80th Annual Wyndham Championship Hits the Links at Sedgefield

GREENSBORO, N.C., July 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyndham Rewards®—the world's most generous rewards program spanning more than 30,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals—returns to Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. today, welcoming tens of thousands of spectators to a travel-themed week of fun and sun as title sponsor of the 80^th annual Wyndham Championship.

Widely recognized as one of the PGA TOUR's most fan-friendly tournaments, this year's Wyndham Championship—which kicks-off today and runs through Aug.  4, 2019—invites fans to escape the everyday and join Wyndham Rewards and its portfolio of global brands for a "trip around the world," all while helping give back to local charities throughout the Piedmont Triad. The final stop of the regular season, this year's tournament brings an added layer of drama to Sedgefield as many of the world's best golfers look to earn their spot in the Wyndham Rewards Top 10, a new $10 million bonus to be split among the PGA TOUR's top 10 regular-season finishers.

"From new ways to earn and redeem points to the addition of more than 900 La Quinta by Wyndham hotels, we've spent the last year working to make Wyndham Rewards more rewarding for members than ever before," said Eliot Hamlisch, leader of Wyndham Rewards. "It's a fitting parallel to the Wyndham Championship. From a host of new fan-centric experiences to the added excitement surrounding the first-ever Wyndham Rewards Top 10, this year's tournament promises to be fans' most rewarding yet."

Travel the World with Wyndham Rewards
Take a bite of the Big Apple. Feel the white sands of Clearwater Beach. Revel in the awe-inspiring views of the Andaman Sea in Phuket. More than just championship golf, the Wyndham Championship is an escape from the everyday, and this year, fans and their families can see the world as they tour the course and experience 10 amazing Wyndham Rewards destinations from around the globe. 

The first 100 fans to visit all 10 destinations each day, collecting commemorative pins along the way, will unlock unforgettable rewards, including passes to the Club Wyndham Beach viewing platform, Wyndham Rewards points, ticket upgrades and unlimited pedicab rides. Fans can win even more prizes when they share their photos from each destination on their favorite social platforms tagging @WyndhamRewards and @WyndhamChamp using #WyndhamRewardsTop10.

Other fan-favorite experiences will include, among others, live action sand sculpture, photo ops with the #6 Wyndham Rewards NASCAR Ford Fusion, Margaritaville at the Wyndham and "Key to Wyn," where one swipe of a key card could unlock the door to any of thousands of prizes, from flat-screen TVs and appliances, to free nights at Wyndham Rewards destinations around the globe.

Wyndham Rewards Top 10
Introduced for the first time this season alongside a simplified, strokes-based scoring system for regular season play, the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 offers $10 million to be split among the top-10 finishers in the final regular season FedExCup point standings.  While the first through third positions were decided last week in Memphis with Brooks Koepka taking the $2 Million top prize, nine golfers enter the Wyndham Championship with a chance to either move up or into the Wyndham Rewards Top 10.  Paul Casey enters the Wyndham Championship in eighth place in the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 and could move to fourth with a Wyndham Championship win increasing his season-ending bonus from $600,000 to $1.1 Million.  The other eight golfers would move into the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 with a Wyndham Championship victory. 

Added Hamlisch, "The introduction of the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 made for a thrilling regular season, all of which culminates here at Sedgefield at the Wyndham Championship.  We congratulate Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and Matt Kuchar for taking the top-three spots last weekend and look forward to watching the rest of the story unfold this week at the Wyndham Championship."

Wyndham Championship Fore! Good
Creating positive impact in the community has always been a central focus of the Wyndham Championship, and Wyndham Championship Fore! Good—the tournament's signature philanthropic platform—helps give back to those in the Piedmont Triad.

This year, Wyndham will host a raffle at the pro-am pairings event featuring exciting items and once-in-a-lifetime experiences with net proceeds benefiting a host of local and regional Wyndham Championship Fore! Good charitable partners, including Birdies Fore Backpacks, The First Tee of the Triad, The Paul Tesori Foundation and The American Junior Golf Association, among others. Items include a total of 12 vacation packages to exciting destinations like Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort in Hawaii, Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach in Clearwater, Fla. and Dolce Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif. as well as exciting experiences with Caesars Entertainment and Roush Fenway Racing.

Other philanthropic efforts associated with the tournament include: 

• Youth and Education – Through "Birdies Fore Backpacks," Wyndham Rewards works with local organizations—Backpack Beginnings, Forsyth Backpacks, Out of the Garden Project and United Way of Greater High Point—to help feed children from low income families around the Piedmont Triad. Backpacks are packed with nutritionally sound meals, which families take home every weekend. Since its creation in 2014, the program has provided more than 510,000 meals to thousands of local families.

• Community Development – One of the Wyndham Championship's most-popular fan amenities is "Key to Wyn," created by Wyndham Rewards to illustrate the Wyndham hospitality experience at its PGA TOUR event. "Key to Wyn" offers tournament fans an opportunity to win fabulous prizes courtesy of title partner Wyndham Rewards. Following the tournament, suitable elements of the structure will be repurposed and donated to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro to contribute to a new Habitat home. In addition, Wyndham's Executive Women's Day returns to the tournament this year as does free admission for those who serve, including those in the armed forces, teachers and first responders.

• Environmental Sustainability – Highlighting its commitment to preserving our natural resources, Wyndham Rewards is proud to partner with the Sedgefield Country Club, the home of the Wyndham Championship. Under the management of McConnell Golf, the historic course has taken significant steps in recent years to save energy and improve its sustainability efforts, including upgraded, energy efficient lighting and new, water efficient fixtures. In addition, Sedgefield Country Club is applying for the Audubon education and certification program to protect the valuable, natural areas and wildlife habitats that golf courses provide while improving efficiencies and minimizing the impact of golf course operations. The Wyndham Championship, in partnership with Unifi, Inc., is also proud to commit to aggressive recycling standards.

Wyndham Rewards is an award-winning rewards program linking the global portfolios of two of the world's leading hospitality companies: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH), the world's largest hotel franchise company, and Wyndham Destinations (NYSE:WYND), the world's largest vacation ownership and exchange company. To learn more about the Wyndham Championship, or to book tickets, visit www.wyndhamchampionship.com.

About Wyndham Rewards
Recently named the number one hotel rewards program by readers of USA TODAY, Wyndham Rewards® is the world's most generous rewards program with more than 30,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide. Designed for the everyday traveler, members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and may redeem points for a wide-range of rewards, including free nights at any of approximately 9,200 hotels or tens of thousands of vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally through partnership with Wyndham Destinations and others. Wyndham Rewards has over 77 million enrolled members around the globe. Join for free today at www.wyndhamrewards.com. You've earned this.®

About the Wyndham Championship
Contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Rewards and presenting sponsor BB&T for their continued support. Additional tournament information is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com and the tournament's social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram.

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