Saturday, August 29, 2009

Irwin Smallwood,Jr at the Wyndham Championship



Irwin Smallwood took a few moments away from covering this year's Wyndham Championship to do a little shopping at the Pro Shop.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Scenes from the Wyndham Championship


Members of the Green Coat Club check out the action on the putting green at this year's Wyndham Championship held a Sedgefield Country Club for the second year in a row.

Thank You from Heather Hirschman

"Thank you so much for taking the time to be a media volunteer during the 2009 Wyndham Championship. The hard work of volunteers like you made this year's tournament a success!

Thank you again for donating your time to the Wyndham Championship!"

Heather Hirschman
2009 Media Chairman

What's on ebay? 1974 GGO Decanter


"Vintage GGO (Greater Greensboro Open) Decanter Liquor Bottle 1974
By Ezra Brooks
This auction is for a vintage 1974 GGO Greater Greensboro Open decanter. These were given away at the 1974 GGO. They are very rare & hard to find. The decanter is porcelain and made by Ezra Brooks. The decanter is in excellent shape. It does not have any nicks or cracks. It measures 9 inches wide & 4.5 inches tall."

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Justin Thomas at the Wyndham Championship

Justin Thomas, a 16-year-old from Goshen, KY, followed up his first-round 65 with a 2-over 72.

Justin Thomas is the third youngest player in PGA TOUR history to make a cut. Thomas is 16 years, 3 months and 24 days old today (born April 29, 1993). Bob Panasik was 15 years, 8 months and 20 days old when he made the cut at the 1957 Canadian Open (T66). Tadd Fujikawa was 16 years and 4 days old when he made the cut at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii (T20). Panasik went on to play in 38 PGA TOUR events from his first in 1957 until his last in 1987. In those 38 events, he made 35 cuts and recorded nine top 25 finishes. Fujikawa has played 12 events on TOUR with four made cuts.

Justin Thomas earned a sponsor exemption by winning at the American Junior Golf Association’s FootJoy Invitational earlier this year at Sedgefield Country Club. For the first year, a sponsor’s exemption to the Wyndham Championship was granted to the winner of the FootJoy Invitational. Thomas made the most of this opportunity, as three late birdies helped him turn a two-shot deficit into a two-shot victory at the FootJoy Invitational and a spot into his first PGA TOUR event. Thomas has two other AJGA wins on his resume.

Sedgefield Country Club has a history of amateurs doing well in professional events. Sergio Garcia finished T3 in 1998 in the Nationwide Tour’s Greensboro Open, while Charles Howell III finished T2 in 2000 Nationwide Tour Greensboro Open.

The Wyndham Championship also has a history of amateurs doing well. Below is a list of top 25 finishes by amateurs at the Wyndham Championship:
Year Amateur Player Finish Course
1947 Frank Stranahan 2nd Starmount Forest CC
1947 Dick Chapman T8 Starmount Forest CC
1948 Dick Chapman T21 Sedgefield Country Club
1949 Frank Stranahan T3 Starmount Forest CC
1949 Skee Riegel T21 Starmount Forest CC
1951 Hobart Manley Jr. T18 Starmount Forest CC
1951 Harvie Ward Jr. T24 Starmount Forest CC
1953 Frank Stranahan 8th Sedgefield Country Club
1956 Larry Dempsey 19th Starmount Forest CC
1961 Bill Harvey T23 Sedgefield Country Club
2004 Ryan Moore T24 Forest Oaks Country Club
2008 Danny Lee T20 Sedgefield Country Club

Kevin von der Lippe-Green Coat Club Ambassador


1998-99 Greensboro Jaycee President Kevin von der Lippe served as an Wyndham Ambassador. He welcomed fans to the tournament and passed out pairing guides as fast as they could be printed.

Jaycee Old Timers Golf Tournament

The Annual Greensboro Jaycee Old Timers Golf Tournament will be held on September 14 at 1:00 PM. The event is a Shotgun Start at Country Hills Golf Course on Hicone Road
All Jaycee Old Timers and guests, Green Coat Club Members, Wyndham Championship Executive Committee and Greensboro Jaycee Board of Directors are invited

The fee is $55.00 per person, which includes:Green Fees,Beverages during the round
Prizes with Dinner afterwards (steak, salad, potato and beverages)

The Format is a Four Man’s Captains Choice. Please contact Frank Smith at fsmith11@traid.rr.com.

2009 Wyndham Championship

The Wyndham Championship was the 12th event of the 2009 PGA TOUR season to be interrupted by weather. Most recently before the, the RBC Canadian Open was impacted by inclement weather Thursday through Sunday, resulting in a Monday finish.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Clicks of Chicks


Beth Sinnott was one of the media chairman for this year's Wyndham Championship. (Clicks of Chicks was the title of a series of photo essays from the GGO's of the 1970's.)

Kodak Challenge Update

Streelman Retakes Kodak Challenge Lead at Wyndham Championship

Kevin Streelman regained sole possession of first place in the Kodak Challenge with a final round birdie on hole #15 at Sedgefield Country Club, as Kodak Challenge contenders were greeted with clear skies at the Wyndham Championship.

Jason Bohn’s eagle on the Kodak Challenge hole #15 highlighted a spectacular final round in which he shot a 62 to move from five strokes back to tie for the Wyndham lead after 18 holes. Bohn, who now sits at 10-under-par in the Kodak Challenge standings, joined Kevin Stadler and eventual winner, Ryan Moore in playoff for the Wyndham Championship.

Despite intermittent rain delays throughout the tournament, the PGA Tour’s 6th easiest par 5 gave the pros competing for the $1 million Kodak Challenge many opportunities to advance up the leaderboard. U.S. Open champ, Lucas Glover birdied #15 Sunday for the third time in four rounds and now sits just two strokes off the lead. Jason Gore, despite missing the cut, used an early round birdie to move to 11-under-par and one shot behind Streelman. Daniel Chopra and Matt Bettencourt both carded an eagle and two birdies on #15 over the weekend, while Brett Quigley actually birdied the Kodak Challenge hole twice in one day.

Next week the Kodak Challenge visits the 14th hole of Liberty National Golf Club at The Barclays on August 27-30 in Jersey City, NJ.

Current Kodak Challenge Leaderboard (Results as of August 23, 2009)
Name Score Holes
Kevin Streelman -12 15
Jason Gore -11 18
Nicholas Thompson -11 18
Nathan Green -11 17
J.J. Henry -11 17
Michael Letzig -11 15

Tied at 10-under-par are Chris DiMarco, Brendon de Jonge, Steve Lowery, Tim Herron, Scott Verplank, Jeff Klauk, Jason Bohn, Lucas Glover, Brett Quigley and Charley Hoffman.

Scenes from thw 2009 Wyndham Championship




2009 Wyndham Championship Final Round Notes

2009 Wyndham Championship
(The 37th of 37 events in the PGA TOUR Regular Season)

Due to Saturday’s weather delay’s the final-round tee times ran from 11:14 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. with threesomes off split tees.

Jason Bohn, Ryan Moore and Kevin Stadler all finished at 16-under to set up the TOUR’s ninth playoff of the season.

Ryan Moore made birdie on the third playoff hole (par-4 No. 18) to defeat Kevin Stadler, who recorded a bogey. Jason Bohn had a bogey on the first playoff hole (No. 18) to drop out of the three man play off.

This was the 16th playoff in the history of the Wyndham Championship, the last coming in 1998 when Trevor Dodds defeated Scott Verplank.

Ryan Moore was the only player with TOUR playoff experience as he lost to Adam Scott at the 2008 EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Jason Bohn was the only player with a TOUR victory entering the playoff (2005 B.C. Open). Jason Bohn was 0-2 in playoffs on the Nationwide Tour, while Kevin Stadler was 2-0 when he played the Nationwide Tour.

Ryan Moore is the sixth first-time winner on the PGA TOUR this season. There have been no less than 10 first-time winners each of the last five seasons (7 in 2003).

Ryan Moore has now held the 36-hole lead three times in his career. This is the first time he has turned one into a victory. Ryan Moore held the 36-hole lead/co-lead two other times coming into the Wyndham Championship and finished T6 both times at the 2006 84 Lumber Classic and the 2007 Fry’s Electronics Open.

Ryan Moore is the 15thplayer this season in 36 events to turn the 36 hole lead into a victory.

Ryan Moore played in the Wyndham Championship as an amateur in 2004 and finished T24.

Ryan Moore is the 14thfirst-time winner of the Wyndham Championship. He is also the 14thsecond-round leader since 1976 to win the Wyndham Championship.

Ryan Moore’s 264 total is the second lowest 72-hole score in tournament history, behind Carl Pettersson’s 259 last year.

Ryan Moore is the most recent winner of the U.S. Amateur (2004) to pick up a win on the PGA TOUR. David Gossett won the 1999 U.S. Amateur and won the 2001 John Deere Classic. Matt Kuchar won the 1997 U.S. Amateur and then got a win at the 2002 Honda Classic. Tiger Woods (1994-1996), Justin Leonard (1992) and Phil Mickelson (1990) are the only other winners of the U.S. Amateur since 1990 to win on the PGA TOUR.

Kevin Stadler was 2 months and 1 day old (born February 5, 1980) when his father Craig Stadler won the 1980 Greater Greensboro Open on April 6, 1980.

There have been seven different father-son winners on the PGA TOUR. Kevin and Craig Stadler would have made it the eighth. The last to do so was Al and Brent Geiberger, when Brent won the 2004 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.

Prior to today’s playoff loss, Jason Bohn’s last second-place finish was at the 2006 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. His only other second-place finish was at the 2005 Deutsche Bank Championship. His only win was at the 2005 B.C. Open.

Sergio Garcia has now finished in the top 10 in 61 of his 193 (31%) starts on the PGA TOUR. He has been in the top 25 in 104 of those 193 events (54%).

The only other time Sergio Garcia put together back-to-back rounds of 64 or better was at the 2007 TOUR Championship (Round 2 and 3). He did it this week in the second and third rounds.

Sergio Garcia’s 195 total after 54 holes is a career-best, topping his 196 at the 2007 TOUR Championship (4th).

In 124 career TOUR events before this week, Kevin Stadler had two top-5 finishes (2007 Reno-Tahoe Open-T2 and 2008 Puerto Rico Open-T4).

PGA TOUR rookie and Winston-Salem, N.C. native David Mathis turned in his best finish (T17) in his 22ndTOUR event. His previous best finish was T23 at the St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx.

The last time Fred Couples (T5) had four or more top-10 finishes in a season was in 2005 (4). He earned his four top-10 finish of the 2009 season today at the Wyndham Championship.

Next week at The Barclays, Michael Allen will join Fred Funk (2007) as the only Champions Tour players to compete in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

As the final event in the FedExCup Regular Season, the Wyndham Championship plays a vital role in the race to the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. In the off-season, the field size for the first Playoffs event was decreased from 144 to 125 and the Wyndham Championship served as the final stage for players trying to move or stay inside the top 125 in the FedExCup standings.

The Wyndham Championship has the third lowest stroke average of the season (69.086) behind the 50thBob Hope Classic (68.406) and the Travelers Championship (68.949).

A total of 87 players made the 36-hole cut at 2-under-par. Since more than 70 players made the cut, there was an additional reduction of the field to 70 professional players and ties following the third round. Following that secondary cut, the field was reduced to 70 players. The 17 players eliminated after 54 holes will receive their appropriate share of the official prize money in accordance with their respective positions.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

What's on ebay? 1975 GGO Decanter


The ggoblogger loves this description,"Very nice conditon.This is one of the rarest Ezra Brooks decanters." It was so "rare" that they only made 6000 of them.

2009 Green Coat Club Breakfast



Donald Ross at the Green Coat Club Breakfast

Larry Carroll Update

Larry Carroll was admitted to Moses Cone hospital Saturday night with what was later determined to be pneumonia in one of his lungs. He is in the ICU and is receiving an IV, antibiotics and oxygen. His room number is 2906.Please keep him, his wife Joanne and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Wyndham Championship Saturday Tickets Honored On Sunday

Due to torrential rains that interrupted the third round of the Wyndham Championship, Saturday grounds tickets and Saturday Ross Pavilion tickets will be honored for Sunday’s final round, it was announced today. Due to space limitations, Saturday hospitality tickets will not be honored for the final round.

Tremendous galleries followed multiple groups of players today, but the leaders had completed only a few holes before play was suspended at 3:53 p.m. It was the second weather delay of the day as the third round – already late starting because of the completion of the second round – was delayed two and a half hours before it began. The third round resumed at 6:42 p.m., but most fans left the course when the downpour began.

Hospitality areas include all luxury suites, sky boxes, viewing platforms, Champions Club, the YES! Weekly Party Deck and sponsored hospitality rooms in the clubhouse. Due to limited space in these venues, Saturday tickets cannot be honored tomorrow.

“We’ve definitely had some weather and operational challenges this week, but we want to thank our loyal fans for staying with us,” tournament director Mark Brazil said. “We want everyone to get their money’s worth, and today’s weather made that difficult so Saturday’s grounds tickets will be honored for tomorrow’s final round. It’s the least we can do show how much we appreciate how well this region is supporting the Wyndham Championship.”

2009 Green Coat Club Breakfast





Thursday, August 20, 2009

Sergio Garcia at Wyndham Championship

Wyndham Championship Parking Moved

Wyndham Championship Public Parking Moved to Greensboro Coliseum Complex

Will Call Location Moved to Tournament Main Entrance

Due to heavy rain that fell in a short period of time today and predictions of additional rainfall tomorrow, Wyndham Championship public parking has been moved to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex for the remainder of the tournament, it was announced today. Though patrons will continue to pay $5 for public parking, those with Thursday tickets will park free for the rest of the tournament, but they must display the Thursday daily ticket when they arrive at the Coliseum parking lot entrance.

According to PGA TOUR Meteorologist Stewart Williams, Doppler radar rainfall estimates show that more than an inch of rain fell in the area. This normally would not be a problem, but that much rain in a very short period of time was more moisture than the lower portion of the lot could handle. The public parking lot is a two-level field; all of the rain that fell drained downhill into the lower level of the lot creating the problem.

The Wyndham Championship leases the property for public parking and is thus unable to pave the parking area. The VIP, volunteer, caddie and media parking lots are paved and were unaffected by the weather. The Wyndham Championship offered tow trucks to patrons as needed.

Wyndham Championship Will Call will be relocated to its 2008 location, just inside the main entrance to the event along Forsyth Drive. Patrons who need to access Will Call will be permitted onto the shuttles to pick up their tickets. Patrons should look for the BB&T Bus – which serves as the Will Call facility – upon arrival at the main entrance.

Parking has been moved to Greensboro Coliseum

Attention Fans: For remainder of tournament, all public parking is being moved to the Greensboro Coliseum. There will be shuttles running from the Coliseum to Sedgefield.

Judy Earley Revels at the 2009 Wyndham Championship


2003 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro General Chairman Judy Earley Revels is seen here with her daughter Kate (in the braces and CCG visor) as they serve as part of the 2009 Wyndham Championship Ecology Crew.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Anna Rawson at the Wyndham Championship


Anna Rawson played with Fred Couples group at the Wyndham Championship New Breed Logistics Pro-Am on Wednesday, August 19, 2009.

Kids Zone


Wyndham Championship fans who attend the tournament with children will have access to non-golf diversion at the Sunbrella Kids Zone.

The Kids Zone is located in front of the Sedgefield Country Club clubhouse near the main entrance to the tournament. The Sunbrella Kids Zone includes two large inflatables. One is a slide complex with a palm tree in the middle; the other is a “jumping castle” with an obstacle course inside and a slide on the outside.

Sergio Garcia Fernandez at the 2009 Wyndham Championship


Sergio Garcia, ranked number 115, will play the Wyndham Championship for the first time since 2005 as he looks to end his year with a strong run in the Playoffs. Garcia enjoyed a remarkable 2008 Playoff season, as he posted three top-5 finishes, including playoff losses to Vijay Singh (The Barclays) and Camilo Villegas (THE TOUR Championship).

Steve Holmes


Steve Holmes President and CEO Wyndham Worldwide tees off on Hole #1 at this year's Wyndham Championship. 2008 Wyndham Champions Carl Pettersson was one of his playing partners.

Tim Clark with Jim Melvin

Jim Melvin at the Wyndham Championship

2009 Wyndham Championship Pro-Am


Robin Perkins and his family pose with Justin Rose at the 2009 Wyndham Championship New Breed Logistics Pro-Am held on Wednesday, August 19th.

FedEx Cup Update

Wyndham Championship final chance to boost Playoff position

Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, Davis Love III and Fred Couples among those looking to gain momentum at Regular Season finale

As the final event in the PGA TOUR Regular Season, the 2009 Wyndham Championship will again be the last opportunity for players to boost their Playoff position for the FedExCup. Among those players looking to take advantage of the final Regular Season event include Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, Davis Love III and Fred Couples.
“We are delighted to participate in the FedExCup season,” Wyndham Worldwide Chairman and CEO Stephen P. Holmes said. “Many players’ seasons hinge on their performance this week, and we are excited that fans will have the opportunity to witness the drama as it unfolds at the Wyndham Championship.”

Several changes were made to the FedExCup after the 2008 season to ensure an exciting conclusion to the Playoffs at the fourth and final Playoff event.

One change was the field size for the first Playoff event, The Barclays. The field was reduced from 144 to 125, placing a premium on a top finish at the Wyndham Championship for those players “on the bubble” looking to secure a spot in The Barclays.

Among those hovering near the bubble are Scott (No. 111) and Garcia (No. 115). Both players will play the Wyndham Championship for the first time since 2005 as they look to end their respective seasons with strong runs into the Playoffs. Garcia enjoyed an especially remarkable 2008 Playoff season, as he posted three top-5 finishes, including playoff losses to Vijay Singh (The Barclays) and Camilo Villegas (THE TOUR Championship).

Notables outside the top 125 include Carl Pettersson (No. 151), who is defending his Wyndham Championship title this week, Stuart Appleby (No. 138), Ricky Barnes (No. 141), Rocco Mediate (No. 143) and David Duval (No. 149).

Another change to the FedExCup was moving the points reset from the beginning of the Playoffs to after the third event, the BMW Championship, making Regular Season events – including the Wyndham Championship -- more important than ever before. FedExCup points earned at the Wyndham Championship will be carried until the final Playoff event, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. This ensures all 30 players at THE TOUR Championship will have a mathematical chance at winning the FedExCup, with the top five in control of their own destiny – if they win THE TOUR Championship they will also win the FedExCup.

U.S. Open champion Glover, currently fifth in the FedExCup standings, is one of those players looking to
move closer to the top of the FedExCup standings this week. After a fifth-place finish at last week’s PGA Championship, Glover could move to second in the standings with a victory at the Wyndham Championship.

Others looking to improve their position heading into the Playoffs include Love (No. 35) and Couples (No. 90). Both players, with a victory at the Wyndham Championship, would vault into the top 30 in the FedExCup

standings. Love is a two-time champion of the Wyndham Championship while Couples will be making his first start in Greensboro since 1993.

The 156-player Wyndham Championship field will be competing for 500 FedExCup points (winner’s share) beginning Thursday, Aug. 20. An exciting finish likely waits on Sunday as Shigeki Maruyama (2003) is the only champion in the past 15 years at the Wyndham Championship to win by more than three strokes.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Exclusive Wyndham Championship Youth Golf Clinic Photos





2009 Wyndham Championship Youth Golf Clinic






The Wyndham Championship Youth Golf Clinic was held at 4:30 p.m. at the Jamestown Park Golf Club. PGA TOUR professional Bubba Watson and Thomasville, N.C. LPGA golfer Marcy Hart played host for the event. The Youth Golf Clinic was conducted at Jamestown Park for the first time

What's on ebay? 1976 GGO Decanter

Monday, August 17, 2009

Feed the Children

U.S.OPEN CHAMPION LEE JANZEN & FEED THE CHILDREN HELP GREENSBORO FAMILIES

International hunger relief organization Feed The Children is pleased to announce two-time U.S. Open Golf Champion Lee Janzen will host a food distribution at Greensboro Urban Ministry Food Bank, 305 W. Lee Street on Tuesday, August 18 at 3 p.m.

Feed The Children and Lee Janzen remain committed to helping children in need throughout America during this economic downturn.

Feed The Children, working with local partner agency Greensboro Urban Ministry Food Bank, will provide a box of food and a box of personal care items to recipients. The boxes are designed to help supplement a family for up to one week.

“We are incredibly thankful that Lee Janzen has partnered with Feed The Children for this food distribution in Greensboro,” said Larry Jones, founder and president of Feed The Children. “Lee has a servant’s heart for struggling families during this difficult economic time and he is committed to reaching out to those in need during his travels on the PGA TOUR.”

Janzen has won eight times on the PGA Tour, most notably the 1993 and 1998 U.S. Open. In 1993, Janzen defeated Payne Stewart at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, en route to tying the 72-hole U.S. Open scoring record of 8-under par. Five years later, Janzen again bested Stewart to win his second U.S. Open, this time at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
_______________________________________________________________________

Kodak Challenge Hole #15 at the Wyndham Championship

The par 5 Hole #15 at Sedgefield Country Club challenges pros with an elevated tee shot that must avoid a small creek on the left and a large fairway bunker on the right. Going for the back-to-front sloping green requires a long carry over water and a deep greenside bunker. In 2008 this 547-yard hole was ranked the 6theasiest par 5 on the PGA TOUR.

“We’re very excited that the Kodak Challenge is a part of the 2009 Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club,” said Tournament Director Mark Brazil. “Hole #15 is a great fit for the Kodak Challenge with its beauty and the excitement associated with it. The 547-yard hole has become a famous par-5 and it’s sure to bring drama and fan excitement to this year’s Wyndham Championship and the Kodak Challenge competition.”

In 2009, 30 PGA TOUR tournaments feature a designated Kodak Challenge hole. Players must play at least 18 of the 30 Kodak Challenge holes throughout the season to compete for $1 million and the Kodak Challenge trophy. A player’s lowest score relative to par on his best 18 Kodak Challenge holes will be counted. The player with the lowest cumulative score relative to par wins. The 2009 Kodak Challenge competition concludes at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic in November at DISNEY’s Magnolia Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, FL.