IN HOT PURSUIT: Glover aims to reach Wyndham

IN HOT PURSUIT: Glover aims to reach Wyndham | Daily Tribune

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Defending champion Lucas Glover enters this week’s PGA Wyndham Championship fighting to reach the season-ending playoffs — just as he was before a shock win last year.

The 44-year-old American stands 75th in the season FedEx Cup standings, and only the top 70 after this week’s event at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, will advance into the playoff events.

“Everybody’s on zero right now but come Sunday you’re probably going to need to know,” Glover said.

“Let’s say you’re a handful back with four or five holes to play. You’re not going to win, but should I go for it on 15 or should I be smart or should I hit at it on 16? Just different scenarios because obviously you want to get there.”

“The goal the next three days is to get in the position to have that matter, to make that scenario just been trying to focus on that instead of worrying about too much of the big picture right now.”

Glover, the 2009 US Open champion, needs a minimum finish of 24th to have any chance at finishing in the top 70 to make the playoffs, but he has only to look back at last year to draw inspiration.

Last year, Glover won for the first time in just over two years, beating Russell Henley and South Korea’s An Byeong-hun by two strokes to leap into the playoffs.

The following week, Glover won the first playoff event at the St. Jude Championship and went all the way to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

“That was more validation, all right you can still play out here,” Glover said.

“This year I’ve realized how hard it is to do what the most consistent top players do, and that’s play well three out of four weeks.”

“It was just validation and confidence building. It’s still in there.”

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, ranked 62nd in the season points race, is the lowest-rated golfer to have clinched a playoff berth, leaving eight spots at stake this week to make the top 70 and the playoffs.

Frenchman Victor Perez, on the bubble at 70th, needs no worse than a two-way tie for third to make the playoffs, with Glover among 37 players outside the top 70 who have a chance to move into a playoff spot at Greensboro.

Perez, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, was third at the Puerto Rico Open and Canadian Open for his best showings of the season.

“Had a really good week, just one shy of what we came for,” Perez said of the Olympics. “Very happy and happy to be here as well.”

Perez, who says he is fine after a flight from Paris, sees the playoff fight as a challenge to be treated like most any other.

“We’re kind of all in the same bucket,” Perez said.

“It’s about trying to put on a good performance and see how it goes.”