GREENSBORO, N.C. – Raleigh’s Chesson Hadley, English golfer Matt Fitzpatrick and Japanese golfer Satoshi Kodaira, made their commitments and joined the Wyndham Championship field, the tournament announced today. The 79th annual Wyndham Championship is next week at Sedgefield Country Club.
These players join 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott, defending champion and 2013 FedExCup champion Henrik Stenson, 2018 PLAYERS Championship and 2011 Wyndham winner Webb Simpson, 2007 Wyndham winner and 2012 FedExCup Champion Brandt Snedeker, 2009 Wyndham winner Ryan Moore, 2016 winner and 2017 PLAYERS Champion Si Woo Kim, 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk, World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els, 2011 FedExCup champion Bill Haas, three-time champion Davis Love III, PGA TOUR veteran Steve Stricker, East Carolina University alumnus Harold Varner III, 19-year-old phenoms Joaquin Niemann and Norman Xiong and Major winners Padraig Harrington, Jason Dufner, Graeme McDowell and Stewart Cink as well as 2008 champion Carl Pettersson in the Wyndham Championship field.
Hadley, 31, is a Raleigh native and resident with one PGA TOUR victory to his credit; he hasn’t won this season but has seven top-10 finishes. He finished second at the Sanderson Farms Championship, tied for third at the Safeway Open and tied for fourth at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The Georgia Tech alumnus turned professional in 2010 and joined the PGA TOUR in 2014. He is currently 22nd in FedExCup points and 66th in the Official World Golf Rankings. Hadley will make his seventh-consecutive Wyndham Championship appearance.
Fitzpatrick is the 2013 U.S. Amateur champion; he is the first Englishman to win the title since Harold Hilton in 1911. He has the PGA TOUR’s special temporary member status through the Wyndham Championship. To earn his PGA TOUR card for next season, Fitzpatrick must either win the Wyndham or finish with the same number of FedExCup points as the golfer that finishes 125th in points after the Wyndham Championship. No. 125 currently has 364 points; Fitzpatrick has 283 and needs to pick up at least 81 points during the PGA Championship and the Wyndham. He has four international victories but has not yet won on the PGA TOUR; his best PGA TOUR finishes this season are tied for ninth at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions, tied for 12th at the U.S. Open and tied for 14th at the RBC Heritage. He is making his first Wyndham Championship appearance.
A native and resident of Sheffield, England, Fitzpatrick is within striking distance of making the European squad for the Ryder Cup Matches in Paris next month. Fitzpatrick, 23, made his first Ryder Cup appearance in 2016. The Northwestern University alumnus is 39th in the Official World Golf Rankings but does not have a FedExCup points ranking.
Kodaira, a native and resident of Tokyo, won the RBC Heritage in April after a playoff with Si Woo Kim for his first PGA TOUR victory; he has seven international wins. The 28-year-old turned professional in 2010. He will make his first Wyndham Championship appearance next week. He is 73rd in the current FedExCup point standings but is 37th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
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. Tickets are available at http://www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Rewards, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Cadillac, Harris Teeter, Lincoln Financial, McConnell Golf, Sunbrella® and VF Corporation for their continued support. Additional tournament information and sponsorship information are available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com. For more information about Wyndham Rewards, please visit www.wyndhamrewards.com. Stay connected with the Wyndham Championship through its social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram.
About Wyndham Rewards:
Named a best travel rewards program for the past three consecutive years by U.S. News and World Report, Wyndham Rewards® is the world’s most generous loyalty program offering members a simple earning structure of a guaranteed 1,000 points for every qualified stay, along with a flat, free night redemption rate of just 15,000 points per room per night – the first of its kind for a major rewards program. Wyndham Rewards members can enjoy the benefits of the program at nearly 9,000 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts properties, as well as thousands of homes and condos in partnership with Wyndham Destinations. Join for free today at www.WyndhamRewards.com You’ve earned this.®
About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts:
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the largest hotel franchising Company in the world, with nearly 9,000 hotels across more than 80 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 790,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in both the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8®, Days Inn®, Ramada®, Microtel Inn & Suites®, La Quinta®, Wingate®, AmericInn®, Hawthorn Suites®, The Trademark Collection® and Wyndham®. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services, with more than 400 properties under management. The Company’s award-winning Wyndham Rewards® loyalty program offers more than 56 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, condominiums and holiday homes globally. For more information, visit www.WyndhamHotels.com.
About Wyndham Destinations:
Wyndham Destinations (NYSE: WYND) believes in putting the world on vacation. Our global presence in 110 countries at more than 220 vacation ownership resorts and 4,300+ affiliated exchange properties distinguishes Wyndham Destinations as the world’s largest vacation ownership and exchange company, with North America’s largest professionally managed rental business. Each year our team of 25,000 associates delivers great vacations to millions of families as they make memories of a lifetime. Learn more at www.WyndhamDestinations.com. Our world is your destination.
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