Golf’s major championship season is already over with Rory McIlroy emerging victorious in the PGA Championship to nab his fourth major crown. Luckily for us, golf action doesn’t stop there. The PGA Tour resumes this week at Greensboro, North Carolina for the 2014 edition of the Wyndham Championship. A cool $954,000 awaits the winner of the 156-man field but more importantly, 500 FedEx Cup Points are at stake as the FedEx Cup playoffs creep up.
All eyes will be on defending champion Patrick Reed as he seeks to win his third PGA Tour event this year. Read on for our picks for possible winners of this prestigious event as the race for the FedEx Cup shifts into high gear.
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2014 Wyndham Championship Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
Brandt Snedeker has slowly recaptured the form that won him the FedEx Cup back in 2012. Although he has been winless so far this year, his partnership with legendary coach Butch Harmon has turned Snedeker’s struggling golf game into one that can break through any moment now.
[sc:Golf240banner ]He has finished inside the top 15 in his last two tournaments including a 13th place finish at the PGA Championship where he scored a total of 10-under-par 274. Snedeker may have failed to make the cut in this event last season but his experience in winning the FedEx Cup two years ago will prove vital. Snedeker is priced at +1,000 to win his first PGA Tour event this year.
Webb Simpson, on the other hand, has come close to winning on the PGA Tour but has failed to close the deal on Sunday afternoons. He has finished third three times this year namely at the Hyundai Tournament in January, the St. Jude Classic in June and the Greenbrier last July. It’s only a matter of time before he makes that vital breakthrough.
Webb Simpson was also in a tie for 11th at last year’s event and will definitely be in contention once again this year and is pegged at +1,500 to end his trophy drought once and for all.
Every time a major winner enters the field of a PGA Tour event, his fellow golfers are mandated to take notice. And when that golfer is also hitting peak form, then watch out, he maybe one of the main contenders come Sunday afternoon.
Ernie Els was fantastic in the final round of the PGA Championship last week carding a final-round six-under 65 to barge into the top 10 of a major for the first time this year. It was also his first top-10 finish since finishing fourth at the WGC Match Play Championship. Els is a juicy +2,200 to win the Wyndham.
Although Patrick Reed finished a disappointing 59th in the PGA Championship last week, it has already been a successful year for the 24-year-old American. He has won twice so far this year, capturing the Humana Challenge back in January and the WGC-Cadillac Championship last March to follow up his maiden PGA victory at the Wyndham Championship last year.
Reed is priced at +2,000 to win his fourth PGA Tour title.
Long Shots – Chad Campbell and Matteo Manassero
Chad Campbell is desperate to break his losing slump. After winning the Viking Classic in 2007 for his fourth PGA Tour title, it seemed Campbell’s career was set for an upward trajectory. His performance in the 2009 Masters, where he lost in a playoff to Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry, seemed to validate that statement even more. Unfortunately, that was the last highlight for the American.
He is trying to rebuild his golf game this year where he has missed the cut six times. He finished in a tie for 14th at the Barracuda Championship last week and will look to carry the momentum at the Wyndham where he is priced at +5,500 to win.
Matteo Manassero, on the other hand, wants to make the cut for the Ryder Cup this year and will be a desperate to win the tournament this week to improve his chances of joining the team. He has won four European Tour events so far in his young career but the 21-year-old has not managed to score a single victory on the PGA Tour so far.
He missed the cut in last week’s PGA Championship and will have to improve on his form if he is to capture the crown this week where he is pegged at +7,000 to win.
Writer’s Prediction
Reed (+2,000) will go back-to-back, capturing his second consecutive Wyndham Championship.
