13 Aug 2020 | Professional golf |
Crunch time for Aussie contingent
by Contributor
Six Australians will appear at this week’s Wyndham Championship, the US PGA Tour’s final regular season event before the FedExCup playoffs.
And four of those Aussies will need a big week in Greensboro, North Carolina, if their seasons are to continue into next week’s 125-man field at The Northern Trust.
Aaron Baddeley, Greg Chalmers, Cameron Davis, Rhein Gibson, Matt Jones and Cameron Percy are all in the field at Sedgefield Country Club, but only Jones and Davis have assured themselves another start this year.
Everyone else will need at least a top-10 finish to have a chance at playing TPC Boston next week.
Jones and Davis sit at Nos. 87 and 102, respectively, in the FedExCup standings entering the final week of the 2019-20 regular season. Both have a pair of top-10 finishes this season, including a T5 showing by Jones at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T8 by Davis at the Honda Classic.
The pair are among six Australians who have already qualified for the postseason, though they are the only ones in the field this week.
Marc Leishman (No.14 in the FedExCup), Cameron Smith (29th), Adam Scott (34th) and Jason Day (42nd) are all currently in position to reach the second leg of the playoffs, the BMW Championship, which is set to take place outside Chicago at Olympia Fields Country Club.
Jones and Davis can put themselves into a similar position as their compatriots with a big week at the Wyndham Championship. Davis will need a four-way tie for second or better to reach the current projection of 504 points needed to make the BMW Championship, while Jones needs a solo fourth or better.
The odds are a bit longer for everyone else.
Percy, who sits at No.140 in the FedExCup, will need a solo ninth or three-way tie for eighth to reach the 287-point threshold expected to qualify for The Northern Trust.
And Baddeley, ranked No. 156, will likely need a solo fourth or better to have a chance.
Gibson (No.190), meanwhile, must finish in a three-way tie for second or better to keep his season alive, while Chalmers (No.245) must win or finish runner-up.
An Australian has not finished second or better at the Wyndham Championship since 1990 champion Steve Elkington lost in a playoff to Rocco Mediate in 1993. Elkington remains the only Aussie winner of the long-time Greensboro event.
The good news for these players? While post-season appearances are still on the line at the Wyndham Championship, unlike previous years, Tour members will not be playing for their cards this season because of schedule changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Australians at Wyndham can qualify for FedExCup: Aaron Baddeley: solo fourth or better Greg Chalmers: runner-up or win Cameron Davis: qualified Rhein Gibson: three-way tie for second or better Matt Jones: qualified Cameron Percy: solo ninth or three-way tie for eighth
Wyndham Championship career-best finishes: Aaron Baddeley: T24 (2018) Greg Chalmers: T32 (2009) Cameron Davis: T22 (2019) Rhein Gibson: T53 (2016) Matt Jones: T5 (2013) Cameron Percy: T33 (2016 and 2018)
via PGA Tour
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