Tiering Golfers Who Need a Strong Month

Major season is in the rearview mirror. For many casual golf fans, the Ryder Cup is the lone important event remaining this calendar year. For the hardcore among us, there is still plenty of important golf to be played. Today I’m tiering the players who need to perform the best over the next month or so. Some have Ryder Cup aspirations, some need to secure PGA Tour status. And a couple of others? Well, I just don’t know how strong of a player they are anymore. 

A few notes:

How good are Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau? What do their next 12-24 months hold? These are legitimate questions for both players despite their résumés and ages (Clark: 31, Finau: 35), which place them squarely in their competitive windows. If either player were having a solid season, I’d eagerly put them on the American Ryder Cup team. Unfortunately, both of them have been really bad this year and currently sit on the top-50 bubble in the FedEx Cup standings. Either guy would have to do something pretty special over the next few weeks to have a compelling Ryder Cup case. Of the two, I have more confidence in Wyndham Clark given some recent flashes. 

When Ryder Cup captain’s picks get announced over the next couple months, both Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose will receive every benefit of the doubt. Given their pedigrees and past presences in Ryder Cup team rooms, some benefit of the doubt is deserved. However, I wouldn’t have much confidence in either golfer teeing it up at Bethpage based on their week in, week out performance this year. Both guys are likely members of Ryder Cup rosters this year, but both golfers feel much more like liabilities than dependable assets at Bethpage. 

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Currently ranked 16th in the Team Europe points list, Aaron Rai warrants Ryder Cup buzz. He’s quietly made the cut in all seven majors he’s played over the last two years, including four top-35 finishes this year. Rai isn’t a long hitter, but he is one of the most accurate drivers of the golf ball in the world. He’s teeing it up this week at the Wyndham Championship as the defending champion, a prime opportunity to strengthen his Ryder Cup case with a strong performance. 

It’s been a bad season for Tom Kim, who has gone from being discussed (irrationally) as an “international superstar” to finishing T-54 this season at the Myrtle Beach Classic, an opposite-field event. Kim is still only 23 years old, but his status on Tour and into signature events is a looming question mark right now, as he’s 89th in the FedEx Cup standings. A solid few weeks would go a long way for the South Korean. 

Ok, that’s all for this week. Keep an eye out tomorrow for a Q&A with an excellent, thoughtful professional golfer. As always, shoot feedback and questions to me at joseph@thefriedegg.com!