Beautiful sunny skies and warm weather were on display for the opening round of the 2016 Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. At the end of the day, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Kevin Na are tied for the lead at -7, with former champion Brandt Snedeker, Derek Fathauer, Danny Lee, Luke Donald and Peter Malnati are two strokes back at -5.
Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello was the early leader in the clubhouse, shooting a first round 63 (-7). He carded a bogey-free round with five birdies and an eagle on #5. This is his second appearance at the Wyndham Championship. He competed in 2014, shooting 68-74 and missing the cut. Cabrera Bello has four international victories, most recently in 2012 at the Dubai Desert Classic. He is looking for his first PGA Tour win.
American Kevin Na followed him, firing a bogey-free opening round 63 (-7) to tie for the lead. He posted seven birdies on the day. Na, who is playing at the Wyndham for the first time since 2010, when shot a third round 61 and finished T18th. He is looking for his second career PGA TOUR win, the first being the 2011 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
2007 Champion Brandt Snedeker shot a 65 (-65) after a late charge, with birdies on three of his last five holes before bogeying #18. After his first PGA TOUR win at the Wyndham, he has won seven more times on tour. He has a win, two T5 and a T8 in nine starts.
Derek Fathauer carded a bogey-free round of 65 (-5) with five birdies. This is his third appearance at the Wyndham Championship, missing the cut in 2009 and 2015.
Danny Lee, who was the low amateur in 2008, birdied four straight holes from #5-8 and finished with six birdies and a lone bogey on #10. This is his fifth time playing the Wyndham. His best result was T20 in 2008.
Luke Donald, who posted a hole-in-one on #16 to win “Vacations for Life,” had four birdies and one bogey to go with his ace on the round. He is competing for the fifth time at the Wyndham, with his best finish T26 last year.
Peter Malnati is looking for his second win on the PGA TOUR, having won the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship. He also won the 2015 Brasil Champions presented by HBSC on the Web.com Tour. He is playing at Sedgefield for the second time, finishing T64 in 2014.
DIVOTS:
Luke Donald notched a hole-in-one on #16 from 163 yards with a nine-iron. Donald’s hole-in-one is the 22nd in Wyndham Championship history, and the fourth in the last three years. It was Donald’s first hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR, and second in career tournament play. He won “Vacations for Life” from Wyndham Vacation Ownership. In addition, his caddie Nick Doran won a week vacation. Donald is the second player to win “Vacations for Life” since the promotion started. Derek Lamely was the first winner on #16 in 2011.
Since 1976, only five first round leaders went on to win the Wyndham Championship. The last were Camilo Villegas in 2014, Arjun Atwal in 2010 and Jesper Parnevik in 1999.
The Wyndham Championship victor has also been a PGA TOUR first-time winner in five of the last nine years.
George McNeill withdrew during the round with neck pain. Wes Roach +7 (77) withdrew following his round.
