'Shrek' Oosthuizen "Withdraws from Wyndham Championship"... Focusing on PO?

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Focusing on the Playoffs (PO)"

‘Shrek’ Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa, photo) withdrew a day before the Wyndham Championship (total prize money $6.4 million), the final regular season event of the 2021 PGA Tour, which opens on the night of the 12th (Korean time) at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina (par 70, 7,131 yards). Currently ranked 8th in the PO rankings (1,877 points), Oosthuizen was in a position to surpass the leader Collin Morikawa (USA, 2,171 points) with the 500 points awarded for winning this tournament.

It is interesting that the PGA Tour distributes a total of $10 million (?11.46 billion), including $2 million (?2.29 billion) for first place, before the PO begins. Oosthuizen is also a strong favorite to win. It is worth noting that he has finished runner-up four times in his last eight events: 2nd place at the Zurich Classic in April, tied 2nd at the PGA Championship in May, 2nd at the US Open in June, and again tied 2nd at the 3M Open on the 26th of last month. Truly a persistent ‘runner-up jinx.’

He appears to be focusing on the three PO events starting next week. With Patrick Reed (USA) and Oosthuizen withdrawing, the chances of Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics), ranked 28th in the PO, winning have increased. The PGA Tour also expects a competition for the title among Im Sung-jae, Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Webb Simpson, and Jason Kokrak (both USA). South Korea’s Kim Si-woo (26), Lee Kyoung-hoon (30), Kang Sung-hoon (34), An Byeong-hun (30), and Choi Kyung-ju (51, SK Telecom) are also looking for opportunities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.