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Best Longshot Bets and Sleeper Picks for the 2020 Wyndham Championship

Chris Amberley

by Chris Amberley in Golf

Updated Mar 17, 2021 · 2:31 PM PDT

Russell Henley
Russell Henley on the 5th hole during the final round of a PGA golf tournament on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
  • Just eight of the top-30 players in the world are teeing it up at the Wyndham Championship
  • Russell Henley leads the field in strokes gained approach since the restart
  • Read below for analysis of the event and our favorite sleepers and longshot plays

156 golfers will tee it up Thursday at the Wyndham Championship in the final event before the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. No one will confuse this with an elite field, as just eight players ranked in the top-30 in the world are at Sedgefield Country Club this week, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be found on the odds board.

J.T. Poston won this tournament as a +10000 longshot in 2019, and we’ll be looking for another sleeper to cash a big cheque for us this year.

Wyndham Championship Odds

Golfer To Win Odds Top-10 Odds Top-20 Odds at DraftKings
Russell Henley +5500 +550 +300
Henrik Norlander +9000 +650 +335
Wesley Bryan +25000 +2200 +1000

Odds taken Aug. 11th.

Henley’s Irons are Hot Fire

Since the restart, no player has been more dialed in with their irons than Russell Henley. The three-time winner on tour leads this field in strokes gained approach since June, and is fresh off gaining 7.1 shots with his irons at the PGA Championship.

Russell Henley Stats – Last Four Tournaments

Event SG: T2G SG: OTT SG: APP SG: P
PGA 7.4 -1.4 7.1 -4.3
3M Open 3.8 0.7 1.6 -3.6
Workday Charity Open 11 2.9 6 -1.5
Travelers 9.1 1.8 8.2 -4.8

This week’s event is going to be a pure birdie fest, so we’re going to want to target golfers who will give themselves the most makeable birdie putts. Henley absolutely fills that mould, and is known to get crazy hot with the putter on Bermuda greens.

Yes, Henley has lost strokes putting in each of his last four events, but none of those tournaments were on Bermuda greens. Now that we’re back on his preferred putting surface, look for his performance on the greens to improve, and if the irons stay hot he’ll have a great chance to compete for the title.

Pick: Russell Henley to Win (+5500)

Norlander is Poised for a Big Week

Another player who’s been stuffing it close repeatedly since the restart is Henrik Norlander. The Swede ranks third in this field since June in strokes gained approach, and is one start removed from a sixth place finish at the Memorial.

He’s made all but one cut since the restart, and has gained at least four strokes with his irons in three of those six tournaments. Unlike Henley, putting has not been an issue, as he gained 8.4 strokes on the greens at the Memorial, and another 3.6 at the Workday Charity Open. Given his recent form, and the quality of this field, his top-10 price feels like a steal.

Pick: Henrik Norlander Top-10 (+650)

Bryant a Deep Sleeper

Wesley Bryan didn’t make a single start on the PGA Tour in 2019, after missing the cut in his final seven events of 2018. The former RBC Heritage champion was broken, but it appears now his game has been pieced back together.

Bryan has been knocking on the top-20 door in each of his last two starts, finishing 21st at the Rocket Mortgage, and 24th at the Travelers. His iron play was exception in both those tournaments, gaining a combined 14.3 strokes on approach. He’s made at least 17 birdies in each of his three events this year, breaking 70 in nine of his 12 rounds.

Also working in his favor is the fact that his biggest weakness is minimized at Sedgefield. Bryan is a rare combination of short and inaccurate off the tee, but historically strokes gained off the tee is less than half as important to finishing position as strokes gained approach.

Pick: Wesley Bryan Top-20 (+1000)

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