GREENSBORO, N.C. – Italian superstar Matteo Manassero as well as Francesco Molinari, Stephen Gallacher, Ryo Ishikawa and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano have joined the 75th anniversary Wyndham Championship, the tournament announced today. The 75th anniversary Wyndham Championship starts Monday at Sedgefield Country Club.
These players join a field that also includes former Wyndham winners Brandt Snedeker (2007), 2012 U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson (2011), defending champion Patrick Reed, Davis Love III (1992, 2006), Rocco Mediate (1993, 2002) and 2008 champion Carl Pettersson, 2011 FedExCup champion Bill Haas, Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Tim Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, Stewart Cink and World Golf Hall of Famer Fred Couples. 2014 winners Brian Harman, Matt Every, Chesson Hadley, Scott Stallings and Steve Bowditch are also in the field.
In October of 2010, Manassero won Spain’s Castello Masters at age 17 years, 188 days and became the youngest golfer ever to win a European Tour event taking that mark from his idol, the late Seve Ballesteros. In April of 2011, two days before his 18th birthday, Manassero captured his second European Tour title at the Maybank Malaysian Open. While still playing as an amateur in 2009, he finished tied for 13th at the Open Championship. Now a four-time European Tour winner, Manassero is still looking for his first PGA TOUR victory. The Italian golfer will be making his first Wyndham Championship start. He is 36th in the current European Tour Race to Dubai point standings and 67th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Molinari is a three-time European Tour winner with five “other” wins in special events to his credit. The Italian golfer represented the European team in the Ryder Cup in 2010 and ’12. He has yet to win on the PGA TOUR and will make his first Wyndham Championship start next week. He is 21st in the current European Tour Race to Dubai point standings and 42nd in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Gallacher plays primarily on the European Tour where he won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February; he has five additional top-10 finishes this year. The Scottish golfer is making his first Wyndham Championship appearance. He is currently seventh in the European Tour Race to Dubai point standings and 32nd in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Ishikawa will be making his third-consecutive stop in the Piedmont Triad for the Wyndham Championship. The Japanese superstar finished tied for 26th last year. He has 12 international victories to his credit; he has yet to win a PGA TOUR event but has two runner-up finishes. He is 68th in the current FedExCup point standings and 81st in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Fernandez-Castano is a seven-time European Tour winner who will make his first Wyndham Championship start next week. A native of Madrid, Spain, he 112th in the current FedExCup point standings, 61st in the European Tour Race to Dubai point standings and 65th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2014 and 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 sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors. Tickets are available at Piedmont Triad Harris Teeter locations, wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Cadillac, Harris Teeter, Lincoln Financial, McConnell Golf, New Breed Logistics, 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. Stay connected with the Wyndham Championship through its social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Flickr and YouTube.
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