The Caddie Line: 2018 Wyndham Championship

Henrik Stenson
Henrik Stenson, with caddie Gareth Lord, is the defending champion at this week’s Wyndham Championship. Credit: John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

The season’s final major may have been contested a week ago, but this week’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield in Greensboro, North Carolina, is a huge one for many players on the PGA Tour.

The reason? It’s the last chance to secure a spot, or improve position, for the FedEx Cup playoffs, which begin next week in New York.

As a result, plenty of big names are in the field in Greensboro, including Sergio Garcia, Davis Love III, Henrik Stenson, Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson and plenty more.

Who’s going to win the last regular season event of the 2017-18 PGA Tour season?

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We asked three caddies who are on the ground at Sedgefield.

To protect their identity, the caddies have submitted their five respective picks anonymously… and, by the way, our caddies have picked a winner in each of the last four weeks.

Let’s take a look at who they picked this week and why:

Caddie 1

  1. Harold Varner III, “It’s a home game for Harold, so that will provide some added motivation – not that he needs it. He starts the week just outside the top 100 in the FedEx standings, so a week like the ones he had recently at Greenbrier (T5) and John Deere (fifth) would go a long way.”
  2. Brian Gay, “He’s a straight hitter and that’s key at Sedgefield. He’s already in good shape for the playoffs (ranked 53rd), so he’s playing to improve his position.”
  3. Peter Uihlein, “He’s long. That’s never a bad thing. Plus, he’s still trying to get that breakthrough win on the PGA Tour. He’s showed glimpses on the Tour this season, including three top-5 finishes, but hasn’t gotten the ‘W,’ just yet. This could be that week.”
  4. Henrik Stenson, “Defending champ and still on the outside looking in for a spot on the European Ryder Cup team. He’s coming off a missed cut at the PGA Championship. It was just his second missed cut on Tour this season and the first since March.”
  5. Robert Garrigus, “This is a huge week for Robert. He’s on the outside looking in for the playoffs at No. 127 in the FedEx standings (he needs to be in the top 125 to play in the Barclays next week).

Caddie 2

  1. Sergio Garcia, “He needs a good week to qualify for the playoffs. Sergio won at this course in 2012, so maybe that will bring back some of the good vibes.”
  2. Bill Haas, “This is Bill’s hometown event. He’s struggled all year long, but I would expect him to piece something together here and be in the mix on Sunday.”
  3. Webb Simpson, “Webb had a good week at the PGA, where he locked up a spot on another U.S. Ryder Cup team. He won at Sedgefield in 2011 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him add another ‘W’ to an already good season.”
  4. Corey Conners, “Corey is on the bubble (128th) after getting off to a decent start this year. But it seems someone always seems to move inside the top 125 from the outside this particular week. I think he’ll be that guy, so I’m picking him.”
  5. Joaquin Neimann, “Although he’s got his card for next year, he needs a win to become a member and qualify for the playoffs or at least have a high finish. He’ll be around late Sunday.”

Caddie 3

  1. Webb Simpson, “He’s a past champion of this event and he’s coming off another top 20 – his 11th of the season – at the PGA Championship.”
  2. Henrik Stenson, “He hasn’t played up to his standards this year, but always finds a way to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs, it seems. It doesn’t hurt that he’s the defending champion this week.”
  3. Davis Love III, “He’s had so much success at the Wyndham Championship and always has a big following at this event. He’s a fan favorite for sure.”
  4. Julian Suri, “He’s a very solid young player with so much talent. He will contend this week.”
  5. Brandt Snedeker, “He’s starting to get some good results – T3 at Greenbrier, T8 at the Canadian Open – and plays well around Sedgefield.”

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