Kelly

Kraft

The 33-year-old, who arrived 159th in the FedExCup standings, is in the top 10 for a third time this season in 22 events, first since the AT&T Pebble Beach 12 stroke-play starts ago, where he was T8 before finishing T28 (68-67-72-72). On 10 (of 14) fairways and 13 greens in regulation, he outflanked one bogey-4 at hole 7 (missed par-saver from 6'3") with nine birdies at 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 2, 5, 8 and 9, four from between 10 and 28 feet, and also saved par three times from between nine and 21 feet. At last check, the 2011 U.S. Amateur champ, who opened with 70 (4 birdies, 3 bogeys), gained 0.948 strokes tee-to-green and posted a dizzying 1.308 putts per GIR and 5.189 SG: Putting.

The 22-year-old Gotterup carded rounds of 67-70 at Century CC and Old Oaks CC to finish at 3-under 137 and tied with amateur Caleb Manuel (69-68) from Topsham, Maine, for two of the five available spots. Eight players finished at 2-under 138 and played off for the final three spots. Surviving the 8-for-3 playoff were 57-year-old Tour veteran Fran Quinn (69-69), who was in the field alongside his son, Owen, South Florida’s Brandon Matthews (70-68) and Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen (67-71). His appearance at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., mark the second U.S. Open start for Thorbjornsen, who three years ago at age 17 became the second youngest player since World War II to make the cut at a U.S. Open. First alternate is Kelly Kraft (69-69), the former U.S. Amateur champion who was seeking his first U.S. Open start, with Texan Chandler Phillips as second alternate. Missing out in the playoff were high school senior Ben James, who’ll play at the University of Virginia this fall, Iceland’s Haraldur Magnus and Michael Sweeney.

Finishing in third-place the first year of the team format, Tway and Kraft came in at 23-under and four-strokes off the winning pace. They excelled once again two years later when they finished in a tie for 13th-place in 2019. Signing for rounds of 70-70 last season, the team missed the cut by a single-stroke with the blame solely on their Best-Ball performance as it ranked near the bottom of the field in the first round. Kraft arrives this season in the midst of a cold streak, connecting on 2-of-8 cuts in 2022 with his best finish coming back in early February at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Tway is not much better as he is 4-for-10 collecting a paycheck in addition to a WD at the Valero Texas Open in early April. Without any recent form to speak of, this team is likely to be packing their bags come Friday evening.

The SMU product took on the host course today and struck it well with 13-of-14 fairways hit and 14 greens landed in regulation. His par-3 play was locked in out of the gate as he nearly aced the par-3 fifth and needed just 4'3" to pour home a birdie at the 7th. Other than that, he leaned heavily on the putter (+3.085 SG:Putting). The Texan entered the week with missed cuts in 11 of his last 12 starts but did have a runner-up finish on his tournament resume (2017). Kraft is playing on a Major Medical Extension and has five starts remaining (including this week) to earn 267 FedExCup Points.

Kraft missed the cut in his first two starts of the season, as he plays on a medical extension. From there he withdrew in round two of the Shriners Children’s Open due to a neck injury and also withdrew in round two of the WWT at Mayakoba (illness). The Texan has four starts remaining on his Major Medical with a lofty 292.6 FedExCup Points needed to fulfill the terms. Next up will be an appearance at Memorial Park Golf Course. He missed the cut here last year with scores of 72-73=145 (+5).

This is the 33-year-old fifth mid-tourney WD in 143 events, second in as many starts. In his most recent start four weeks ago at the Shriners, he WD (neck), also during R2, where he was 2-over thru 11 holes, 1-under total. This week, the 2011 U.S. Amateur champ was even-par thru 13 holes, 1-under total, and had hit two shots to the par-4 14th when he called it a day. Inclusive of this week, he has nine starts remaining on the medical to earn 292.607 FedExCup points to meet the terms, and if he doesn’t, he can fall back on a 36th-place finish in last season’s Korn Ferry Tour Priority Ranking to garner starts.

The 33-year-old, playing this season on a Major Medical Extension, was 2-over thru 11 holes, 1-under total after opening with a five-birdie three-bogey 69. This is his fourth mid-tourney WD in 142 career events, first since the 2017 Dell Tech Championship during the FedExCup Playoffs (foot), and his second in the tournament proper (2017). Inclusive of this start, the SMU alum has 10 starts remaining on the medical and needs to earn 292.607 FEC points to meet the terms. If he doesn’t, he can fall back on a 36th-place finish in last season’s Korn Ferry Tour Priority Ranking to garner starts.

Courtesy of a top-10 finish at the Albertsons Boise Open, Kelly Kraft retained his PGA Tour card ahead of the 2021-2022 season. The 32-year-old had a difficult season on the big stage, playing in 15 tournaments and connecting on the weekend only five times. The story of his career, as the former U.S. Amateur Champion sports less than a 50.00 percent hit rate of making the cut on the PGA Tour. Despite the inconsistencies, the man who defeated Patrick Cantlay in 2011 typically gets the most out of his starts having captured 10 top-10 finishes in his PGA Tour career.

The SMU product sits at 4-for-10 on the season with the highlight being a T14 at the Corales in September. That has him positioned at 171st in the FedExCup race as he preps for PGA National’s Champion Course. It’s a course that has given him one stellar result in three tries, sandwiched by a pair of flops. He missed the cut in 2017 and 2019 but landed a T8 at the 2018 Honda Classic. That is really the story of Kraft’s career so far on the PGA TOUR. The Texan sports a spotty 61-for-132 record but has also snagged 10 top 10s. He rarely leaves breadcrumbs to help gamers know when the next big finish will arrive. Kraft has 13 starts remaining on his Major Medical.