The Wyndham Championship Comes Out Swinging in Greensboro
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For generations, the Greater Greensboro Open was a showcase for such golfing greats as Sam Snead, Byron Jones and Ben Hogan. Now, the legendary tournament is back with a new name and an old location, en route to its former status as one of the game’s great championships.
In 2008, the PGA pro tournament, called the Wyndham Championship and sponsored by the hospitality giant, returned to the spot where it began in 1938 – Sedgefield Country Club. An estimated 80,000 fans turned out for four days in August to see golf at its best at one of the best clubs in the country.
“It was an incredible chance to promote our region to the rest of the country and the rest of the world as a great place to live and work,” Wyndham Championship Director Mark Brazil says of the televised event.
Though it began at Sedgefield, the tournament had moved several times in its colorful history, at first alternating with Starmount Forest Country Club, then finding a home in 1977 at Forest Oaks Country Club for more than 30 years, with several sponsors.
Finally, the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation, a group of regional business leaders, became hosts of the event. The foundation partnered with Wyndham Worldwide in 2007 and, in 2008, moved the championship back to Sedgefield, which had recently revamped its world-renowned course that was designed by Donald Ross.
The PGA Tour event, set for Aug. 17-23, 2009, boasts a $5.1 million purse and is one of the region’s largest.
But the Wyndham Championship is first and foremost a charitable event, benefiting several worthy organizations in the Piedmont Triad region. Officials say the tournament’s goal of donating $1 million to charity annually is finally within reach.
Though Sedgefield was a winning place to be for 2008 Wyndham winner Carl Pettersson, it’s also a second home to many local golfers of less celebrity.
The 18-hole private course is known for its winding paths and beautiful landscaping, as well as its vintage 1925 Tudor clubhouse.
“It’s a beautiful walk through the neighborhood,” says Sedgefield PGA Pro Rocky Brooks.
Though Sedgefield may be the most historic course in the area, golf lovers can choose from an astonishing wealth of places to play.
“The Triad is rated No. 2 in the United States in terms of the number of golfers for the number of courses available,” Brooks says.
High on the list: the award-winning Bryan Park Golf Course; the Greensboro Country Club’s in-town and out-of-town courses; Starmount and Forest Oaks Country Clubs; the Grandover Resort’s 36 holes; Stoney Creek Golf Club; Cardinal Golf and Country Club; and Brookwood Golf Course.
Story by Laura Hill
Photo by Ian Curcio
