2021 Wyndham Championship leaderboard: Russell Henley leads with 62 in Round 1 but drama unfolding behind him

Thursday's action in Greensboro could be a compelling stage-setter for the rest of the weekend

The first round of the final PGA Tour regular-season event is nearly in the books, and an unsurprising leader emerged at the Wyndham Championship on Thursday. Russell Henley shot an 8-under 62, and leads after play was suspended because of darkness following a lengthy weather delay. A win this week for Henley would cap what has been a stellar 2020-21 campaign for him, but he's joined by a cast of intriguing contenders for this week's trophy. He's also joined by several players fighting for their position in the top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings and a spot in next week's Northern Trust, the first FedEx Cup Playoffs event. We'll take a look at a few of those as well as a deep dive on Henley's round and what's at stake for him as he tries to go wire to wire at Sedgefield Country Club. 1. Russell Henley (-8): This should not be a big shock. Henley has had a nice year and came into this week ranked No. 4 of anyone in this field in terms of strokes gained from tee to green since June 1. He played in the final pairing at the U.S. Open and has three top 20s in his last four starts. When flushers like him find over two strokes in a given round with the putter, this is the result. Henley was nearly perfect in Round 1. He didn't make a bogey and played his last 14 holes in 8 under. If they'd played the other 54 holes of the tournament Thursday, he probably would have won. Instead, he'll go into Friday leaning on some strong ball-striking (second in the field from tee to green in Round 1) and as the heavy 9/2 favorite to win for the first time since 2017.