WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAMER ERNIE ELS JOINS 75TH ANNIVERSARY WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD

ERNIE ELS JOINS WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD

"GREENSBORO, N.C. – World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els just joined the field for the 75^th anniversary Wyndham Championship, the tournament announced this evening.  The Wyndham begins Monday at Sedgefield Country Club.

Els joins a field that also includes former Wyndham winners Brandt Snedeker (2007), 2012 U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson (2011), defending champion Patrick Reed, Davis Love III (1992, 2006), Rocco Mediate (1993, 2002) and 2008 champion Carl Pettersson, 2011 FedExCup champion Bill Haas, major championship winners Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Stewart Cink, Mike Weir, Trevor Immelman, Lucas Glover and David Duval, Tim Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, Matteo Manassero, Francesco Molinari, Ryo Ishikawa and World Golf Hall of Famer Fred Couples.  2014 winners Brian Harman, Matt Every, Chesson Hadley, Scott Stallings and Steve Bowditch are also in the field. 

Els is 98^th in the current FedExCup point standings and 60^th in the Official World Golf Rankings.  Golfers playing this weekend’s PGA Championship have until 30 minutes after play concludes today at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., to join next week’s Wyndham field. 

Celebrating its 75^th anniversary in 2014 and contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors.  Tickets are available at Piedmont Triad Harris Teeter locations, www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office.  The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Cadillac, Harris Teeter, Lincoln Financial, McConnell Golf, New Breed Logistics, 

Sunbrella^®, Technology Concepts & Design, Inc. and VF Corporation for their continued support.  Additional tournament information, including ticket packages and sponsorship information, is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570.  For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.  Stay connected with the Wyndham Championship through its social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Flickr and YouTube."

- A Press Release

WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAMER FRED COUPLES JOINS WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD

FRED COUPLES

"Fred Couples will play in the 75^th anniversary Wyndham Championship starting two weeks from tomorrow, the tournament announced today.  The 75^th anniversary Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 11-17, 2014 at Sedgefield Country Club.

Couples, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013, joins a field that also includes former Wyndham winners Brandt Snedeker, 2012 U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson, defending champion Patrick Reed, Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Davis Love III and Rocco Mediate. 

Couples will make his 13^th appearance at the Wyndham Championship; he last played here in 2010. He has three top-10 finishes at the Wyndham with the latest coming in 2009 when he finished tied for fifth.  The Wyndham Championship will be his third PGA TOUR start of the season; he finished tied for 20^th at the Masters and missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.  He has 15 PGA TOUR victories, including the 1992 Masters tournament, five international wins and 27 “other” wins in special events. 

On the Champions Tour, Couples is 7^th in the current Charles Schwab Cup point standings.  He has a win and two runner-up finishes among five top-10s this season.  He has 10 Champions Tour wins including the 2013 Charles Schwab Cup Championship and the 2012 U.S. Senior Open Championship.

Couples represented the United States on five Ryder Cup Teams (1989, ’91, 93, ’95 and ’97) and seven Presidents Cup teams; he was the winning Presidents Cup captain in 2009, ’11 and ’13 and played on the team in 1994, ’96, ’98 and 2005.  A native of Seattle, he has earned nearly $30 Million in his PGA TOUR and Champions Tour careers combined.  In addition to the World Golf Hall of Fame, he is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame; he is an alumnus of the University of Houston. 

 “Having Fred join our field is a big deal for the Wyndham Championship,” tournament director Mark Brazil said.   “He’s a great friend of the tournament, and I know he loves Sedgefield.  We’re honored that he would come back and help us celebrate our 75^th anniversary.” 

Celebrating its 75^th anniversary in 2014 and contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors.  Tickets are available at Piedmont Triad Harris Teeter locations, www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office.  The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Cadillac, Harris Teeter, Lincoln Financial, McConnell Golf, New Breed Logistics, Sunbrella^®, Technology Concepts & Design, Inc. and VF Corporation for their continued support.  Additional tournament information, including ticket packages and sponsorship information, is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570.  For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.  Stay connected with the Wyndham Championship through its social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Flickr and YouTube."

WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP WELCOMES FORMER CHAMPIONS IN CELEBRATION OF 75TH ANNIVERSARY

World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins

"GREENSBORO, N.C. – In celebration of its 75^th anniversary, the Wyndham Championship, the sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors, will welcome back several former winners during tournament week, the tournament announced today.  The 75^th anniversary Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 11-17, 2014.  

World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins, 1959 champion Dow Finsterwald, 1958 champion Bob Goalby as well as two-time champions Rocco Mediate and Davis Love III will all return to the Wyndham next month to help celebrate the tournament’s 75^th anniversary.  The Wyndham Championship counts 17 World Golf Hall of Famers among its former winners including Sam Snead who won the tournament eight times and is the golfer for whom the tournament trophy is named, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros. 

Wadkins, who won the Greater Greensboro Open in 1983, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.  He won 21 PGA TOUR events including the 1977 PGA Championship and represented the United States in the Ryder Cup nine times.  The Wake Forest University alumnus ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 86 weeks from its debut in 1986 to 1988.  Currently a member of the Golf Channel Champions Tour broadcast team, Wadkins will be at the Wyndham early in the week before traveling to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open Champions Tour event in Endicott, N.Y.

Finsterwald, who finished second or third on the money list every year between 1957 and 1960, won the tournament at Starmount Forest Country Club in 1959.  In the tournament’s early years, it was contested at either Starmount Forest Country Club or Sedgefield Country Club, the tournament’s current home.  Some years, two rounds were played at each course.  In 1958, all four rounds were at Starmount Forest. 

An 11-time PGA TOUR winner, Finsterwald won the 1958 PGA Championship and was named the 1958 PGA TOUR Player of the year.  He finished fifth or better more than 50 times in his career.  The 1959 tournament will forever be remembered for its radical change in weather conditions.  After three days of perfect weather with temperatures in the 80s and Finsterwald recording three rounds in the 60s, a cold front moved through the region, and championship Sunday came with cold, hard rain, wind and temperatures in the 40s.  Consequently, Finsterwald shot 77 in the final round, still the highest final-round score recorded by a tournament winner. 

Goalby won the 1958 Greater Greensboro Open, also at Starmount Forest Country Club.  Goalby, also an 11-time PGA TOUR winner, won the Masters in 1968. His nephew, Jay Haas, currently plays on the Champions Tour, and another nephew, Jerry Haas, coaches the Wake Forest University golf team. His great-nephew, Bill Haas, plays on the PGA TOUR and won the FedEx Cup Championship in 2011.

Love is one of the nine golfers with multiple Wyndham wins, and he will play in the 75^th Wyndham Championship.  He fired a final-round 62 to come back from a six-stroke deficit to win the 1992 tournament then called the Kmart Greater Greensboro Open.  His second win came in 2006 in the final tournament before Wyndham Worldwide took over title sponsorship the next year.  It was also the last time the tournament was played in the fall before moving to its current August dates.  This year’s tournament will be Love’s 20^th Wyndham Championship appearance.

Mediate, who will also play in the 75^th anniversary Wyndham, is another of the nine golfers with more than one Wyndham Championship victory; he won the tournament in 1993 when it was called the Kmart Greater Greensboro Open and in 2002 when it was called the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic.  He plays the Champions Tour now but is returning to the Wyndham for one final time in celebration of the tournament’s 75^th anniversary.  After Mediate won the tournament in 1993, he was unable to defend his title the next year due to a back injury.  Rather than just not playing, he asked the Greensboro News & Record to print his letter apologizing to the fans for being unable to defend.  This year’s tournament will mark Mediate’s 23^rd Wyndham Championship appearance. 

“Preparing for our 75^th anniversary has been fun in a lot of ways,” tournament director Mark Brazil said.  “But I think welcoming these former winners back to the Wyndham Championship will be the centerpiece of our 75^th anniversary celebration.  These guys had or are having some incredible careers, and we are all looking forward to seeing them.  We are planning some opportunities for the fans to meet these champions, and when we have that confirmed, we’ll get the word out.”

Celebrating its 75^th anniversary in 2014 and contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors.  Tickets are available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office.  The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Cadillac, Harris Teeter, Lincoln Financial, McConnell Golf, New Breed Logistics, Sunbrella^®, Technology Concepts & Design, Inc. and VF Corporation for their continued support.  Additional tournament information, including ticket packages and sponsorship information, is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570.  For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.  Stay connected with the Wyndham Championship through its social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Flickr and YouTube."

A Press Release

PAST CHAMPIONS JOIN WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD

WEBB SIMPSON

With just three weeks remaining before the 75^th anniversary Wyndham Championship, three PGA TOUR stars highlight the players making early commitments to the Wyndham field.  Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker and defending champion Patrick Reed have now officially joined the field and will play this year’s Wyndham Championship, the tournament announced today.  The 75^th anniversary Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 11-17, 2014 at Sedgefield Country Club.

Simpson is the 2011 Wyndham winner and the 2012 U.S. Open Champion.  The Wake Forest University alumnus is making his sixth consecutive appearance here.  He finished tied for 11^th last year.  Simpson is currently 13^th in the FedExCup point standings and 29^th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Snedeker earned his first-career victory at the 2007 Wyndham Championship, the first tournament with Wyndham Worldwide as the title sponsor.  He was later named the 2007 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and has gone onto an exemplary career.  He is the 2012 FedExCup champion and has six-career PGA TOUR victories.  This year’s tournament will be Snedeker’s seventh consecutive appearance here. After battling some early-season injuries, Snedeker is 86^th in the current FedExCup point standings and 35^th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Reed captured his first-career PGA TOUR win at the Wyndham last year. He survived a thrilling two-hole playoff with 2013 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Jordan Spieth.  Since then, he won the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation and the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship earlier this year.  He enters the 75^th anniversary Wyndham Championship in 10^th place in the current FedExCup point standings and 30^th in the Official World Golf Rankings. 

“We always say our field will start taking shape around the middle of July, and these three players make a pretty good start,” Wyndham Championship tournament director Mark Brazil said.  “A FedExCup champion, a U.S. Open champion and three former winners – that’s impressive.  If we can keep things going at this pace, we should have a great field by the time the Wyndham gets here next month.”  

Celebrating its 75^th anniversary in 2014 and contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors.  Tickets are available at Piedmont Triad Harris Teeter locations, www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office.  The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Cadillac, Harris Teeter, Lincoln Financial, McConnell Golf, New Breed Logistics, Sunbrella^®, Technology Concepts & Design, Inc. and VF Corporation for their continued support.  Additional tournament information, including ticket packages and sponsorship information, is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570.  For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.  Stay connected with the Wyndham Championship through its social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Flickr and YouTube.

-Submitted by Rob Goodman