The final regulation event of the 2025 PGA Tour season gets underway at Sedgefield Country Club, with many of the game's best looking to grab the final FedEx Cup points before the Playoffs next week.
It's a big week in the careers of some and, with the Wyndham Championship providing low-scoring, it's a week where birdies and eagles will be at a premium.
Since moving to the North Carolina venue in 2008, the lowest winning tournament score has been 14-under-par, with the highest jumping up to 22-under-par.
What's more, it's one of the only courses on the PGA Tour calendar that has yielded a 59, with nine-time PGA Tour winner, Brandt Snedeker, managing the feat in 2018, carding one eagle, 10 birdies and one bogey to shoot the magic number.
Although we haven't seen a 59 on the course since, there have been a number of 60s, two of which came in 2024, with one of those during the first round from Beau Hossler. The American carded an eagle, nine birdies and a bogey that day.
Looking at previous Wyndham Championships, scores of 60, 62, 61, 62 and 62 have led after the first round and, among those five instances, Russell Henley produced two of those scores, making course form, iron play and short game the key metrics.
With that being said, who am I backing to lead after the first round...
Wyndham Championship First Round Leaders 2025
Prices via BetMGM (odds correct at time of publication)
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Rico Hoey +8000 @ BetMGM
Hoey has been on a nice run of form lately, claiming a T11 at the John Deere Classic and a T8 at the Barracuda Championship, with the 29-year-old actually leading the latter after the first and second rounds.
Looking at the stats, Hoey excels in the long game department, especially in approach play, where he ranks first in greens in regulation for the whole of the PGA Tour.
Not only that, but he is second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, sixth in SG: Tee to Green and 28th in SG: Approach the Green. Essentially, if he can maintain his strong putting numbers, he could well be near the top of the leaderboard after Thursday.
Another positive factor is that, in 2024, he finished T22 at the Wyndham Championship, carding rounds of 68, 68, 65 and 69, with four rounds in the 60s showing that he enjoys the layout of Sedgefield Country Club.
Holding a first round scoring average of 69.14, which puts him 18th in the PGA Tour stats, Hoey also ranks well in total birdies (25th) and eagles (43rd), which is why he is one to look out for at the Wyndham Championship.
Keith Mitchell +8000 @ BetMGM
Earlier in the season, it was almost a regular occurrence that Mitchell would lead a PGA Tour tournament after the first round, so why can't he do it one more time in North Carolina?
Back in May, the American led the Truist Championship, which was his third first round lead of the year and, although he has failed to convert any of those into victories, it shows Mitchell is a very fast starter.
Admittedly, he does go against the grain slightly in terms of what you need to play well at Sedgefield Country Club, but a T12 finish here in 2024, as well as made cuts in 2022 and 2021, shows the course form is there.
Mitchell ranks inside the top 55 for all Strokes Gained metrics in the long game, including 17th Off the Tee and 44th in Tee to Green. He also ranks fifth in birdie average, so isn't afraid to go low, especially with his lowest round being a 61 this year.
There are a lot of positives to say that Mitchell has a chance of leading by Thursday and, at these odds, it's certainly worth a punt.
