The Wyndham Championship will be held this week at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is the last regular season tour event prior to the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs that begin next week with the Barclays.
Tour players that are hovering in the 120-130 spots on the FedEx Cup points list will be working to earn enough points to either stay or move inside the Top-125 to secure their card for 2014.
Gaining a spot inside the Top-125 assures the opportunity to earn prize money in each playoff event in which they qualify to play. The four FedEx Cup Playoff events each offer a total purse of at least $8 million.
They also earn a season ending bonus that increases as a player moves deeper into the playoffs. A total of $35 million is distributed among the top-200 players in the FedEx Cup rankings.
In 2012 PGA Tour players that ended the season ranked Nos. 101-125 earned a $70,000 bonus. No. 25 earned $200,000 and the winner Brandt Snedeker won $10 million.
When was the last time you received a $200,000 bonus from your employer?
There is a lot of money on the table for tour professionals to maintain their playing privileges on the PGA Tour. Endorsement contracts and larger purses compared to other various professional golf tours make the PGA Tour the most lucrative by far.
Ten of the Top-50 players on the Official World Golf Rankings are in the field this week at the Wyndham trying to keep their games sharp for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Brandt Snedeker, Bill Haas, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson and Nick Watney are all in the field.
Sergio Garcia is the defending champion and is just one of seven past Wyndham champions in the field.
North Carolina homeboy, Davis Love III will be making his 19th start at the Wyndham Championship. He won this event in 1992 and 2006. He also has had five top-10 finishes in Greensboro.
Players to watch this week near the Top-125 mark include, Greg Chalmers, Stuart Appleby, Ben Crane, Steven Bowditch, Peter Hanson, Padraig Harrington, Bud Cauley, Woody Austin and Tommy Gainey.
Not only are they playing for the prize money offered by the Wyndham Championship, but they are also trying to keep their card for 2014, gain a berth in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and increase their annual bonus.
For golf fans there is a plethora of reasons to watch the Wyndham Championship this weekend.