January doesn’t mark the beginning of a brand new golf season, however it does symbolize the time and place the place golf actually begins in earnest for 2023. Most of the perfect gamers in the world can be on hand for the Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii, and loads of the subsequent era of stars and superstars is not going to be with them.
That’s as a result of subsequent yr’s main winners and 2027’s Ryder Cuppers — no less than a few of them — have been toiling on the Korn Ferry Tour final yr with no probability of incomes the win wanted to get to Kapalua. Some of these golfers who earned their PGA Tour playing cards made their method to the large boy circuit in the autumn, and a few of them even performed fairly effectively.
There will all the time be intrigue surrounding the highest gamers in the world — the Rory McIlroys, Jordan Spieths and Collin Morikawas. But sport is usually constructed on hope for the longer term, too. While that is not as rabid in golf as it’s another workforce sports activities, it is nonetheless pertinent and issues for the longer term. So whereas we’ll give loads of time and power to the Tournament of Champions when it rolls round, at this time we will have a look at a handful of gamers who have been in the minor leagues final yr however could have important years on the PGA Tour beginning after the TOC.
1. Justin Suh
I’ve written about Suh extensively, however I stay fascinated by him. He gained the Korn Ferry Tour championship in September and was named Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year in November. If you are in search of some pushback, his finest PGA Tour begin in seven fall occasions was a T29 on the CJ Cup, and he solely gained strokes ball-striking in one among them (additionally the CJ Cup). Still, in the event you have a look at the checklist of previous Korn Ferry Tour Players of the Year, you are going to discover some absolute studs.
- 2020-21: Stephan Jager
- 2019: Scottie Scheffler
- 2018: Sungjae Im
- 2017: Chesson Hadley
- 2016: Wesley Bryan
- 2015: Patton Kizzire
- 2014: Carlos Ortiz
That’s numerous PGA Tour champions. The solely query for me is whether or not Suh goes to be, say, Scheffler or Kizzire. One is a pleasant PGA Tour participant who has gained at that degree earlier than. The different is a serious champion and a former No. 1 participant in the world.
2. Taylor Montgomery
His run of play from the center of April to the top of the season was ridiculous. Eight prime 10s in 10 Korn Ferry stars fowllowed by six prime 15s in seven PGA Tour stars in the autumn. His sport, no less than statistically, does not scream PGA Tour star, however general Data Golf has him as the highest-rated participant in the world (at present No. 28, forward of Shane Lowry and Hideki Matsuyama and simply behind Jordan Spieth) who additionally not too long ago performed on the KFT.
3. Nick Hardy
The former Illinois golfer completed T14 on the U.S. Open in June and had three prime 25s on the PGA Tour in June. He has incrementally improved every of the final three years, and a fourth could put him as a prime 50 or prime 75 participant in the world.
4. Carl Yuan
He completed second on the Korn Ferry Tour factors checklist behind Suh. He does not mission as strongly as Suh (or, to me, even Hardy), however from a manufacturing standpoint, he is unattainable to disregard. In his final 25 Korn Ferry Tour begins, Yuan has a victory and 5 different top-five finishes.
5. Will Gordon
Gordon completed off his Korn Ferry Tour yr with three prime fives in his final 5 begins and completed second in Korn Ferry Tour Finals factors behind Suh. He practically gained the 2020 Travelers Championship, and has had some success on the PGA Tour circuit. At 26, he is definitely not the youngest man on this checklist, however he is fairly lengthy off the tee, hits the ball effectively and his Data Golf rating (No. 84) means that his Official World Golf Ranking (No. 134) has some catching as much as do.
6. Austin Eckroat
A fellow Oklahoma Stater, Eckroat thrived as the Korn Ferry Tour season performed out. He completed fifth in Korn Ferry Tour Finals factors, and Data Golf quietly has him as a top-200 participant in the world. Similarly to his former teammate, Viktor Hovland, Eckroat can battle along with his brief sport however is an incredible hitter of the golf ball, which — fortunately for him — is the ability the PGA Tour rewards essentially the most.
7. Davis Thompson
You might bear in mind Thompson as any person who popped briefly on the 2020 U.S. Open when he was nonetheless an beginner at Georgia, however his skilled profession on the Korn Ferry Tour has been spectacular. He completed 18th in factors however gained in June after which had some good begins on the PGA Tour in the autumn (two prime 12s). The pedigree is immense, too. Thompson was a two-time All-American at Georgia, is a former SEC Player of the Year and a former No. 1 participant in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.