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Singh Along
Highly ranked player joins the Wyndham field, which includes Love, Toms, Mediate, Snedeker
AP File Photo
Vijay Singh, once ranked No. 1 in the world and now 10th, has been added to the Wyndham Championship field next month.
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Published: July 12, 2008
The biggest names in golf will likely be skipping the Wyndham Championship next month, but not all of them.
One of the latest players to commit is Vijay Singh, who not that long ago took over the No. 1 ranking from Tiger Woods. Singh, who is ranked 10th in the world and has three majors to his credit, will be a big draw at Sedgefield County Club.
Tournament officials had hoped that the move from Forest Oaks to Sedgefield would improve the star power of the field. With other commitments such as Davis Love III, David Toms, Rocco Mediate and defending champion Brandt Snedeker, the Wyndham has built some momentum.
Other players who have committed are Tim Clark and Carl Pettersson, both former players at N.C. State, as well as rising star Lucas Glover, who is a former player at Clemson.
Mark Brazil, the tournament director, said that the course change has played a role in landing some recognizable names. Woods' knee surgery that has put him out for the season has opened the competition for the season-long FedEx Cup.
"I think that's just part of the reason," Brazil said about moving to Sedgefield, which is the only Donald Ross course the PGA Tour uses during the regular season. "I think with the second year of the FedEx Cup there's more excitement."
The Wyndham, which will be held Aug. 14-17, is the final regular-season tournament before the FedEx Cup playoffs. With Woods out until next season, there will be a new FedEx Cup champion.
"I would never say there are any positives about Tiger being down, but it just has opens this thing up and there are a lot more players in the mix to be the FedEx Cup winner," Brazil said.
While Love and Toms used to be elite players and are battling back from injuries, landing Singh is a big deal. For a tournament that hasn't had a big name since Sergio Garcia played in 2005, Brazil was ecstatic about the addition of Singh.
Singh, who is in the World Golf Hall of Fame and has 31 PGA Tour wins, is the last player to be No. 1 who wasn't named Woods. In 2004 and '05 Singh was ranked No. 1 for 32 weeks.
"In my opinion, Vijay has been one of the top two players over the last 10 years and certainly in the top 5 over the last five years," Brazil said of Singh, who has finished in the top five on the PGA Tour money list for the past 10 years.
While a heavy marketing campaign has begun with newspaper ads featuring Toms, Mediate, Love and Snedeker, Singh's face will likely be added. Singh won the 1998 and 2004 PGA Championship and the 2000 Masters.
Brazil, who has spent the better part of the past five weeks going to PGA Tour tournaments to promote his tournament to players and agents, said he talked a lot with Singh's agents about playing on a Ross-designed layout.
"I was shocked, actually," Brazil said when he got the call about Singh's commitment. "But I think it's great that he wants to come here to compete."
Brazil, Bobby Long, the chairman of the tournament's Foundation Board, and Kris Spence, who redesigned Sedgefield, were at a luncheon at Old Town Club in Winston-Salem on Thursday. Brazil broke the news to about 50 people at the luncheon.
"When I told them Vijay was coming there was a lot of excitement," Brazil said.
Singh is the lone player in the top 20 in the rankings who has committed. By comparison, last year's tournament had one inside the top 50 in the rankings, Pettersson, who was ranked 48th.
Brazil is also excited because the move to Sedgefield has created a lot more sponsorship opportunities. There is just one corporate skybox on the 18th hole that has yet to be sold.
"It's a down economy right now and while I wouldn't say things are great, they are good," Brazil said. "We've actually had some sponsors who left us for whatever reasons in past years but have come back on board and that's great to see."
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
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