I never thought that winning on the PGA TOUR would be this hard, all the pressure and everything that goes on to win a golf tournament, but I’m extremely pleased and I really love the way I finished today.

I thought my caddy and I did a really good job of coming in, choosing clubs but I just thank everyone out there who supported me and cheered for me.  It was just a fun week and I really couldn’t think of a better place to win than here in Greensboro.

MARK STEVENS:  Obviously going into The Playoffs now.  You move up to 3rd.  What’s your thoughts on your position going into The Playoffs?

WEBB SIMPSON:  Well, being in the Top-5 in the FedExCup Playoffs is awesome.  You hear all year if you’re in the Top-5 you control your own destiny and I think — it’s so fun and there’s so much of a buzz in the FedExCup Playoffs to see who is going to move up, who is going to be there in Atlanta to have a chance to win.

So I’m super-excited and obviously in a far better position to win the FedExCup than any other year I’ve had on Tour so I am excited and hopefully next week — I’ve never won so I don’t know what it’s like playing the week after a win.  I heard it’s tough but hopefully I can put this behind me and focus on the golf course next week.

MARK STEVENS:  Questions.

Q.  You talked about — were you more nervous than you thought you would be or did it feel different at all than you thought trying to get through this?

WEBB SIMPSON:  You know, I wasn’t more nervous than I thought I would be.  I knew I was going to be pretty nervous but it was just — there’s so much that can happen and there’s so much that goes on especially in the back-9, and, you know, when I made the putt on 15 I asked my caddy for the first time all day, you know, “Where do we stand?”  He said, “We’re two ahead right now.”

I knew I needed to play solid golf on the last three holes.  To birdie 16 was so huge because 17 is one of the easier holes out here.  I played pretty solid hole.

I knew I had a 3 or — yeah, 3-shot lead on 18 and I was — as soon as I hit the ball in play I knew it was probably over.  It was tough but, you know, it made things a lot easier birdieing 15 and 16.

Q.  Webb, family and friends, the walking around there you had to be seeing lots of people you knew, your family, everything out there.

You let out a big smile at 16.  Was it tough trying to focus seeing a lot of faces that you knew out there and people, family from that were walking around with you?

WEBB SIMPSON:  You know, I think one thing that helps when you’re playing in one of the last groups, there’s already so many people so everybody kind of blends in.  It probably almost be harder if it was a hundred people watching and I knew everyone of them.

But having the big crowd out there, you know, I think it helped relieve some of the pressure.  I played with John Day last year, same kind of story.  We had so many people because of him.

You know, I took away so many positives from playing in front of the home crowd.  They were great all week and they really cheered me on.

Q.  Webb, what is your first memory of this tournament?  Did you come here as a kid when you were 8, 9 years old?  When was the first time you got here?

WEBB SIMPSON:  Actually never did.  The first time I came here I was 16 and my dad is from Smithfield, North Carolina and Neal Lancaster, as you know, is from Smithfield.  I got to come caddy for him in a Wednesday Pro Am, probably the most fun 18 holes I’ve ever been a part of.  He was cracking me up the whole time.  That was over at Forest Oaks.

3rd year at Sedgefield now.  I never played here growing up but I feel like I know it pretty well now.

MARK STEVENS:  Next.

Q.  Could you talk a little bit about the Presidents Cup and whether that was a goal of yours at the beginning of the year?  It looks like you’ve moved into the Top-10.

WEBB SIMPSON:  Yeah.  You know, I’m — I don’t really set result-oriented goals but it’s something I’ve been thinking about all year, you know, top best players in the United States.

So you want to make those teams and, you know, I figured if I focus on what I know how to do in my process the things will take care of itself.

To move into the Top-10 is fun and exciting.  I’ve never been to Australia and I would love to make that team.  I played with Steve Stricker in the British Open for two rounds.  I picked his brain a lot about team formats and so hopefully I can continue to play solid and make it.

Q.  Webb, since America missed your incredible stretch yesterday at the end of the round, could you kind of take us through the last five holes if you don’t mind?

WEBB SIMPSON:  I played two really good shots on 13 to about 7 feet, made birdie.  14, I hit a good drive and had a pitching wedge and hit it about 45 feet behind the hole.  That was kind of the first bomb I made all week.

Then 15, I played two good shots.  Hit a 5-iron to about five feet, made eagle.  That was real exciting.  16, made a pretty good swing with the 8-iron to about 15 feet and made that for birdie.  And then 17, I hit driver and a lob wedge to about 15 feet again and made that.

And then 18 was kind of fun.  I hit an 8-iron to 15 feet pin high and left it on the front lip.  It would have been nice to make 18 but I didn’t want to get greedy.

Q.  Did I did hear you say, nothing out of the ordinary last night?  You picked, you know, your own dinner driving home?

WEBB SIMPSON:  Yeah.  My wife, I called her after the round.  She had already eaten in the clubhouse so I picked up the old trust fee Chipotle, I had that about four times this week, and ate it in the room with my wife.  You weren’t going to see me out anywhere.

Q.  Webb, you won with the belly putter and that’s been kind of the rave.  Have you heard some controversy about that at all or what’s your take on that?  Obviously it works for you.

WEBB SIMPSON:  Yeah.  It’s been 7 years now I’ve used the same putter and, you know, it seems like a lot more guys are using it, Keegan Bradley being the first guy to win a Major with the belly putter is encouraging to us belly putter users.

I think you’re seeing younger guys use it, more guys use it and I don’t know what it is for the other guys.  For me I just like it better.  I putt differently with it and I’ve never really found anything I like better.

Q.  Didn’t you switch in college?

WEBB SIMPSON:  I did.  I switched the fall of my freshman year.

Q.  Webb, you’re another first time winner on the PGA TOUR.  What does that say about the Tour right now?

WEBB SIMPSON:  I mean I think the Tour, I think we’ve seen it all year, I think the Tour, you’re seeing a generational change, kind of.  The winners are a lot younger, a lot more 20s or guys in their 20s are winning this year.

Seems like every other week the young guy is winning it.  It’s really cool because I think for awhile there you had the big hitters winning almost every week.  They’re still playing well but couple guys win that are in their 20s, it encourages other guys hey, if he can do it, I think I can do it.

It’s fun to be a part of.  You know, to see Keegan win last week, who is a good friend, I think he’s 25, I think it kind of shows that there’s a lot of young guys that can play.

Q.  How did you wind up with Paul on the bag and what has he done to help you this year?

WEBB SIMPSON:  Kind of a long story but the short version is I was staying at Nick Watney’s house for the Las Vegas tournament and talked with him a little bit about how my caddy, might end up going to seminary or pursuing another career.

We finished with Disney and as of that point my caddy, my old caddy, William, was going to caddy this year.  We go on a trip to the Turkey and get back and he had a voice mail with a job offer and he ended up going down to Savannah, took the job and I was left with no caddy and Nick Watney texted me that same day that William got the voice mail saying say Paul Tesori is looking for a bag, you might want to call him.

I called him five minutes after William told me.  He took another job.  We did about a ten minute interview.  Actually he did more of the interviewing than I did.  But it was — you know, we just agreed on the phone and that was it.

Q.  What do you guys do to celebrate, go to bed early with the little tyke?

WEBB SIMPSON:  Yeah, we’ll probably put him in the car.  Hopefully he’ll sleep on the way home.  Probably stop at Chipotle (laughter), get some food on the way home and try to get some sleep.  I can’t sleep normally on Sunday nights or whatever reason.  I’m sure I won’t be able to sleep much tonight.

MARK STEVENS:  Couple more?  Very good.  Okay.  One more right here.

Q.  Webb, I know that Paul said you guys played a lot of events this year.  Kind of tired, especially with your good FedExCup ranking.  You didn’t need to come here.  You picked up your first win.

Is Greensboro a place you’re going to look at as a lock-down tournament going forward?

WEBB SIMPSON:  Yeah.  You know, I love coming here.  I love, you know, Mark Brazil, Bobby Long, all the guys that are part of this tournament and it’s so easy to get here.

Obviously I’m — I live an hour and a half away.  I’ll always come back.  You know, even if I didn’t win I’ll probably always come back.  I love coming here with all friends and family around.  It’s just kind of a must on the schedule.

MARK STEVENS:  Okay.  Thanks a lot, Webb.  Good luck next week.

WEBB SIMPSON:  Thank you.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

WILLIAM MCGIRT:  I appreciate it.  Seemed like this afternoon took longer than all four rounds to play.  Just been a nerve-racking afternoon.

Q.  Tell me about what it’s been like after you play, talked to us after you played and just how hard it was on the golf course.  How hard was it off the golf course?

WILLIAM MCGIRT:  It was very hard because I had no control over it.  You know, you sit here and I kept checking my phone, I’m in, I was out, I was in, I was out.

I finally gave up looking.  I mean there’s nothing I can do.  I had every opportunity out there today and didn’t really take advantage of it and I guess I got lucky and got some help from some guys but, you know, it’s been the longest afternoon of my life.  I just texted somebody and said Q-School was a lot easier than waiting around this afternoon.

Q.  Was it really?

WILLIAM MCGIRT:  Much easier because I was on the course.  Just sitting around and waiting, knowing there’s nothing you can do you just drive yourself crazy and that’s what I did all afternoon.

Q.  In your rookie season, you’ve made it to The Playoffs.  What was the goal coming out of Q-School, just keeping your card?

WILLIAM MCGIRT:  Yeah.  That was my first goal was to make sure I made The Playoffs and it looks like I’m going to sneak in by the skin of my teeth.  You can’t win the FedExCup sitting at home next week.  At least I’ve given myself a chance.

Q.  Two years ago Heath went in at 124 and almost won the whole darn thing.  It can be done.

WILLIAM MCGIRT:  It’s in the back of my mind.  I saw him in the parking lot earlier.  He said, “What was it looking like?”  I threw my shoulders up, I said, “I have no idea.”  He said, “Just hang in there.”

Q.        About this season, though, you got to be awfully proud of how you ground it out for the first season.

WILLIAM MCGIRT:  I’ve played a lot better than I scored every week.  I don’t know how many cuts I’ve missed by one shot.  I know it’s been a bunch.  I missed Greenbrier and Reno by a shot and honestly probably the four bet putts I hit all year were on the last two holes of each tournament.

So, you know, I played well.  I haven’t gotten the results I’ve been looking for but, you know, things can change.  Still got some tournaments left.

Q.  Good luck to you.  Thanks so much for the time.

WILLIAM MCGIRT:  Thank you.  I appreciate it.

Q.  Kind of take me through the afternoon.  Once you finished did I hear you say you went out and followed Tommy?

WILLIAM MCGIRT:  Yes, from 6 through 11.  I kind of thought it was going to rain.  I just started coming back towards the clubhouse and stopped to talk to Mickey Bradley a little bit.

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