GREENSBORO, N.C. – When the first round of official tournament play in the 2019 Wyndham Championship begins three weeks from today, three of the most heralded rookies in recent PGA TOUR history, Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, will be in the field. The 80th Wyndham Championship, which will determine the $10 Million Wyndham Rewards Top 10, is set for July 30-Aug. 4, 2019 at Sedgefield Country Club.
All three of these future superstars accepted a Wyndham Championship sponsor’s exemptions earlier this year. Wolff, however, won last week’s 3M Open in dramatic fashion eagling the last hole to take a one-stroke win over Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau who eagled the same hole moments earlier to take the lead.
Wolff, 20, played two seasons at Oklahoma State University before turning professional earlier this summer. While at Oklahoma State, he won NCAA championships in team competition (2018) and individual competition (2019). He won six times during his sophomore season and claimed the Fred Haskins Award as the nation’s most outstanding player.
Prior to Wolff, only Ben Crenshaw (1973) and Tiger Woods (1996) won an NCAA individual title and a PGA TOUR event in the same year. The Agoura Hills, Calif., native is the ninth-youngest winner in PGA TOUR history. With his win in the 3M Open in his fourth TOUR start, Wolff joined the PGA TOUR as a member through the 2020-’21 season and no longer needs the sponsor’s exemption he accepted. Wolff finished tied for 19th in the 2015 AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by BB&T and is the 87th Wyndham Invitational alumnus to earn PGA TOUR membership.
Morikawa, who finished tied for second with DeChambeau at the 3M Open, earned 245 FedExCup points last weekend, and when added to the 89 he earned previously, totals 334 points giving him more points than earned by No. 150 in last season’s FedExCup point standings. With that milestone, Morikawa, 22, earned PGA TOUR special temporary membership meaning he can accept unlimited sponsor’s exemptions for the rest of the season as he works to earn PGA TOUR membership for next season which he will accomplish by earning at least as many points as No. 125 in this year’s FedExCup point standings. That number is currently 286.
Morikawa played four seasons at the University of California where he was a three-time, first-team All-American. He was the Golfweek Men’s National Player of the Year in 2018 and was named Pac-12 Player of the Year this past season. The Los Angeles native was formerly No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. He played the AJGA Wyndham Invitational in 2013 and ’14 finished tied for ninth and tied for 72nd.
Hovland, a native of Norway, also turned professional this summer after playing with Wolff at Oklahoma State University. While still playing as an amateur, he finished tied for 32nd at the Masters and was low amateur joining CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz and 2019 Masters champion Tiger Woods in Butler Cabin at Augusta National after the tournament. He finished tied for 12th as low amateur at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach before turning professional. In his three professional starts, he finished tied for 54th at the Travelers Championship and tied for 13th at both the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the 3M Open. The 2018 U.S. Amateur Champion won the 2019 Ben Hogan Award as the nation’s top college golfer.
“What an amazing 3M Open we saw with Matt Wolff and Colin Marikawa dueling it out with Bryson DeChambeau,” tournament director Mark Brazil said. “We’ve known about Collin and Matt for quite a while since they played in the AJGA Wyndham Invitational and Wyndham Cup over the years. For Matt to win with Collin tying for second, and basically securing their cards for next year, was a lot of fun to watch. I think everyone got a good look at some of golf’s future.
“We gave Collin and Matt sponsor’s exemptions early in the year along with Viktor who was U.S. Amateur champion, low amateur at the Masters and low amateur at the U.S. Open so he has quite a resume as well. To have those three ‘young guns’ coming to the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield, which two of them have played, is a great deal for the tournament and says a lot about what we’re trying to do with the young talent on the PGA TOUR.”
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 BB&T 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:
Recently 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 30,000 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 wide-range of rewards, including free nights at any of more than 9,000 hotels or tens of thousands of vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally through partnership with Wyndham Destinations (NYSE: WYND) and others. Wyndham Rewards has over 75 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, with approximately 9,200 hotels across more than 80 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 812,000 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 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 75 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rental properties globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.
About Wyndham Destinations:
Wyndham Destinations (NYSE:WYND) believes in putting the world on vacation. As the world’s largest vacation ownership and exchange company, Wyndham Destinations offers everyday travelers the opportunity to own, exchange or rent their vacation experience while enjoying the quality, flexibility and value that Wyndham delivers. The company’s global presence in 110 countries means more vacation choices for its four million members and owner families, with 220 resorts that offer a contemporary take on the timeshare model – including vacation club brands CLUB WYNDHAM®, WorldMark® by Wyndham, and Margaritaville Vacation Club® by Wyndham – 4,300+ affiliated resorts through RCI, the world’s leader in vacation exchange, and 10,000 rental properties from coast to coast through Wyndham Vacation Rentals, North America’s largest professionally managed vacation rental business. Year after year, a worldwide team of 25,000 associates delivers exceptional vacation experiences to families around the globe as they make memories to last a lifetime. At Wyndham Destinations, our world is your destination. Learn more at wyndhamdestinations.com.
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