The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
An eagle on the 15th hole changed the entire outlook of the Wyndham Championship on Saturday. Courtesy of Russell Henley’s flat stick, the former Georgia Bulldog drained a 33-foot eagle putt to inject some life into what had been a lull of a round at Sedgefield Country Club.
Coming to the par-5 at even-par for the day and possessing a two-stroke lead, Henley had been a bit lackluster in his third round. With only one birdie to offset a bogey on the par-4 11th, the three-time winner on the PGA Tour appeared to have opened the door to some Sunday theatrics.
However, with his eagle, Henley regained his four-stroke lead which he began the day with, before closing with a three-putt bogey on the 18th. Attempting to go wire-to-wire, Henley will hope to have better luck than his fellow University of Georgia alum, Harris English, who had the opportunity to do the same at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational last week.
[[ad:athena]]
With the lead being three, the Sunday sweat may take shape when discussing those on the FedEx Cup Playoff bubble. The last man out, as it currently stands heading into the final round, is the Englishman, Justin Rose. After rounds of 66-65, Rose had gotten to 12-under for the tournament after a birdie on the par-4 10th. Yet, three bogeys and only one birdie coming in left Rose at 10-under overall and in a tie for 9th, five-strokes off the lead.
One-stroke ahead of Rose and also on the bubble, albeit on the right side, is Rory Sabbatini who is projected to be 122nd in the FedEx Cup standings. Narrowly inside the top-125, the recent Olympic silver medalist needed a top-six finish coming into the week to retain his PGA Tour status. Currently in a tie for 3rd, the Slovakian will need to keep pace if he wants to tee it up next week in New Jersey.
Editor’s Note: Get an edge with our premium DFS and Betting Golf Tools that are packed with a DFS Optimizer, DFS Projections, Salary Tracker, Edge Driver, Prop Projections, Futures and much more. Gain access to both tools in our EDGE+Max tier and don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
Other players facing the postseason pressure include: Brice Garnett (No. 120), Matt Kuchar (No. 124), Cameron Percy (No. 130), Nate Lashley (No. 131), and Camilo Villegas (No. 132).
Further down, looking to secure a spot inside the top-200 in order to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, a number of players will need strong final rounds. The last three players currently inside the number include: Kiradech Aphibarnrat (No. 198), David Lingmerth (No. 199), and Chris Baker (No. 200).
While it is always fun to discuss potential winners heading into the final round, these storylines should garner just as much if not more attention. With livelihoods and professional careers on the line, Sunday at Sedgefield CC will be filled with jubilation and heartbreak regardless of the eventual victor.
The oddsmakers at PointsBet Sportsbook have Henley as the odds-on favorite heading into the final round at –115. With what we saw last week in Memphis, a winner could be lurking in the shadows a bit further down the odds board.
It should be noted that due to forecasted inclement weather later in the day, tee times have been pushed up. Play will begin early in the morning on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. EDT, so keep this in mind when making your wagers or setting your DFS lineups.
Updated Odds to Win (Odds Via PointsBet):
-115: Russell Henley
+1200: Kevin Na
+1300: Kevin Kisner
+1600: Branden Grace, Tyler McCumber, Webb Simpson
+1800: Rory Sabbatini
+2000: Roger Sloan
+2800: Scott Piercy
+3000: Justin Rose, Kevin Streelman
+3300: Adam Scott
+4500: Sungjae Im
+7000: Si Woo Kim
+7500: Brendon Todd, Hudson Swafford, Sebastian Munoz, Tyler Duncan
Round 4 Plays (Odds Via PointsBet):
With English’s meltdown still fresh on the mind and Henley failing to prove his ability to close this season, I have myself venturing a bit down the odds board. If you’re looking for someone near the top, Kevin Na (+1200) and Webb Simpson (+1600) would be the two that I’d target.
Both have been striking the ball fantastic, ranking second and third in Strokes Gained: Approach, yet have disappointed on and around-the-greens. Na was in a similar spot at the Sony Open this past winter and chased down Brendan Steele. As for Simpson, this is his Super Bowl, and we are getting odds longer than his pre-tournament’s so if you have the capacity to add one of the favorites, those would be my leans.
Brendon Todd (+7500 to win):
As for us, with a Grace ticket hanging by a thread in our back pocket, a small wager on a long shot is our only angle of attack for the final round. The player that we’ll be hitching our wagon too is yet another Georgia Bulldog in Todd.
It was a day of what could have been on Saturday, as Todd gave himself birdie opportunity after birdie opportunity, only for them to fall by the wayside. While he was able to convert five of them en route to a bogey-free 5-under 65, it could have been much better having hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation.
Ever since a sluggish opening round of 69, Todd has continued to improve each day. Round 2 brought a 3-under 67, posting +4.05 SG: Tee-to-green, the majority of which were with his irons (+2.52 SG: Approach). Today, he improved yet again, posting not only a round of 5-under, but also +4.48 SG: Tee-to-Green, leading the field in said category on Saturday.
Clearly, he has found something in his swing over the past couple of days and if he can discover his putter then it’s not crazy to suggest that he could post something in the 8-under neighborhood. With 54-hole leaders struggling as of late, if Henley plays like he did today, 17-under could stand a fighting chance when all is said and done.
PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner, and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
