Akshay Bhatia prepares to take his game to the next level

McConnell Golf Scholar Akshay Bhatia’s storybook reign as junior golf’s dominant superstar is nearing an end. But those following the career of the lanky 17-year-old from Wake Forest sporting square-frame glasses, precocious calm under pressure and prodigious length know that for Bhatia, the end of one era undoubtedly signifies the start of another.

With a champion’s supreme confidence, Bhatia announced on the first day of recruiting that he plans to forgo college and turn professional when he turns 18 — adding that his goal is to be the world’s No. 1 player by 2030. This summer, Bhatia said he plans to continue entering Monday qualifying at a handful of PGA Tour and Web.com Tour events.

“I just want to be out there on tour and I know I have the game to do it,” he said. “If I get out there and perform, it’ll take care of itself.”

The 6-foot, 125-pound Bhatia took online classes during high school under the tutelage of his parents, Sunil and Renu. At the same time, he compiled one of the most impressive junior golf resumes in recent memory.

The first-ever back-to-back Boys Junior PGA Champion and highest-ranked member of the 2018 Boys U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team, Bhatia won the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic, while also representing his country in the Youth Olympics.

Last year’s AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Bhatia advanced to match play at the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner and CC Wakefield Plantation member Grayson Wotnosky. He was also a member of the inaugural U.S. Presidents Cup team.

But there remains one final, amateur box left to check. In August, Bhatia will almost assuredly be selected as the first junior to make the U.S. Walker Cup team since 2011, when Jordan Spieth and Patrick Rodgers both made the squad before beginning their college careers.

A biennial competition pitting 12-man teams from the U.S. against Great Britain and Ireland — and arguably amateur golf’s most significant event — this year’s Walker Cup will be contested Sept. 7-8 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

In December, Bhatia was one of 16 prospective team members invited by U.S. Team Captain Nathaniel Crosby to attend the Walker Cup practice session. Bhatia was the first junior golfer to be invited since Jim Liu in 2012.

If he makes the team, Bhatia will be the youngest U.S. Walker Cup player ever. “To represent your country amps you up,” he said. “If I can be one of those guys to contribute to this team and win it for Captain Crosby, it would mean the world to me. It’s the biggest event as an amateur.”

In March, Bhatia made his PGA Tour debut at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla. He was invited to play on a sponsor exemption, but missed the cut by three strokes.

After frequenting Monday qualifiers last year, Bhatia got through one for the first time in April to earn his debut Web.com Tour start at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship in Prattville, Ala. Bhatia made the most of his opportunity by making the cut at the rain-delayed event.

“Anytime I can step up and play against pros, guys who have been on the tour, it’s great,” Bhatia said. “I get a little taste of it before I actually turn pro. It’s cool.”

A first-round 73 left Bhatia outside the top 100, but he bounced back in round two with a two-under 70, moving into a tie for 40th and good enough to advance to Saturday play. Bhatia had the benefit of playing with Davis Riley, a former Alabama All-American now in his first year as a pro.“I asked him about college. ‘How was it? ’The decision to turn pro now versus after you graduate,” Bhatia said. “It was fun because he’s in my age division, sort of. He kind of understands my language.”

As he prepares for the future, Bhatia said he would never forget his junior golf experience, and the impact he has made on the game and those around him.

“It’s been great,” he said. “A lot of people look up to me and that’s something I do not take for granted. It’s self-belief, I don’t care if I’m ranked 20th or first or whatever, I’m still going to believe I’m number one. That’s the mindset my coach and I have tried to work on.”

Bhatia’s coach, Chase Duncan, said there is something different about his star pupil.

“The best way I can describe it, you hear a lot of positive self-talk, a lot of clichés, a lot of saying the right things; but he’s been so focused, so tunnel-visioned about what he’s doing, and he’s winning these tournaments by some big margins,”Duncan said. “I realize how ridiculously bold and outlandish this is, but I would absolutely bet on him. I think he’ll end up being the No. 1 player in the world.”

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Now two-time Wyndham Champion Brandt Snedeker wasted no time earning his ninth career win

Brandt Snedeker walks fast talks fast and plays fast. And at last year’s Wyndham Championship, he harnessed all that speed into the ultimate quick start, shooting 59 in the first round at Sedgefield Country Club on his way to a rapid finish on Sunday and his ninth PGA Tour victory.

Only 10 sub-60 rounds have been recorded on the PGA Tour since Al Geiberger posted the first 59 in 1977 at the Memphis Classic. Along with Geiberger, only David Duval (1999 CareerBuilder Challenge), Stuart Appleby (2010 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier) and Justin Thomas (2017 Sony Open in Hawaii) were previously able to shoot 59s and goon to win that week.

“It’s been a really emotional and stressful week, to say the least, to start the way I did at a tournament that means so much to me,” said Snedeker, who has been a brand ambassador fo Wyndham since he won the Wyndham in 2007. “To have your first Tour win, you ask anybody out here on Tour, it’s always special to him.

“It just means the world tome that I was able to do it here in Greensboro with Wyndham Worldwide being the sponsor.”

The 38-year-old Snedeker has put together a well-regarded career on Tour. He turned pro in 2004 after finishing 41st at the Masters as an amateur. His invitation to Augusta National came as the result of his victory at the 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links, a tournament that doesn’t exist any longer.

Snedeker played three years on the Web.com Tour, graduating to the big Tour in 2007 after finishing ninth on the Web.com Tour money list with two victories and a runner-up. He was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2007 after winning the Wyndham and earning a trip to the Tour Championship.

Since then, Snedeker has risen steadily in the professional ranks. In 2008, he finished tied for third in his first Masters since turning pro. He was tied for the lead on Sunday after an eagle on the par-5 3rd hole but wound up shooting 77.

His second Tour win came at the 2011 Heritage at Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island. The following year was his best on Tour. Snedeker beat Kyle Stanley on the second playoff hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open. Later that summer, he finished tied for third at the Open Championship.

At season’s end, he won the Tour Championship at East Lake by three shots over Justin Rose and in the process, won the $10 million prize for capturing the season-long points race for the FedEx Cup. He won his fifth Tour title in 2013 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and won it again in 2015. He won his second Farmers Insurance Open title in 2016.

Prior to his 2018 Wyndham victory, Snedeker had spent much of the previous two seasons with injuries.

“To be injured, to be away from the game for five and a half months, to not know what the recovery was going to look like, to not know if you’re going to be 100 percent again and still dealing with it to this day,” Snedeker said in Greensboro last August.

“I guess it’s a fact of life as you get older out here, you’re going to have to deal with certain nagging injuries all the time. It’s always in the back of my mind. It’s been a tough year, year and a half, two years for me, to be honest with you. When you don’t have your health out here and you’re trying to fight through it,it’s really tough because you know what you’re capable of and your body’s not letting you do what you think you should be able to do.”

The 2018 Wyndham started with the milestone 59 that ended with a 20-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole at Sedgefield, which was his last hole of the day. Snedeker’s previous low score on Tour was a 61 at the Buick Invitational in his rookie year.

Winning the 2018 Wyndham was the culmination of enough physical healing combined with the difficult work of coming back from serious injury. But in the end, winning with his children in the gallery – Lily, who was 7 at the time, and 6-year-old Austin – made the victory even more special.

“It’s great to have my kids being here when they are old enough to understand what it means, what Daddy does for a living,” he said. “They’ve been telling me for two years they want to see a trophy, they want to hold a trophy and I’ve been failing them for two years.

“It’s a great teaching lesson for them. They’ve seen how hard I’ve worked. They’ve seen the amount of time I’ve spent away from them trying to get to this point, so it’s good for them to see, hey, it works, pays off. If you keep your head on straight and do stuff the right way and keep working your tail off, you do get rewarded.”

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Catching up with the Major winner and North Carolina native

Webb Simpson is an expert on the highways of North Carolina. He was born and raised in Raleigh, had a standout college career in Winston Salem at Wake Forest and now resides at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. I met a 12-year-old Simpson at Landfall in Wilmington and knew right away that I was meeting a quality young man who shook hands with adults and looked them in the eye. I wish I could tell you that I knew then that he would one day win the Wyndham Championship, the US Open and the Players.

Simpson has been on the PGA Tour for a decade now. He has played on two Presidents Cup teams and three Ryder Cup teams. Another decade like the first and he will eventually be enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Most importantly is the fact that Simpson and his wife balance his career and their five young children. Here is a brief conversation with Webb.

JM: The PGA Tour calendar took on a new look this year, there is now a two million dollar bonus for the player that wins the regular season, and the top ten will get paid. How do you think this will affect the Wyndham Championship?

WS: First, it was really nice for Steve Holmes and Wyndham to step up and provide the bonus pool. Secondly, I think this will strengthen their field. The course is great and Bobby Long and Mark Brazil do a great job. I hope we as players recognize that Wyndham stepped up and support their efforts.

JM: Your life has changed quite a bit since your first victory here in 2011... what do you remember about that week.

WS: Lots of memories on several levels. It was my first win and that is always special.

JM: Most players on Tour don’t get a single home week... does it feel like you get two?

WS: Yes, I am fortunate that Charlotte and Greensboro are both home for me.

JM: How do you balance a big, young family and all that comes with being a star on the PGA Tour?

WS: It is fun. My wife and I both come from big families so we don’t know any different. We would not change a thing. We are having fun.

JM: As the Tour continues to get younger and younger are you okay with being the wily veteran?

WS: I am working hard to stay fit and keep up with the young guys coming out. I have lots of good golf left.

John Maginnes is a former PGA player and hosts the popular Katrek & Maginnes on Tap broadcast on the PGA Tour Satellite Radio Network.

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The Jaycee Supreme Open gave Nelson his 14th victory of 18 that year

During the second week of August 1945, an unbeatable streak ended, which would become an unbreakable record. Byron Nelson’s legendary string of 11 straight tournament victories on the professional tour through the spring and summer ended in Memphis when amateur Freddie Haas Jr. won the Memphis Invitational. Nelson tied for third, six shots back.

The next week, the tour came to Knoxville and Holston Hills Country Club for the Jaycee Supreme Open.The event was sponsored by the Knoxville Junior Chamber of Commerce and Supreme Foods. The purse was a whopping $13,333, with $2,000 going to the winner.

Nelson was entered at Holston Hills, even as he said he was “overgolfed” after the Memphis tournament. Sam Snead, who had spent 26 months in the U.S. Navy, was in the field, as was Lt. Ben Hogan, who was serving a two-year hitch in the Army Air Corps as the country was deeply embroiled in World War II.

The 33-year-old Nelson had hemophilia, a blood disorder that caused his blood to clot four times slower than normal. The condition kept him out of military service but he was no less a patriot. The week after the Jaycee Supreme Open, Nelson joined Snead, Harold (Jug) McSpaden and Craig Wood for a fundraiser at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, Pa., for the hospitalization and rehabilitation of injured servicemen. That was one of many events that Nelson played to raise money for the war effort.

Also in the Knoxville field was Jimmy Thomson, who grew up at Holston Hills when his father, Wilbur Thomson, was the pro. The younger Thomson, one of the longest hitters on tour, held the Holston Hills course record of 63.

Fred Corcoran, the tournament manager of the PGA who ran the tour events, wanted the pros to play Holston Hills from the front tees, 6,301 yards at the time. But Charley King, a member of the Holston Hills golf committee, insisted the players compete from the back tees at a hefty 6,993 yards, a brute of a course for 1945. Corcoran floated a compromise of two days from the back tees and two days from the front tees but Kingwas having none of it.

“I told (Corcoran) that the fans wanted to see the stars turn loose,” King said.

The 72-hole tournament was originally to begin on Friday, Aug. 24, with 18 holes, the second 18 for Saturday and finishing with 36 holes on Sunday. But Corcoran decided to change the schedule and begin the event on Thursday with 18 holes a day. “The PGA frowns on 36 holes for its members during the summer months,” Corcoran said, “because the extremely hot weather takes too much out of the players and they can’t play their best brand of golf.”

The Jaycee Supreme Open field was small – just 36 professionals and 24 amateurs. That was the case for most of the tou rbecause many of the pros were active duty service members. Haas led the amateur contingent.

Since professional golf at this level was new to Knoxville, fans were asked to follow a few rules of etiquette, including: “Do not walk through or across any sand trap – it is tough enough getting out of smooth sand.”

Nelson was often referred to in the press as the “Toledo umbrella man.” The Toledo part came from his job as head professional at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. In those days, nearly all of the touring pros had jobs at country clubs in addition to playing in competition. Nelson was from Waxahachie, Tex., but the newspapers used the club affiliation as the pro’s hometown.

Nelson had dinner with Inverness member Cloyd Haas, co-owner of Haas-Jordan, a successful manufacturing company that made umbrellas. Nelson asked Haas to make a suitable golf umbrella, one that wouldn’t collapse or leak. Nelson introduced the finished product to the tour and as a result, Haas-Jordan entered the golf business.

At each tournament Nelson entered, he visited all the department stores in town and dropped off his Haas-Jordan business card. He was paid $25 per call. Thus, the Toledo umbrella man.

Despite Nelson’s being “overgolfed,” he took to Holston Hills immediately, shooting a 6-under 66 in the pro-am, leading his team to victory. Snead shot 71 and declared the 12th hole at Holston Hills “the hardest par-4 in America.”

The next day, in the tournament’s first round, Nelson picked up where he left off by winning 11 in a row, shooting 67 to take the lead by one shot over Hogan, Haas and Toney Penna. In a rainy second round, Nelson added a 69 for an 8-under 136 total, four shots ahead of Haas and five in front of McSpaden and Penna.

Nelson could only manage a 1-over 73 in the third round but held onto his four-shot lead over Haas and Hogan, who climbed the leaderboard with a 69 on Saturday. 

But on Sunday, Nelson re-established his dominance on the pro tour, shooting a 5-under 67 to win the Jaycee Supreme Open by a commanding 10 shots over runner-up Sam Byrd, 11 over Hogan and 12 in front of Haas and McSpaden.

It was Nelson’s 14th tournament victory of 1945 and gave him a total of $50,966 in winnings for the year, which was a tour record. Nelson won four more times that year and his 18 victories in a year is another professional record that is likely never to be broken.

The pro tour returned to Holston Hills in 1946 but the tournament was known then as the Knoxville Invitational.The purse was $10,000 and the event moved to the middle of October. Nelson did not play in 1946, by then having retired from full-time tournament golf at age 34 to tend to his ranch in Roanoke,Tex., which he bought with his record-breaking 1945 earnings.

Neither was Hogan, Snead nor U.S.Open champion Lloyd Mangrum in the field. Herman Keiser, who beat Hogan by one shot to win the Masters the previous April in one of golf’s greatest upsets, took the first-round lead and never looked back.

After posting a first-round, 1-under-par 71, Keiser told KMOX Radio, “I believe today’s high scores were due for the most part to the fast greens and lengthy course. When I say fast greens, I don’t mean they are too fast... in fact, they are ideal. After today, I believe you’ll see the scores going down, but I don’t believe anybody is going to consistently break par in this tournament.”

Keiser was right. After leading the tournament after 36 holes at 2-under par, Keiser finished 72 holes at 3-over 291, good for a one-shot victory over Chick Harbert.

But to show you which sport was king in 1946, the Knoxville Invitational took the day off on Saturday so the players could attend the Tennessee-Alabama football game. Saturdays in October were sacred in Knoxville even then.

(Special thanks to Holston Hills member John Stiles for his contributions to this story.)

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McConnell clubs partner with top organizations for high-caliber events

Nearly three-dozen events played at McConnell Golf clubs this year highlight partnerships with prestigious organizations including the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), and the state golf associations from North and South Carolina and Tennessee.

“We value our relationships with these organizations and it is rewarding to see the best professionals and amateurs play our courses on a yearly basis,” said McConnell Golf VP of Golf Operations Brian Kittler. “Not only do we as a company enjoy hosting these events, but we also receive great support from our memberships.”

ACC Women's Championship

In April, Sedgefield CC played host to the 31st annual ACC Women’s Golf Championship for the ninth time in the past 11 years. Wake Forest senior sensation Jennifer Kupcho, the world’s top-ranked amateur player, made her first appearance since she earned her place in golf history by winning the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Highlighted by the top two individual finishers, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons won the 2019 title in dominant fashion — and Kupcho wasn’t even part of the duo.

Wake Forest sophomore Emilia Migliaccio put together an outstanding performance to claim the individual title at 11-under-par 205 — the best individual score at Sedgefield and one stroke shy of the individual record for an ACC Championship set by Duke’s Brittany Lang in 2004.

Teammate Siyun Liu finished right behind her with a score of 9-under-par 207, highlighted by seven birdies in the third round.

Kupcho carded a 3-over-par 219 in what will be her final ACC Championship before heading to the LPGA Tour. Her Demon Deacons finished the championship with a team score of 850, 14 under par, to capture the championship by eight strokes. Wake Forest won its sixth ACC Championship in program history and first since 2010.

“An incredible week,” Migliaccio said. “Of course, I’m happy about winning the title,but I am even happier that we were able to win as a team and I can share this moment with my teammates.

Kim Lewellen became the first head coach to win the conference championship in her first season since the Deacs’ Mary Beth McGirr accomplished the feat in 1985. “The ACC is the best conference in the country, so we knew it was going to be tough, ”Lewellen said. “This is what you practice for all season long, for postseason play and winning championships.”

ACC Men's Championship

That same April weekend, Old North State Club played host to the 66th annual ACC Men’s Golf Championship for the 22nd time in the last 25 years.

Luke Schniederjans and Noah Norton each fired 4-under-par 68s in Sunday’s final round as No. 8 Georgia Tech defended its conference tournament title in record fashion. Tech captured its 18th all-time conference crown in men’s golf and 10th in the last 14 years. Tech broke its own tournament scoring record by posting a37-under-par total of 827, eclipsing the 33-under-par 831 by the 2011 Jackets’ team.

When the Yellow Jackets won their first ACC Championship in 1985, Wake Forest had already won 18. Tech pulled even with the Demon Deacons this year with 18 championships and won for the 13th time under head coach Bruce Heppler.

Twelve of Georgia Tech’s 17 ACC men’s golf championships have been won at the Old North State Club.

Georgia Tech finished 15 strokes clear of second-place Virginia, while Wake Forest finished third. Florida State sophomore John Pak captured medalist honors at 13-under-par 203, clinching his one-shot victory over Georgia Tech’s Andy Ogletree.

Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship

In early April, Charlotte’s Stephen Woodard captured the 39th Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship hosted by McConnell Golf’s The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island, SC. This year’s Mid-Amateur Championship was shortened to 36 holes due to inclement weather. Nevertheless,The Reserve was in ideal shape and provided a stiff challenge for the 142-player field.

Woodard started the final round one shot off the lead after an opening round three-under par 69, and kick-started his final round with an opening nine two-under 34.

The first-time Carolinas Golf Association champion was thrilled about his victory. “I grew up in Charlotte and have been playing in CGA events since I was 11 years old,” Woodard said. “This one means a lotto put my name on this trophy with a lot of great names."

McConnell Golf High School Invitational

On April 30, some of the best junior golfers in the state of North Carolina descended upon Treyburn Country Club, as it hosted the 13th Annual McConnell Golf High School Invitational. Designed to include top teams from both public and private schools, the field included eight McConnell Golf members and five McConnell Golf scholars.

With a team total of 300 (+12), Raleigh’s Broughton High School won its first team championship over one of the strongest tourney fields in recent years, defeating Myers Park by two shots and RJ Reynolds by three. The O’Neal School’s Fulton Smith and Jackson Van Paris fired rounds of 3-under-par 69 to earn co-medalist honors at Treyburn.

A few weeks later at the State Championships, Myers Park, O’Neal School and St. David’s School took home state titles. Including three Raleigh CC members — Davis Adams, Wells Armes and Parker Smith — this year was St. David’s third state title in four years. The young men represented the Triangle in individual state championships as well. Broughton’s Peter Fountain won the 4A title, Clayton’s Brady Hooks took 3A, St. David’s Michael LaSasso won NCIS 3A, and O’Neal’s Fulton Smith won NCIS 2A.

Smith has signed to play golf for Wake Forest next year, while Van Paris will take his talents to Vanderbilt. Fountain heads to UNC in 2020.

Kittler and Carolinas Golf Association Director of Junior Golf Jason Cox founded the contest in 2007. “It has been great to work on this event for 13 years and I believe it has had a positive impact on high school golf in North Carolina,” says Kittler.

Rex Hospital Open

Former Arkansas Razorback Sebastian Cappelen turned professional in June of 2014. He Monday qualified into the Air Capital Classic and went on to capture a one-shot victory in his Web.com Tour debut.

In the long five years since, however, a second professional victory has eluded him.

So, when Cappelen opened his final round at the REX Hospital Open at The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation with two consecutive bogeys, it appeared his follow-up win would elude the Dane once more. But slowly, the pendulum swung back in Cappelen’s favor.

An eagle on No. 4 jump-started his round, followed by a birdie on No. 5. Cappelen played his final 16 holes in 9 under par for a three-shot win over former McConnell Golf Scholar Grayson Murray and Zack Sucher - and his ever-important second Web.com Tour title.

Murray, a Raleigh native, played Friday’s second round with Chris Baker, who narrowly missed a birdie putt on the finishing hole for a 59. Baker settled for a course-record 60.

So, Murray knew what was possible. In Sunday’s final round, he fired a 10-under-par 61 to get in at an 18-under 266. “I gave it my all today,” he said.

 

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This company’s annual retreat mixes business with pleasure at Musgrove Mill.

Musgrove Mill Golf Club is widely regarded as the perfect place for a corporate retreat. McConnell Golf member Matt Alexander knows from experience — he brings around 25 associates from Charlotte-based Eaton Corporation to Musgrove Mill for an annual three-day retreat. For the past couple of years, employees and business partners travel from all over the continent — from California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Mexico — to meet at Musgrove Mill.

The travel is worth it. From the moment Alexander’s group drives through the secluded woodlands to the gated entrance, where cart attendants wait at the front of the clubhouse to escort the group to their cabins, everyone begins to exhale.

Jeff Tallman, director of golf, coordinates the group’s itinerary. The next three days are spent relaxing on the property without the group having to move their cars. The retreat is a mix of work and play. Each cabin is complete with everything they need, from A/V equipment to golf carts. One of the best amenities? The accommodating hospitality of Musgrove Mill’s staff.

“Jeff and his team provide everything that we could possibly need,” says Alexander. “We have held meetings in many nice locations, but we always return to Musgrove because of the personal attention that Jeff and his team give us. They make everyone feel at home.”

Food is prepared in the clubhouse and delivered to the cabins where the business meetings are conducted on the first day of the retreat. Following their work, the team breaks for cocktails and dinner in the cottage. With a pool table, fireplace, poker set, and satellite television, the cottages provide entertainment while everyone enjoys each other’s company.

Day two begins with breakfast and meetings in the Lee Cottage. Then the real fun begins — in the afternoon, many in the group tee off on the challenging Arnold Palmer-designed course. Group photos are taken along the course, especially on the elevated tee box of the fifth hole and the signature seventh hole along the Enoree River. The non-golfers go nearby to shoot sporting clays at the wildlife refuge of the Clinton House.

Later, the entire group reconvenes for drinks and dinner at the Lee Cottage. Dinner is served on the back deck, against the backdrop of the scenic wilderness of Upstate South Carolina.

“The fact that we can all spend three days together in a great location, away from the office, and get some work done makes Musgrove Mill a great business retreat,” says Alexander.

“Add in the beautiful golf course and the way Jeff and his staff have everything coordinated, and it makes this easy and enjoyable. Our associates request we return every year.

 

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The 2018 Wyndham champ reflects on his time in Greensboro. 

When Brandt Snedeker Teed off in the early morning on Thursday at the 2018 Wyndham Championship, there was no indication that record books would get a new chapter. But three and a half hours later, when his second shot on the 6th — his 15th hole of the day — tore through the front lip of the hole and wedged itself at the bottom, possibilities started to emerge. Two more birdies and Brandt Snedeker would join the most coveted group in PGA TOUR history. A birdie at the seventh hole would leave him two more chances. When a six-foot attempt went begging at the eighth hole, Brandt stood at 10-under on the round with one to go. His approach shot settled on the front right fringe some 16 feet below the hole. When the putt slammed into the back of the hole, a roar erupted. Brandt had shot just the 10th sub-60 round in PGA TOUR history. Brandt would shoot 67, 68, and close with 65 to win his second Wyndham Championship, and the ninth win of his PGA TOUR career.

His first win on the PGA TOUR was also the Wyndham Championship, when he capped a Rookie of the Year season with a win at Forest Oaks in 2007. With his 2018 win, Brandt joins his friend Davis Love as the only two players who have won at both Forest Oaks and Sedgefield.

“The win at Forest Oaks was huge for me because it was my first win on the PGA TOUR and propelled me to the Tour Championship,” he’s said. “Winning at Sedgefield was special for other reasons.”

Brandt has become a fan favorite over the years at the Wyndham Championship, and his 2018 win was popular among fans. It was also a popular win in the Wyndham board room. Brandt has been a brand ambassador for Wyndham since that 2007 win.

“It’s been incredible, because we kind of grew up on the PGA TOUR together,” he said. “2007 was Wyndham’s first year sponsoring the tournament and my first year on TOUR. I couldn’t have gotten luckier to win their first event as a rookie. My professional relationship with Wyndham has been incredible, but it’s all part of the personal relationship that I have with the people at Wyndham, starting with Steve Holmes.”

When Brandt returns to Greensboro this summer, there’s a good chance that the competition will be stiff. The Wyndham Championship is the final regular season event on the PGA TOUR calendar leading into the FedExCup. Following the Wyndham, the top-10 players in FedExCup points will enjoy a prize pool of $10 million, with $2 million going to the player who enters the playoffs as the number-one seed.

“It immediately puts the tournament on some guys’ radar,” said Brandt. “If you have a chance to finish first or to slip into the top-10, you have to consider playing the Wyndham. We are all getting used to the new schedule, but I think that you will definitely see a difference.

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