FanHouse is fighting the rain at Greensboro's 2009 Wyndham Championship.GREENSBORO, N.C. -- There are an impressive number of "hometown favorites" at the Wyndham this year: Davis Love is a semi-local and previous winner; Carl Pettersson is an actual ex-Greensboro resident and last year's winner; and Brandt Snedeker even has his own fans -- literally. There are fans for patrons to purchase that have his face on them.
But the story heading into Saturday afternoon and the 4,000th rain delay* of the tournament is the presence of Sergio Garcia and Fred Couples on the leaderboard, sandwiched between the unknown Chris Riley and the unsponsored Ryan Moore. Couples, now approaching 50 years of age, and Garcia, winless since last year's Players, both have an opportunity to make some noise heading into the FedEx Cup.
Garcia started at 9-under but ripped off birdies on the first, third and fifth holes before play was suspended around 4:30 PM ET -- both he and Couples, who birdied one, two and five, now sit barely back of Riley, who has come on strong in his last three tournaments, finishing no lower than seventeenth.
It appears -- at least from the quality of the course (which is somehow worse in person than it is on the teevee) and the general attitude of the players and tournament officials, that play will be suspended for the day. More rainstorms are en route later in the evening, and the current flood-like conditions aren't guaranteed to clear up in time for the Donald Ross-designed Sedgefield to become playable.
That's the bad news. The good news is that right now, as noted above, Couples and Garcia are squarely in contention, and they are joined by Kevin Stadler (an enjoyable fellow and son of the Walrus), Bill Haas (another semi-local who played golf at nearby Wake Forest), the loveable Moore, fan-favorite Snedeker and once-upon-good golfer Justin Rose on the immediate leaderboard.
All of that means that the Wyndham should expect big crowds (along with decent weather -- Greensboro's forecast is surprisingly sunny tomorrow) and a lot of dart-throwing on Sunday, with today's weather paving the way for low scores.
As for what we can expect, well, it seems unreasonable to presume that Garcia is going to win just because he's the biggest name on the board at this stage in the game; it's been more or less his MO, career-wise, to not win when he's sitting one back. Couples, on the other hand, probably provides the most compelling storyline as a near-50-something fan favorite who seems past his prime but somehow seems poised to make a run for a late-season win.
*May not be accurate
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Boo Weekley hits from the rough on the second hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Spectators leave the area due to a weather delay during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Kevin Stadler, right, waits to hit on the third tee during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Fred Couples reacts after making a birdie putt on the second hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Eduardo Romero, from Argentina, hits off the seventh tee during the third round of the Jeld-Wen Tradition golf tournament at Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Ore., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
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Fred Couples watches his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Sergio Garcia, of Spain, chips to the fifth hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Sergio Garcia, of Spain, lines up a putt with his caddie during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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GREENSBORO, NC - AUGUST 22: D.J. Trahan waits to hit his approach shot on the 10th hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on August 22, 2009 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Keane/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** D.J. Trahan
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GREENSBORO, NC - AUGUST 22: D.J. Trahan waits to hit his approach shot on the 10th hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on August 22, 2009 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Keane/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** D.J. Trahan
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hi there!
I´m a big fan of Garcia! I think he will be the winner ´cause he´s an excellent golfer.
Last year I played golf in Argentina and I'd really enjoyed my stay there.
I suggest the service called: Let's golf in Argentina.
Bye,
Robert.