GREENSBORO, N.C. – Three-time major champion Ernie Els and two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen will play in next week’s Wyndham Championship, it was announced today. The 72nd annual Wyndham Championship presented by BB&T is set for Aug, 15-21 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
Els and Goosen join a field that already includes 2010 FedExCup champion Jim Furyk, world No. 16 Paul Casey, world No. 17 Ian Poulter, world No. 18 Kyung-Tae Kim, world No. 19 David Toms, 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, Webb Simpson, Bill Haas, Camilo Villegas, Trevor Immelman, 2008 champion Carl Pettersson, three-time major winner Vijay Singh, two-time major winner Angel Cabrera, 2007 champion Brandt Snedeker, 1997 British Open winner Justin Leonard, Louis Oosthuizen, Anthony Kim, two-time Wyndham winners Rocco Mediate and Davis Love III, Boo Weekley, John Daly, Tommy “two gloves” Gainey and defending champion Arjun Atwal.
Els is a three-time major winner having won the U.S. Open in 1994 and ’97 as well as the 2002 British Open. He has 18 PGA TOUR wins and 46 international wins. He has played in six President’s Cup matches, nine Dunhill Cup matches and five World Cup matches. He is 27th in the official world golf rankings and 126th in the FedExCup point standings. Els, a native of South Africa, finished tied for ninth in the 1997 Wyndham Championship in his only previous appearance here. He is a member of the 2011 World Golf Hall of Fame class.
Goosen won the U.S. Open in 2001 and ’04. He is 24th in the current official world golf rankings and 105th in the current FedExCup point standings. A seven-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Goosen has 24 international wins. The golfer from South Africa will be making his second Wyndham Championship appearance; he finished tied for 37th in 2003.
“This is the best field we’ve seen in probably 20 years, and it should be a lot of fun,” Wyndham Championship tournament director Mark Brazil said. “I hope we have a big response from Piedmont Triad golf fans because with the number big names and top players in the field, this year’s Wyndham Championship is going to be one heck of a tournament.”
Players have until 5 p.m. today or 30 minutes after they complete second-round play in the PGA Championship to commit to the Wyndham field. In addition, they may withdraw from the field any time prior to the commitment deadline or after the PGA Championship if they feel their performance in the season’s final major changed their FedExCup standing.
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 are available at wyndhamchampionship.com, at Piedmont Triad Harris Teeter locations 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 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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