Wyndham Championship Roundtable: Last Shot for Playoffs

As the dust settles on the PGA Championship and the controversy that we'll coin "Bunker-gate at Whistling Straits," the PGA Tour rolls on to the final event of the regular season with the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club.

Wyndham offers the final chance for players outside of the top 125 FedEx Cup point rankings to qualify for the PGA Tour Playoffs.

Last year, Kevin Stadler cashed in. He was ranked 133rd in FedExCup points entering the tournament, but rose to the top of the leaderboard to enter the three way playoff with Ryan Moore (pictured) and Jason Bohn. The three finished regulation play tied at 16-under. And while Bohn was eliminated on the first playoff hole after having trouble escaping the greenside bunker, Stadler's presence in the playoff was enough to jump him to 76th in the standings and qualify for the PGA Playoffs.

Meanwhile, Moore won his first PGA Tour event in style. He had charged up the leaderboard with five consecutive birdies on the back nine Sunday on the way to shooting a 65. Then, on the final playoff hole, Moore landed his approach on the 18th hole six feet from the pin and then rolled in the birdie putt to beat out Stadler and grab his first career Tour win. The victory came in Moore's 112th event on the PGA Tour.

It also helps that Sergio Garcia blew a three-stroke lead midway through the final round, shot a 70 and finished fourth.

But that's last year's news. This year, the PGA Tour has been a wild guessing game with first-time major winners -- Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer -- winning three out of four of the season's majors.

Now, players have their sights set on the four-event PGA Tour Playoffs. Who can get some much-needed help at Wyndham, how will the new cell phone policy play out and, of course, our winner picks are all in this week's FanHouse Roundtable.

QUICK FIX

The Wyndham Championship is the final event of the PGA Tour regular season, although that does not mean the schedule is nearing an end.

After 32 weeks and 36 events, all this means is that the stop in Greensboro, N.C., is the final chance for players to claim a spot inside the top 125 on the FedExCup points list and qualify for Barclays, the first event in the four-event playoff schedule that climaxes with the Tour Championship. Then, there's still a fall schedule to wade through.

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Fresh off the PGA Championship, most of the marquee names are taking a rest. That leaves the door open for some jockeying for position by a number of players hoping to improve their standings -- not to mention bank accounts.

Take Heath Slocum for example. After qualifying for the playoffs last year at No. 124, he won the opening post-season event. The victory propelled Slocum all the way to No. 3 in the standings and, as a result, made the 30-man Tour Championship field.
-- Mick Elliott

Sedgefield hosted the former Greater Greensboro Open 26 times between 1938 and 1976, but the course was too small for golf's growing galleries and was pulled out of the rotation following the bicentennial. Wyndham, with its corporate offices nearby, invested $3 million into a renovation of the course, and the tourney has been back at Sedgefield since 2008.
-- Matt Romanoski

Last year, Moore unveiled the top-secret formula for success at Sedgefield: hit fairways and greens. On the way to his first PGA Tour victory, Moore hit 79 percent of fairways and 81 percent of greens in regulation. This will be particularly important on the recently lengthened par-4 18th hole. Players should not be fooled by the inviting fairway. Four bunkers protect the green from a long, uphill approach that will require careful placement.

And did somebody mention sand? Sedgefield offers just 48 bunkers to navigate. This should be a nice break from the near 1,200 at Whistling Straits last week.
-- Chris Sesno

PLAYOFF DREAMIN'

There are some very recognizable names in need of some 11th-hour magic. With the top 125 securing a invitation into the first playoff event, notable players outside of cutoff number include former Masters champions Mike Weir (No. 126) and Trevor Immelman (154) .

Weir advanced all the way to the Tour Championship in 2009 and finished the year No. 29 in the final FedExCup standings.

Immelman, after being limited to just 13 events on the tour in 2009 with a wrist injury, is still in search of his first top-10 of the season and a return to The Barclays for the first time since 2008.

Also needing a rally is last year's TPC winner Henrik Stenson (133).
-- Elliott

There are plenty of players sitting just outside 125, including Weir, Stenson and Billy Mayfair (135). But if you're looking for a rooting interest this week (one with little chance of winning, of course), keep an eye on former No. 1 David Duval, who couldn't even get through Q-School last winter and is playing 2010 on exemptions. Currently ranked 115th, Duval probably needs to make the cut to lock up a playoff berth.
-- Romanoski

Another big name (pun intended) needs nothing short of a win to jump to above No. 125 in the rankings. Yes, currently at No. 208 on the FedExCup points list sits none other than John Daly. While Long John is 1,775 points behind leader Ernie Els, he's only 295 behind the 125th spot -- Michael Letzig is No. 125 with 366 points. The 500 FedExCup points on the line for the winner would be the only way the big-hitting American can shoot up the points list and into the Barclays.
-- Sesno

HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME

Fans will be allowed to bring their cell phones onto the course at the Wyndham Championship. Tournament officials said that they would allow fans to use mobile phones at Sedgefield Country Club -- as long as the devices are kept in silent mode and calls are made only in designated areas around the course. Also, fans won't be allowed to take pictures or video during the four competitive rounds. (AP)

It's a sign of the time and a necessary evil. The tour feels a need to promote itself and feature all sorts of statistical information that fans can now tap into by way of their smart phones. Most fans will be smart enough and considerate enough to turn off the ring tone, but most fans are also smart enough not to get tanked up and scream "Get in the hole!'' every time a player hit's a 230-yard approach.

Unfortunately, a few others are not.

So, sure, there will be an incident or two, but we can take consolation that it'll never happen at Augusta.
-- Elliott

Forget about the cell phone policy, the best part about the Wyndham Championships has got to be Natty Green's Beer Garden and Party Deck, Presented by Rock 92. For $125 a day (as per the opening screen of the tournament's official website), you get to watch from an open air party deck on the 17th green (with stadium seating), which includes lunch and beer/wine beverage service and grounds admission to the Wyndham Championship. Someone forgetting to switch their phone over to vibrate ought to be the least of the worries as players line up putts on No. 17.
-- Romanoski

How many times must Steve Williams rip a camera from a photographer? Or worse, have a player in the PGA Championship last week stop mid-swing as a photographer clicks a shot just a few seconds too soon? Permitting cell phones in the gallery has disaster written all over it. I wish I could be more optimistic that fans will be respectful and smart about reaching into their pockets for their trusty handhelds, but we've seen some particularly dumb fans this year in various sports (think tasers and intentional vomit). But hey, here's to hoping the crowd internalizes golf's high standard.
-- Sesno

STARS AND STINKERS

Considering Steve Elkington messed around and almost won last week's PGA Championship to become the second-oldest major winner in history, it would make sense to suggest he'll roll right on into Greensboro with high hopes. Probably not.

Elkington was playing on fumes by the end. He looked spent. Hard to imagine him even making he cut.

As for a dark horse, it's hard to suggest Anthony Kim is a long shot, but he has been out of the spotlight. He's just coming back from three months out with thumb surgery and during that stretch fell out of the top eight on the Ryder Cup points list. With three weeks to go before Corey Pavin's captain's picks are announced, Kim is still playing for an invitation. He needs to show Pavin that he's healthy and capable of playing winning golf.
-- Elliott

Lucas Glover has found it difficult to build on his solid 2009 season, but he was still sitting inside the top eight in the Ryder Cup standings until he missed the cut last week at the PGA Championship and fell to No. 10. His inclusion on the team could very week depend on whether or not he can impress captain Corey Pavin this week.
-- Romanoski

Billy Mayfair is one of just four players in the top 25 in both fairways hit and greens in regulation. He's a longshot to win, but he's got a lot on the line as he's fighting on the bubble to make the PGA Playoffs.
-- Sesno

WHO'S HOISTIN'?

Carl Pettersson won here in 2008. He was a winner at last month's Canadian Open. He's coming off a top-25 finish at the PGA. And the Swede went to school at nearby North Carolina State and makes the area his home.

That's good, but the fact he leads the tour in putting is even better.
-- Elliott

Think Carl Pettersson came out of nowhere to shoot a 60 to win the RBC Canadian Open a few weeks ago? Actually, he came out of nowhere in 2008, when he set every tournament record -- low round (61), lowest 36-hole score (125), lowest 54-hole score (191) and lowest-tournament score (259) -- on his way to victory. In a thoroughly unpredictable year, that's more than enough predictability for us.
-- Romanoski

What fun is picking winners without going out on a limb -- and in this case, a very thin limb that has recently been struck by lightning? Anthony Kim is playing in just his third event since thumb surgery took him off the Tour back in May. Though he has not fared so well in his past two tournaments -- T76 at Bridgestone and missed cut at the PGA Championship -- this week is a crucial chance to prove he deserves a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Pull it together AK, now's the time.
-- Sesno