The PGA Tour closes out the regular season in familiar fashion. A high intensity, dramatic sprint to the FedEx Cup playoffs through Greensboro, North Carolina at the Wyndham Championship. Careers are on the line at Sedgefield Country Club at a rare venue that prioritizes precision over power and will ultimately decide which 70 players advance on to the first leg of the playoffs.
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The familiarity of Sedgefield makes it one of the most identifiable tests on the schedule in terms of determining course fits. A short, 7,131-yard Donald Ross gem that emphasizes strategy and proper angles into the multi-tiered green complexes sets the stage for difficulty. The best fits are typically accurate players who can play from the short grass, attack pins from inside 150 yards, and guys who can roll it on Bermuda. That’s the Sedgefield formula in a nutshell.
Defending champion Cameron Young alongside a slew of other players flirting with the top 70 who are eager to perform under the heightened pressure. They’ve been playing professional tournaments at Sedgefield since 1938, quietly making it one of the most predictable and important tournaments of the year.
Let’s use that data to isolate our top-10 contenders to win the 2026 Wyndham Championship.
10. Mac Meissner 
Justin Edmonds
Here is a name that might not carry the same recognition as others, but the numbers do the talking for Mac Meissner. He ranks near the top in approach play and has an excellent track record in comp course history across places like Waialae, Harbour Town and Sea Island. Looking at that trio alone is a good predictor for success at Sedgefield.
There’s very little precedent for calling for a Meissner victory in a big-time spot on the schedule, but his name should be on your longshot radar, and thus a target in positional markets. The models don’t care about name recognition, and neither should your betting picks. The course fit is a near perfect match.
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9. Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas makes the list because of the obvious ceiling and talent, but I’ll be honest, his skillset doesn’t screen “Sedgefield.” His recent form stateside provides reason for optimism as Thomas posted six consecutive starts with a top-20 finish before traveling overseas for The Open where he always struggles.
He nearly holed out on the 72nd hole at Sedgefield three years ago in a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Ball-striking has been trending up as the season has progressed, and Thomas has elite hands around the greens to scramble when required. He could use a kickstart headed into the Playoffs, and this is a great place to garner momentum.
8. Davis Thompson 
Icon Sportswire
Maybe the least excited name in the rankings, but too obvious to ignore. Davis Thompson has been stellar at Sedgefield Country Club the last three years. His scoring average is a blazing 67.8, and he arrives in Greensboro with form following back-to-back top-10 finishes at the 3M Open and Rocket Classic.
He hits a high percentage of greens in regulation and typically operates best on courses where he can club down off the tee and prioritize accuracy. The putter can run hot and cold, but Thompson has shown the kind of steady game from tee-to-green and should allow him to hang around the leaderboard on Sunday.
7. Tom Kim
Roll the clock back to 2022 for some Wyndham history. It was the year that Tom Kim arrived on the big stage with a closing 61 at Sedgefield to win by five strokes, the first of his career which allowed him to lock up his PGA Tour card. His trademark accuracy, wedge play, and aggressive style brought this course to its knees, and he can do it again.
Over a recent five-start stretch, he gained +1.2 strokes per round on approach, signaling a return to form and confidence that helped him capture victory at the Scottish Open. This is a player who fits the course and knows the blueprint.
6. Ben Kohles 
Gregory Shamus
You couldn’t hand pick a better time and better course to put your money on Ben Kohles. He ranks at the top of the field in Driving Accuracy and recent approach play, so the positional nature of this course is a perfect fit. Kohles grew up in Cary, N.C., roughly an hour from Greensboro and he’s coming home playing the best golf of his career.
He’s been steadily lurking on leaderboards ever since his near miss at the John Deere Classic. It’s time to pay off the form, and some players just need the right set up to achieve greatness. Ignore the missed cuts of the past, this is a different man in 2026 that has his eyes on the trophy.
5. Aaron Rai
We aren’t that far removed from Rai dismantling another flagship Donald Ross course in Aronimink in the final round to win the PGA Championship. He has a clear understanding of the type of questions that Ross asks, and he thrives on courses where he can use his accuracy to his advantage.
Let’s also not forget that Aaron Rai has already written the story at Sedgefield, winning the 2024 Wyndham Championship by two strokes with a final-round 64. His putter has gone cold as the summer has moved along, but the return to southern Bermudagrass might be just the changeup that Rai needed to regain his confidence. He’s a major champion in 2026, putting him in the category of a player that you must take notice of any time he puts a tee in the ground.
4. Hideki Matsuyama
No rest for the weary when it comes to Hideki Matsuyama who is playing for the fourth consecutive week ahead of the playoffs. There’s no reason to slow down when you’re playing this well, as Matsuyama enters this week with added confidence coming off back-to-back top-five finishes.
The course fit is notably iffy, but the trajectory of form is on a beeline towards a win. Few in the field have the elite combination of major championship level talent combined with the consistency required to make 30-plus consecutive cuts. Now is the time to back Matsuyama with confidence.
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3. Jackson Koivun 
Raj Mehta
The kid is a problem, in the best possible way. He’s already gotten his victory on the PGA Tour and it took three starts. Jackson Koivun is brimming with swagger and has zero scar tissue that comes with prolonged failure. Nothing about Sundays is scary for Koivun.
The putting numbers for Koivun thus far are absurd, which checks out when looking at his performances in college as well. Putting is a key separating factor as Sedgefield historically, so this should be a course where his biggest strength is rewarded. It’s one of the few stops on tour where he actually has course history. The summer of Jackson Koivun is upon us. Can you imagine if he wins twice in five starts as a pro?
2. Ben Griffin
The stars appear to be aligning and pointing in the same direction, right at Ben Griffin. A Chapel Hill kid, University of North Carolina alum, and a tier A player in the field who needs a win badly in 2026. A missed cut last week in Detroit isn’t concerning and might actually be a good omen when looking at recent years.
The bottom line is that Griffin is the best player in the field on and around the greens. His putter has excelled on every Donald Ross venue that he’s played, and he has exceptional course history to put a bow on his case to win. He’ll be there.
1. Cameron Young
It’s not often that the defending champion is also the top ranked player in the field. Such is the case with Cameron Young, who has a great chance to solidify his case for PGA Tour Player of the Year with another victory this week at the Wyndham Championship.
Young was quiet over the weekend in Detroit last week, but he did exactly the same thing when he won here a year ago. His resume and ball-striking form should land him firmly in contention, and he’s made massive strides in the Sunday closing department since his first career win came at Sedgefield Country Club in 2025. He’s the favorite for good reason.
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Joe Idone is a Read The Line contributor and host of the Preferred Lines podcast.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
