FORMER CHAMPIONS SI WOO KIM, J.T. POSTON, RYAN MOORE, CAMILO VILLEGAS, K.J. CHOI WILL PLAY WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Five former champions, Si Woo Kim, J.T Poston, Ryan Moore, Camilo Villegas and K.J. Choi, will join defending champion Jim Herman, two-time champion Brandt Snedeker and 2011 champion Webb Simpson in the Wyndham Championship field, the tournament announced today. The 82nd annual Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 11-15, 2021 at Sedgefield Country Club.
These players join world No. 8 Louis Oosthuizen, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, major winners Jason Day, Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari and Gary Woodland, Tommy Fleetwood, two-time Wyndham champion Brandt Snedeker, 2011 Wyndham champion and 2012 U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, East Carolina University alum Harold Varner III, Will Zalatoris and 2011 FedExCup champion Bill Haas in the tournament field.
One year ago, Herman won the Wyndham Championship on the strength of his record-tying weekend performance. His weekend total of 124 (61-63) equaled the lowest final 36-hole score by a tournament winner in PGA TOUR history. With the win, he moved from 192nd to 54th in the FedExCup point standings and into the Playoffs. He enters this year’s tournament 170th in FedExCup points and 143rd in the Official World Golf Rankings; he will need another high finish to make the FedExCup playoffs again this season. Herman will make his sixth Wyndham Championship appearance.
Kim, who won the Wyndham in 2016 and the PLAYERS Championship in 2017, finished tied for third here last year and fifth in 2019 giving him three top-five finishes in his five appearances at Sedgefield. Kim is playing well again this year; he won The American Express, finished tied for eighth at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and tied for ninth at The Memorial presented by Nationwide. A native of South Korea who is competing in Japan this week, he is currently 38th in the FedExCup point standings and 55th in the Official World Golf Rankings. At 21 years, one month and 24 days when he won in 2016, Kim is the tournament’s second-youngest winner. Seve Ballesteros, who won at 20 years 11 months and 24 days in 1978, is the youngest champion in tournament history.
Poston captured his first PGA TOUR victory at the 2019 Wyndham Championship. The Western Carolina University alumnus fired a final-round 62 tying the final-round scoring record and tied Henrik Stenson’s 2017 mark for lowest 72-hole score at 258, 22-under par; he is the fifth North Carolina native to win the Wyndham Championship. Earlier this month at the Barbasol Championship, the Hickory, NC., native held the outright lead following the second and third rounds before falling to Seamus Power in a six-hole playoff. Poston is currently 66th in the FedExCup point standings and 100th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Moore won the Wyndham in 2009 following a three-hole playoff and is making his 13th Wyndham Championship appearance. The five-time PGA TOUR winner from Las Vegas finished tied for sixth in 2018, his best finish here since winning in 2009. He hasn’t won this season but finished tied for second at the John Deere Classic earlier this month. He represented the United States in the 2016 Ryder Cup Matches. He is 140th in FedExCup points and 170th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Villegas, the 2014 Wyndham champion, returns to Sedgefield for the first time since 2017 and will make his ninth Wyndham Championship start. Villegas continues his return to form following the death of his daughter, Mia, last summer. He hasn’t won yet but finished tied for sixth at the RSM Classic, tied for eighth at the Honda Classic and tied for 11th at the Valspar Championship earlier this season. He is 127th in FedExCup points and 239th in the Official World Golf Rankings. A native of Medellin, Colombia, the four-time PGA TOUR winner lives in Jupiter, Fla.
Choi won the Wyndham Championship in 2005 and is playing from the top-50 in career earnings category. He is an eight-time PGA TOUR winner with 11 international victories also to his credit. A native of Wando, South Korea, he lives in Dallas, Texas and was the tournament’s first Korean-born champion followed by Si Woo Kim in 2016. Choi will make his 11th Wyndham Championship appearance and his first since 2017.
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 sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Rewards and presenting sponsor Truist for their continued support. Additional tournament information is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com and the tournament’s social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram.
About Wyndham Rewards:
Named the number one hotel rewards program by readers of USA TODAY, Wyndham Rewards® is the world’s most generous rewards program with more than 50,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide. Designed for the everyday traveler, members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and may redeem points for a range of rewards, including free nights at approximately 9,000 hotels or tens of thousands of vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally through affiliation with Wyndham Destinations and others. Wyndham Rewards has 89 million enrolled members around the globe. Join for free today at www.wyndhamrewards.com. You’ve earned this.®
About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts:
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world’s largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with approximately 9,000 hotels across nearly 95 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 798,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 21 hotel brands, including Super 8®, Days Inn®, Ramada®, Microtel®, La Quinta®, Baymont®, Wingate®, AmericInn®, Hawthorn Suites®, Trademark Collection® and Wyndham®. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services. The Company’s award-winning Wyndham Rewards® loyalty program offers 89 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.
About Wyndham Destinations:
Wyndham Destinations is the world’s largest vacation ownership business operating more than 245 vacation club resorts around the world that offer a contemporary take on the timeshare model. The brand portfolio – featuring Club Wyndham®, WorldMark® by Wyndham, Margaritaville Vacation Club® by Wyndham, and Shell Vacations Club – offers travelers the chance to own their vacation and explore places they’ve never visited before, year after year. More than 850,000 owners enjoy stays in a home away from home, featuring spacious suites with separate bedrooms, fully-equipped kitchens, living and dining areas, as well as resort-style amenities and services. Learn more at WyndhamDestinations.com.
Courtesy of Rob Goodman, Wyndham Championship