GREENSBORO, N.C. – It may not be a Broadway Musical like The Iceman Cometh, but the Iceman, also known as Henrik Stenson, will return to the Wyndham Championship next month to defend his 2017 title, the tournament announced today. The 79th annual Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 14-19, 2018 at Sedgefield Country Club.
Stenson joins 2018 PLAYERS Championship and 2011 Wyndham winner Webb Simpson, 2007 winner and 2012 FedExCup Champion Brandt Snedeker, 2011 FedExCup champion Bill Haas, three-time champion Davis Love III, 2016 winner Si Woo Kim and East Carolina University alumnus Harold Varner III in the Wyndham Championship field.
Although Stenson hasn’t won since last year’s Wyndham Championship, he has been close. Earlier this season, he finished tied for second at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions, fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, tied for fifth at the Masters and tied for sixth at the Houston Open and the U.S. Open. The six-time PGA TOUR winner also has 13 international wins to his credit. He is 43rd in the current FedExCup point standings and 17th in the Official World Golf Rankings. This year’s tournament will be his fifth Wyndham Championship appearance.
“We’re obviously ecstatic that Henrik is coming back to defend his title,” tournament director Mark Brazil said. “He continues to play world class golf at the highest level. I was shocked to see how many Swedish fans came out for Henrik last year, and I hope they’ll return to cheer on our defending champion. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know Henrik this year and can’t wait to have him back!”
Stenson entered last year’s tournament ranked ninth in the Official World Golf Rankings and moved to sixth with the win. He fired an eight-under 62 in the first round but trailed two-time TOUR winner Matt Every by a stroke with 2011 Wyndham winner Webb Simpson among seven golfers two strokes off the lead. Stenson was a stroke back after a second-round 66, but he moved into the lead for good during Saturday’s third round with another four-under 66 and took a one-stroke lead over Ollie Schneiderjans and Kevin Na into the final round.
Sunday was a shootout with many golfers in contention throughout the day, but Stenson birdied four of the last six holes on the way to his sixth PGA TOUR victory. Schneiderjans nearly holed out for eagle from the fairway on the 72nd hole to force a playoff but settled for birdie and narrowly missed his maiden PGA TOUR victory. Stenson set the tournament scoring mark at 22-under par and moved from 75th to 23rd in the FedExCup point standings. He became the tournament’s 19th international winner.
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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