Aaron Rai claimed his first PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. in dramatic fashion. The 29-year-old Englishman shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 in the final round at Sedgefield Country Club to secure a two-stroke victory. Rai’s victory was aided by a back-nine collapse from Max Greyserman, who had been in the lead before faltering with an eight on the 14th hole.
Greyserman, a 29-year-old Tour rookie, had a commanding four-stroke lead after holing out his second shot for eagle at the 13th hole. However, his tee shot at the 14th hole went out of bounds, leading to an eight and ultimately losing his lead. Despite regaining the lead at 18 under, Greyserman’s four-putt at the par-3 16th led to a double bogey, dropping him back to 16 under and allowing Rai to capitalize.
Rai had been knocking on the door with several top-20 finishes in recent tournaments, including a T-2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a T-4 at the Genesis Scottish Open. He chased Greyserman by making four consecutive birdies starting at the third hole, ultimately finishing strong with a clinching birdie at the last hole to secure the win.
J.J. Spain fired a 64 in the final round, the low score of the tournament, to finish T-3 with Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune. Victor Perez, who started the week as the “Bubble Boy” at No. 70 in the FedEx Cup standings, shot 68 and finished T-33 to secure the last spot in the 70-man playoffs, which start at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
Tropical Storm Debby impacted the tournament, dumping over six inches of rain on the course and causing a delay in play. The 36-hole cut wasn’t made until Sunday morning, with 67 players needing to complete at least 36 holes. Only Matt Kuchar opted to finish his round on Monday, highlighting the challenging conditions faced by the players throughout the tournament.
