GREENSBORO, NC – The usual drama is missing from this year’s Wyndham Championship and it has nothing to do with the fanless environment at Sedgefield Country Club.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a multitude of ripple effects for the 2020 PGA Tour season, but one of those most acutely felt in the regular season finale is the lack of paper in the balance. Usually a trip to Sedgefield Country Club brings with it an unmistakable scenario: hit the top 125 in points and you’ll keep your card for next season (and make your way to the playoffs). Lose it and you are probably planning a trip to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to save your status.
But this year due to the pandemic, the stakes are slightly lower: all players currently exempt from the Tour will retain at least one status for the 2020-21 season. But that doesn’t mean players can breathe completely easily. Those who finish off the top 125 will have their cards for next year, but will also be subject to a reshuffle, meaning they won’t know exactly when their number will be called or what specific events they will be eligible to play.
It’s a familiar scenario for Rob Oppenheim, who has been a pro for 18 years as he bounced between the Korn Ferry and PGA circuits. He went up, he went down, but he never achieved the stability of keeping his PGA Tour privileges for two consecutive seasons by making the playoffs. Every year he’s been on the big stage, he’s been subjected to the shaky pace of a reshuffle-prone category.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played in a PGA Tour event I’ve attended,” said Oppenheim. “To have some flexibility to choose your schedule, pick and choose or play some events that I know courses suit me better than others, it would be great to have that luxury.”
That could change on Sunday in Sedgefield, where Oppenheim entered an 8-under 62, which he described as “one of the best rounds I’ve ever played”. It led him into a tie for second at 16 under, two shots behind Si Woo Kim. Oppenheim saw the joy and heartbreak on both sides of the bubble at the Q-School and the Finals. He will now have a place in the last couple on Sunday with a chance to win the Tour for the first time at 40.
“It’s what we play for, putting ourselves in these situations and seeing how to handle them,” said Oppenheim. “I have not been in this situation, on Sunday I have never been in one of the last two or three groups. But I’ve found myself in many situations where I’ve struggled to keep my job or tried to get out here. “
Wyndham Championship: results across the board | Full coverage
Current position of FedExCup points
But after starting week 145, it’s not a win or fail mentality for Oppenheim. He likely needs a top 5 finish to get into the top 125, and is fully aware of the stability a playoff offering would offer, not to mention a trip back in time, as the Massachusetts native made his own. debut on the PGA Tour at TPC Boston in 2006.
“This was the main goal at the beginning of the year. I’ve never done that, “he said.” This is my third year on the PGA Tour and I’ve never made the playoffs. Because it’s up in Boston, I know there aren’t any fans, but just being up there would really be special to play that event “.
Oppenheim admitted it’s difficult to gauge what category difference in terms of in or out of the top 125 could mean exactly how many starts a player will have next season. But there will definitely be a drop between the two, and he’s not alone in trying to get out of the reshuffle for next year. Peter Malnati started the week at number 144 in points and, entering the final round tied for seventh place, is currently projected to move up to number 123 and earn a playoff bid by a slim margin.
“I’ve played in both categories, and it’s much nicer when you know you’re in all the open court events,” said Malnati. “That way there is a much better feeling during the season. There is a lot at stake for me tomorrow, and I know it. But I hope it will be something that will help me focus a little more. “
It’s not just the blue-collar workers who will be watching Sedgefield’s chart projections. The final round will exhaust the five-year exemption Zach Johnson received for winning the 2015 Open, and he started the week at number 129 and facing the prospect of a state downgrade. But a 61 from the third round equalized the lowest score of the week and got him into the top 10 in the final round, giving him some breathing room on the bubble projections.
“I’m going to play,” Johnson said. “I usually do a pretty good job, being alone in my own little world, and that’s how I’ll get close again.”
The stakes may be lower, but the calculators will continue to train on Sunday. A good engagement in the final round of a regular season unlike any other could mean a chance for the playoff bounty that awaits in the next three weeks. It could mean the added comfort of creating your own schedule. And for a guy like Oppenheim, it could mean the biggest breakthrough of his career after nearly two decades of hard work with blue collar status.
“Some of the situations I’ve been in, I’m trying to keep my job and play for my career. I have two children at home. Trying to survive sometimes throughout my career, “Oppenheim said.” I’ll try to remember some of those times where I had some big rounds and I did. “
.
