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Wyndham Notebook: Unkindest cut of all comes today

Sunday, August 23, 2009
(Updated 7:14 am)

 

GREENSBORO -- Sometimes, the second cut is the deepest.

John Daly, Davis Love III and 16-year-old amateur Justin Thomas are among the golfers who made the Wyndham Championship's 36-hole standard cut but are subject to eviction from the field this morning by the 54-hole cut rule, a measure invoked when weather threatens to prevent a tournament's completion by Sunday night.

Normally, if you're playing on Sunday in a PGA Tour event, you're officially in contention for victory. This morning, however, as many as 16 players will be sent packing -- after they survived the 36-hole reduction.

Eighty-seven men started the third round -- the highest such total on the Tour this year -- and only 24 of them finished it Saturday. At 7:30 this morning, the other 63 will pick up where they left off when play was halted at 7:57 p.m., two minutes before sunset.

At this point, the top 70 and all those tied for 70th will survive. (By rule, Tour officials could theoretically change that to the top 60 if the weather is again miserable, but today's forecast is benign.)

At the end of Saturday's play, 71 players were at 4-under-par or better. Daly (1-under), Thomas (1-under) and Love (1-over) were unlikely to be around for the fourth round, which is tentatively scheduled to start at 11 a.m.

The professionals among the 36-hole survivors will all get paychecks as long as they show up today; the three-round field reduction is for competitive and time-saving purposes only.

The 54-hole cut isn't entirely unheard of. The Wyndham is the ninth event of the year to employ it.

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES: Shirts, hats, ball markers, visors, umbrellas. You can buy just about anything at this week's Wyndham Championship -- including a membership into the club that is home to the tournament.

Like many country clubs these days, Sedgefield is looking to beef up a sagging membership deflated by the economy. The club has a tent outside its Tudor clubhouse this week hoping to dispel a few myths about the club and attract new members.

"Sedgefield is still a mystery to a lot of people," said Mike Stiefel, a member who was manning the booth Saturday. "They know it's here. They just don't ever venture out here."

Years ago, a Sedgefield membership set you back more than $30,000 up front. That didn't include the monthly fees.

Earlier this year Sedgefield offered a limited-time deal: Sign up and the club would waive the initiation fee of approximately $12,000. About two dozen families jumped at the offer.

"It's a great deal for families," Stiefel said. "Obviously our golf course is a big attraction, but we've got a great swimming and tennis program, too. We're not just for dads, we're more family oriented these days."

FATHER AND SON: Kevin Stadler, tied for third entering this morning's play, is trying to join his dad in Greensboro's winner's circle. Craig Stadler won the 1980 Greater Greensboro Open. The Stadlers would equal the Geibergers (Al in 1976, Brent in 2004) as father-son champions here.

Kevin Stadler is one man in clear need of a big week. He began the tournament 133rd in the FedEx Cup points standings; the top 125 make the playoffs, which begin next week.

60 MINUTES: CBS (WFMY-2 locally) will start its coverage at 3 p.m. today. The network will stick with the event until 7, if necessary, but if weather or other delays again interfere and competition runs past 7, coverage will shift to The Golf Channel.

There's a certain news-magazine program scheduled to air on CBS at 7. This week, it does not include Michael Vick.

FREDDY'S READY: Fred Couples, who becomes eligible for the Champions Tour on Oct. 3, is still quite capable of playing with the young guys, thank you.

With the sun setting, Couples knocked home a 15-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole Saturday night to get to 12-under, one shot off the lead.

"I feel good right now," he said moments later. "It was a long day. (Today) should be an exciting day for me."

SCOUT'S HONOR: Saturday's three-hour weather delay made for a long day of golf for players. But it was nothing compared with volunteers who must show up rain or shine. Three of those were Chris Woody, Wyatt Peterson and Thomas Harris.

Peterson and Harris are Eagle Scouts with Troop 160 in Greensboro. Woody is their Scoutmaster.

Here's a typical day this week for them: Get to the course at 7 a.m.. Pick up and haul trash all day. Head home at 9:30 p.m.

"There's a lot of trash to be hauled," Woody said.

You can tell a lot about a golf fan by his garbage. The Scouts find more empty cans of Golden Guilford beer, a premium ale by Natty Greene's, out on the course. They find more Michelob Light and Bud Light around the clubhouse.

"You think it would be the other way around," Woody said. "But we haul it all away anyway."

 

Staff writer Robert Bell contributed to this report.

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