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McConnell Golf News
What more could a McConnell Golf member want than what was delivered during the 83rd-annual Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club?
Start with the prerequisite, a fitting and historic champion. Despite a slow start out of the station, Thomas the Train got things rolling along at Sedgefield. Joohyung Kim, who adopted the American name “Tom” from his love of Thomas the Train as a boy, started the 2022 Wyndham with a dreaded “snowman” — a 4-over-par quadruple bogey — on his very first hole of the tournament. Then he started rolling along, never stopping until he was back at the station holding the Sam Snead Cup following an eyeopening, five-shot victory over a pair of former PGA Tour Rookies of the Year, third-round leader Sungjae Im and first-round leader John Huh.
The 20-year-old Kim became the second-youngest PGA Tour winner since World War II (Jordan Spieth was 19 years, 10 months when he won the 2013 John Deere Classic) and the first born in the 21st century. He was born in 2002 in Seoul, South Korea. His father, Chang-Ik, had been a professional golfer and is now a teaching pro. The family moved around when he was young; their residences included China, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand.
To call Sunday at Sedgefield a special day for Kim would be an understatement. His 8-under par 27 on the front nine tied for the secondlowest nine-hole score in PGA Tour history. To top it off, the Wyndham’s youngest winner ever also clinched a place in the all-important, seasonending FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Kim wasn’t the only Wyndham competitor who enjoyed their walk in the park on Sunday. Sedgefield member Alex Smalley and Wakefield member Chesson Hadley both secured their PGA Tour cards for next season by shooting scorching 64s. Only Kim and Stephan Jaeger (62) fared better in the final round. Hadley finished tied for eighth place while Smalley finished tied for 13th to earn their share of the tournament’s $7.3-million purse.
Smalley played the tournament wearing the initials “JW” on his cap to honor 50-year-old Jeff Womack, a popular Sedgefield member who died unexpectedly a few weeks earlier. The lumber salesman was a married father of two daughters. Smalley, who joined Sedgefield in 2020, had played golf with Womack several times. “He just kind of lit up the room whenever he walked into one, just because he had a smile on his face, " Smalley told PGA Tour.com’s Helen Ross. Hadley has a long history with McConnell Golf. He played junior golf with John McConnell’s sons growing up in Raleigh. McConnell Sr. was on hand when Hadley won the ACC Championship at Old North State Club. Following that important victory, McConnell offered Hadley practice privileges at his company’s portfolio of courses to help him prepare for the eGolf Tour. Then in 2012, McConnell secured an entry for Hadley into the Wyndham Championship. Two years later, Hadley was named the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year.
Good deeds like that are part of the reason CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz said “the great John McConnell” on the Saturday of tournament weekend, when McConnell presented Nick Faldo with a special plaque at Sedgefield’s Wall of Champions behind the ninth green as a tribute to Faldo and his legacy. In 1979, Faldo made his PGA Tour debut and competed in the Greater Greensboro Open, now known as the Wyndham Championship. The five-time major champion spent the last 16 years as a broadcast analyst. During the 2022 Wyndham weekend he celebrated his retirement from the CBS broadcast booth.
Last but certainly not least, former McConnell Golf Junior Scholarship recipient Blake McShea, who grew up in Zebulon and played college golf at UNCW, not only Monday qualified for the Wyndham, he fired a 5under-par 65 during Friday’s second round to find himself momentarily tied for seventh place. He easily made the cut and eventually finished tied for 76th in his inaugural PGA Tour event.
Exclusively for McConnell Golf Wine Club Members I LIMITED AVAILABILITY
All wine club members will have first choice prior to it being released to the membership. Minimum order of three bottles.
Monticello Vineyard Napa Valley Red Wine Library Selection
The grape varietals were hand-picked, then destemmed and berry-sorted on the crush pad. The wine was aged in new 1/3 French oak barrels for 26 months. The primary blend was assembled at 12 months, with secondary blending at 18 months, and final blend-strokes being done at 26 months. This 15 year library selection has beams of blackberry and red cherry fruit on the nose, with a wonderful velvety mouthfeel on the palate. 54% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon
The grapes were hand-picked, then destemmed and berry-sorted on the crush pad. The wine was aged in new 1/3 French oak barrels for 26 months. The Cabernet Sauvignon has rich texture, while the Cabernet Franc provides a light bean of spice, and the Merlot softens the midpalate. This wine has dark rich aromas and flavors of blackberry, black cherry and plum, with undercurrents of lightly toasted oak and hints of vanilla. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot
Monticello Vineyard Napa Valley Chardonnay
The grapes were hand-picked, then whole cluster pressed on the crush pad. The wine was fermented in new 1/3 French oak barrels for 12 months. This blend has luscious aromas and flavors of figs, pear, and tropical fruit, with lightly toasted oak and hints of vanilla. There is a hint of citrus, which brightens the palate and extends the finish. 100% Estate Grown Chardonnay
