2023 Wyndham Championship scores: Russell Henley atop leaderboard, Justin Thomas near his magic number
As was the case after Thursday’s opening round, the field is still chasing Russell Henley at the 2023 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. The 34-year-old Henley followed his 8-under 62 Thursday with a 4-under 66 Friday, leading by one stroke into the weekend as he seeks his second victory of the season.
If Henley comes out on top Sunday, it would push him well into the top 30 of the FedEx Cup rankings and come as a breakthrough in an event where Henley has posted top-10 finishes in three straight years without a victory. Henley carried a three-shot lead into the final round of the 2021 event only to miss a six-man playoff by a single stroke. He said Friday that lessons learned from his past shortcomings have him more level-headed this time around.
“I’ve learned a lot about my game,” Henley said. “I’m definitely more content with whatever happens now compared to maybe a couple of years ago. I desperately want to play well but have definitely learned a lot from some of those [events] that stung a little bit.”
Entering the weekend, Henley looks to keep pace and fend off a group of golfers lurking on the leaderboard. Billy Horschel is only a shot back at 11 under for the event after a sizzling 8-under 62 Friday afternoon. Four players — Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Adam Svensson and Brendon Todd — sit tied for third at 10 under for the tournament.
Here’s a deeper look at the leaderboard and some other storylines from the second round.
The leader
1. Russell Henley (-12): Henley started Friday rather slow by comparison to his opening round before heating up down the stretch. He was just 1 under on the day through his first 13 holes (coming off a back-nine start) before carding three birdies across his final five holes. That included back-to-back birdies to end his round, putting Henley clear of the field and securing his place as the 36-hole leader. At his pace through two rounds, Henley looks primed to leave Greensboro with what would be a ninth top-20 finish in a span of 12 starts this season.
Other contenders
2. Billy Horschel (-11)
T3. Adam Svensson, Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Brendon Todd (-10)
7. Ludvig Aberg (-8)
T8. J.T. Poston, Troy Merritt, Brandon Wu, Stephan Jaeger (-7)
Horschel owned the low round of the day in nearly catching Henley at the top of the leaderboard. A front-nine 31 was highlighted by an eagle on the par-4 8th and a dueling back-nine 31 saw Horschel sink three consecutive birdies from hole Nos. 15-17 before settling for a par on the par-4 18th. Horschel’s T13 finish a week ago at the 3M Open was his best since a T11 finish in April at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and he could ride that momentum to a strong finish in Greensboro.
Of the players tied for third, none had a wilder round Friday than An. His 3-under 67 on a back-nine start easily could have been even lower considering it featured a pair of eagles: a 66-foot put on the par-5 15th and a hole out on the par-4 9th. Take away a double bogey on the par-4 17th, and he’s tied with Henley for the lead entering the weekend. Instead, he’s two shots back but still right in the mix.
FedEx Cup hopes alive for Justin Thomas
With his FedEx Cup Playoff chances hinging on his performance at the Wyndham Championship, there’s still light at the end of the tunnel for Thomas after he posted a 5-under 65 to make the cut with room to spare. He presently sits T21, one shot back of T12 and needs to finish no worse than 18th come Sunday. That would propel Thomas into the top 70 of the FedEx Cup Standings and give him a shot at being in the field when the playoffs begin at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
The season has been a roller-coaster ride at best for for the two-time PGA Championship winner. Thomas has gone to measures that included a putter change ahead of the 3M Open as he looks to make a final playoff push. How Thomas finishes this weekend also figures to play a role in his status for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Thomas was on the roster for the Ryder Cup in 2018 and 2021, but he isn’t a lock to have a spot for this year’s tournament, which runs from Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Rome.
Matsuyama with a relatable adventure
Anyone who has swung a club knows golf can be a brutal sport. Not even the game’s best are exempt from that, as Hideki Matsuyama reminded viewers Friday. The 2021 Masters Champion needed three shots to escape a greenside bunker on the par-5 15th.
It was a challenging situation for Matsuyama after his initial shot into the sand came to rest near the lip of the bunker. Not only did he fail to escape on his first attempt out after hitting the lip, his ball came to rest in his footprint in the sand, creating an even more adverse lie. When Matsuyama’s second attempt out of the sand failed, the ball again came to rest in that footprint.
Matsuyama made it out the third time around, but the damage was done when he carded a double bogey to end the hole. It all made for a saga that most amateur golfers can certainly relate to. Matsuyama posted a 74 for the round, putting him at 5 over for the event as he missed the cut.
