2023 Wyndham Championship first round leaderboard, updates

Blame it on the two bogeys over his last three holes but regardless, Englishman Matt Wallace ripped into the Donald Ross-designed Sedgefield Country Club after shooting an opening-round 3-under 67.

Wallace was asked a softball question: Overall, pleased with the first round?

But Wallace said he was “pissed off” with how he finished and then revealed that he didn’t like the course. That begged a follow-up question and it didn’t take much to wind up Wallace.

“Because the runoffs are just absolutely ridiculous,” he said. “It’s just not fun to play. Hit a shot out of the rough on the last and it landed on the front and runs backwards 40 yards. Like, it’s just not great. Yeah, I shouldn’t be in the rough, but it’s difficult to hit the fairway all the time, especially like this. And then hit shots to the front and just – this is my third time playing. Every single time like, yeah, 83 percent of the winners hit green in regulations pretty much, so a lot of green in regulations is key, but the penalty for missing – even on the par 3 down the hill, 12, you can’t go long because you can putt it off the green, so you play the smart play and you play it towards the front, the middle and, from 220 yards, I mean, it’s just – it’s too severe, so they need to do something about it.”

Wallace said his sports psychologist was trying to help him enjoy the tournament this week, but it didn’t seem to be working based on his comments.

“I’m trying to like it,” Wallace said. “Great tournament, great sponsor, just for me, I just don’t like — if I don’t have to come here, I wouldn’t, but I kind of need to.”

Wallace, who climbed to 45^th in the FedEx Cup standings after notching his first PGA Tour win at the Corales Puntacana Championship in March, has slipped to No. 80 in the points list and needs a big week to keep his playoff dreams alive. But it sounds daunting to do so at a place where he clearly isn’t in a good head space.

“Yeah, hopefully I can turn that tune around and at the end of the week I’ll tell you I absolutely love this golf course and thanks for having me and I’ll be back again next year,” he said.