Age: 26
World ranking (current/end of year)
Current: 56th
2019: 44th
2018: 17th
2017: 2nd
2016: 5th
2015: 1st
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Current 2020 Stats
FedEx Cup Rank: 110th
Events: 8
Wins: 0
Top 10: 2
Top 25: 2
Made Cut: 7
Money: $648,452
Strokes Gained
Off-The-Tee: 195th (2019: 176th, 2018: 50th, 2017: 44th)
Approach: 198th (2019: 145th, 2018: 33rd, 2017: 2nd)
Around The Green: 10th (2019: 35th, 2018: 49th, 2017: 8th)
Putting: 90th (2019: 2nd, 2018: 123rd, 2017: 48th)
Tee-To-Green: 161st (2019: 157th, 2018: 23rd, 2017: 2nd)
Total: 145th (2019: 59th, 2018: 32nd, 2017: 2nd)
Analysis
Back in 2015, when the Texan was the world number one, he ranked top 15 for every SG category and top ten for Putting, Around the Green and Tee to Green. It was a fearsome combination and saw him amass five wins in the calendar year. He triumphed in the 2017 Open, a third major win, but has not tasted victory at any level since. He was T9 in defense of the Claret Jug in 2018, but then played 18 events without revisiting the top ten as his difficulties grew. He opened the 2020 season with T8 in the CJ Cup and added T9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am, but he has failed to make the top 40 in his other six starts.
Grade so far: E
2020 quotes
Farmers Insurance Open (on making changes): “I needed some mechanical adjustments that had gotten off in my swing. I putted and chipped the ball really nicely last year. But with the full swing, especially as I got into the longer clubs, my timing got pretty off. Did some solid research to (identify) some red flags and adjust accordingly. I know I’m on the right track.”
Farmers Insurance Open (on technical thoughts): “I’ve won golf tournaments thinking about my swing pretty hard every swing and I’ve won them where it was easy and I was playing shots. It doesn’t necessarily hinder, but it’s a lot easier to be more comfortable if you don’t have to think about the swing.”
WM Phoenix Open (on his game): “When the driver starts to come around, that’s normally last, so when that starts to come around, I’m not worried about the rest of the game.”
THE MAJORS (most recent result on the left)
The Masters: 21-3-11-2-1-2
His introduction to Augusta National was sensational. He ended the last three rounds of his debut in the top three, went wire-to-wire in his second starts and had the solo lead after rounds one, two and three in his third appearance. Then he found water at the 12th in 2016’s final round and the spell was broken. That said, even his D game is a decent fit for the test. In all he’s had four top three in six starts, three solo first round leads, he’s twice carded 64 and has ended 19 of his 24 laps of the course T12 or better on the leaderboard.
PGA Championship: 3-12-28-13-2-MC-MC
We’ve already noted the sad state of his results everywhere in the last two years so it says much about his quality that even among such disappointment, he could threaten to win at Bethpage Black last year, when second at halfway and third in the end.
U.S. Open: 65-MC-35-37-1-17-MC-21
It is in this championship that his recent woes are most vividly revealed. Roughly speaking, he improved with every start up to his win and, equally roughly speaking, he has got worse ever since. In those three early top 25s he never once needed 75 blows for one lap, since the win he has carded that number (or more) at least once every time he’s played the event.
Open Championship: 20-9-1-30-4-36-44
A closer look at this record indicates that his fondness for the links is even greater than it seems at first glance. On debut he was in the hunt until the turn, in 2015 he was one blow back with 18 holes to play (and that same one stroke outside the play-off), in 2018 he was tied for the 54-hole lead and he was just the three shots back at halfway last year. He owns a particularly good Saturday record by the seaside, carding two 65s, a 66, a 67 and a 69 from his seven tries.
