Cruelly, the former Alabama star was third on the Korn Ferry points list in 2020, but didnt get promoted when the season was extended due to the pandemic. Ended the fall with a T-7 finish in Mexico, which certainly provides a positive vibe heading into the new year. R.H. To determine whos in and whos out, I dived into results, stats, rankings and deep within myself. The six years that followed were tough both on and off the course for Kirk, who opened up about his battle with alcoholism in 2019. 11 on Tour) and an unflappable demeanor, Room to improve: A middling irons game (No. S.H. He rose to a career-best 10th in the World Ranking. R.H. The organization helps families with medical crises. Despite his youth theres little to nitpick with his game; the next step for Im would be for a bit more consistency at the big eventsfollowing a runner-up at the 2020 Masters, he failed to crack the top 15 at the majors or Players in 2021but, again, hes just 23. There may have been some hangover effect when he missed his next four cuts, but the W was no fluke; since then, hes reeled off four top-6 finishes in his last five starts. Date People Who Love Golf Do you think it would be great to go out with someone who shares your passion for golf? He seems odd to earmark Im as a potential breakout candidate given his success, yet with the Presidents Cup on tap along with some major venues that fit his game (cough, cough Southern Hills), the fledgling star is not far from gaining full-blown leading-man status in the sport. Hes learned to live with the fact he isnt the longest player out there, but that means he needs to figure out a way to shore up his short game if he hopes to have more than a solid career. 1 finally ended his post 2017 Open Championship slump in April, winning the Valero Texas Open just one week before the Masters. Lets let PGA runner-up Paul Casey take it from here: Theres always a bunch of guys that rock up on the scene, and he didnt necessarily get the most publicity out of the group he was in, but you know, I can consider myself veteran; Ive been around the block, so I know talent when I see it, Casey said. The fall was better, though, with two top-10s, and having a card through 2023 means he doesnt have to sweat things out this season. And as a new dad to baby Liam, theres some new incentive to succeed in 2022. Talents you know something good. Yet the man has been a model of consistency, missing the playoffs just once in its 15-year existence and that once was due to an injury that sidelined him for seven months in 2016. When hes on, hes really on, and hes already shown that off a handful of times in less than two years on Tour. But hey, rules are rules, and this isnt a Top-11 list. Hes as real as they come., 6. The story is the samehis putting just isn't good enough, and to win majors as a below-average putter, you need to be an approach genius like Collin Morikawa, which Rory is not. A slow starter, Finau ranked 116th in first-round scoring average (70.92) in 21, but he was a Friday monster, averaging 68.60 (second). But hey, you just need one hot week with the putter and you can pull the Cameron Champ and pick off a win or two. One of the shorter drivers of the ball, Dahmen has to do other things well. Already a seven-time champ in Europe, however, he clearly has what it takes to close out golf tournamentsespecially those played in difficult scoring conditions. A.M. He once again led the tour in driving distance and drama in 2021. He had eight runners-up in that span, and at least we dont have to hear the laments that he cant close. C.P. By DAVID GINSBURG May 27, 2023. T-29 Chez Reavie Reavie had a feel-good win at the 2019 Travelers Championship. The Best Pro and Amateur Female English Golfers Golf is a sport that has often been skewed towards a male demographic. Greatest strength: Irons (8th on Tour in strokes gained approach), Room to improve: Putting (160th on Tour this season). Jason Day The former World No. May 29. The only reason hes slipped all the way to No. Oosthuizen is the consummate putt for dough playerranking No. Interestingly, the Spaniard hasnt shot a round over par on the PGA Tour since the first round of The Northern Trust in August. Obviously a handful of players compete on multiple circuits; we judged these jump balls as best we could. The only category where he lost strokes was around the greens. Since then hes found his golf game again, winning a Korn Ferry Tour event in 2020 and collecting eight top-16 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2021. Historically one of the better putters on tour (even ranking first in SG/putting in 2017), Fowler fell to 126th in the category last season. Sungjae Ims bright future is matched only by his smile. Week-to-week, Wolff may have the highest actual ceiling of any player on this list. McNealy actually has a lower world ranking than a couple golfers who didnt quite crack this list, but theres good reason to get him into the 10 spot, as hes already shown an ability to contend in his rookie year on the big Tour. So Dahmen, winner in the Dominican Republic, has that going for him, which is well, you know nice. It was a painful runner-up finishneeding just an up-and-down to secure victory he instead took four strokes, missing a playoffbut the KFT result in Boise secured his PGA Tour card for this season. Change from the top. set. We could just tell.. Relaxing? The Open Championship was MacIntyres announcement to the world that hes here to compete. The youth movement has some faces you know and others you soon will. They are some of the best golfers in the world and their skills on the course have led to them being considered some of the most eligible bachelors. Joel Dahmen Dahmen told MassGolf during a First Tee event he participated in before the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2018: "To do this means so much to me. A.M. But two top fives in those three events followed by another two at the Mayakoba and Hero indicate hes got his game in better shape. 131, who is a multi-time winner on the Japan Tour. And yet the Wake Forest grad is brimming with raw potential, and even more importantly, he's a winner: He earned his card on the strength of back-to-back wins on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, and though he ran hot-and-cold the rest of the season, he nearly won his second PGA Tour event at Sanderson Farms. Joaquin Niemann is starting to feel like a veteran, so its almost unfathomable that hes just 21 years old. Originally patented in the 1970s, the single-length concept most recently failed in the retail market in the 1980s with the Tommy Armour E.Q.L. Marc Leishman Leishman, the 2009 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, started the Begin Again Foundation after the near-death experience of his wife, Audrey, in 2015. The biggest difference-maker for the 36-year-old? Alex Myers, It's extremely difficult to bring up Swafford without noting his eerie physical similarity to college teammate Harris English, and we'll be the latest to fail. Hey, that was one more win than countryman Louis Oosthuizen, the hard-luck loser of 2021 majors. Luckily, my job allows me to make wild predictions without facing any consequences. The early returns are positive, with Wolff finishing second, T-5 and T-11 among his first four starts of the 2021-22 season. D.S. He didnt rewrite the Korn Ferry Tour history books in the 2020-21 season, but his consecutive top-six finishes in the final two KFT Finals events saw him earn his PGA Tour card for the 2021-22 season. Whats especially exciting is that Wolffs valleys are showing signs of rising. After what he described as the best ball-striking week of his life, Wolff must be feeling pretty good about his prospects. He's only 35, but the fall from those heights was definitive, and he's only managed a single win since. Hard to believe hes still three-plus years from 30. 1, and who thinks he wont eventually achieve those goals? He carded five top-11 finishes in six starts including an at last breakout win at the RSM Classic to jump top the FedEx Cup ranking entering 2022. C.P. The Aussie has a great chance to make this years Presidents Cup team. Drew Stoltz explains, 2023 Memorial Tournament: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, Meet the new GOLF Top 100 Teachers of America, Can golf equipment be deadly? First in birdie average AND bogey avoidance. The new season has been a rollercoasterfour missed cuts, countered by a T-7 in Bermuda. D.S. C.P. In the past year, hes taken The Leap from great young player to perhaps the finest player on Earth. Tiger-like numbers. Four MCs in six fall starts doesnt look much better. He has fallen out of the top 100 in the world, and most of his struggles appear to be with his usually reliable putting, where he dropped to 95th in strokes gained. J.B. C.P. J.B. For the second straight appearance, Schauffele contended deep into Masters Sunday, but was beaten by a hotter player. For anybody, thats playing your behind off. Kevin Streelman The two-time PGA Tour winner, along with his wife, Courtney, raised money to open two development centers in the African nation of Togo, in addition to co-hosting the Tenth Avenue North Classic, a tournament held annually in Raleigh, N.C., which supports area ministries. If theres any Zalatoris stock still available, wed recommend you buy it up. The idea behind a one-plane swing is that you are going to swing the club on a single plane from start to finish (or, at least, pretty close). S.R. Its unlikely hell ever reach the level or status of fellow Class of 2011 stars Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, but being the third wheel among that group isnt too shabby. 21. To become a professional golfer, you must play golf regularly. C.P. List is the only player from the last decade to have led the tour in driving distance for the year and never won on tour. MORE: Even Matt Kuchar is chasing speed with his swing. Theres a good chance he finishes top five in driving distance when the dust settles. Fans of the PGA Tour may not know this name, but give it some time. Harry Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and won one U.S. Open, for a total of seven majors. D.R. The most cuts hes missed in any season on tour since 2005 is four. Gary Woodland Gary is the kind of person who reaches out privately and is very sincere and thoughtful. Namely, to get that first major win to salve the sting of six top-fives in the Big Four. Each of the three is significantly better than the average Tour player tee to green and notably worse around the green. S.H. J.B. Second in SG/off-the-tee, eighth in approach and first in SG/overall. Theyre 27 each practically ancient. To this point, the rest of his game hasnt matched his elite ball-striking; he himself has maligned his chipping, and his streaky putter has kept him from contending at a handful of events.