October 18, 2015; Napa, CA, USA; Emiliano Grillo hoists the trophy during the final round of the Frys.com Open at Silverado Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The PGA Tour gets its 2016-17 season underway this week in California. Let’s take a look at the handful of rookies who could make some noise, both this week and for months to come.
After an absolutely woeful wait of two weeks since the end of the 2015-16 PGA Tour season (with a little-known event called the Ryder Cup in between), hungry golf fans can rejoice at last. The 2016-17 season is here!
Despite the mockery that comes with such a minuscule break and the fact that the once silly season now has an impact on the FedEx Cup, there’s still some good golf coming up. For the fresh-faced rookie class, it’s a chance for them to get their feet wet before the season really gathers steam in January and February. One of them might even kick off the season with a win, just like 2015-16 rookie Emiliano Grillo, pictured above, did in Napa last year.
This season’s rookie class definitely has the potential to be one of the strongest in a while, harkening back to 2011 when seven different rookies won on Tour, including Keegan Bradley at the PGA Championship. Join me in taking a look at a handful of rookies who could make noise right away.
Nov 5, 2015; Jackson, MS, USA; Trey Mullinax lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports
Honorable Mentions
A few under-the-radar players who could break out
I’d be remiss to proclaim such a deep rookie class and then name only five players. Here are a few other names capable of cashing big checks in 2016-17.
Apr 29, 2016; Avondale, LA, USA; Bobby Wyatt on the 9th hole during the second round of the 2016 Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
5. Bobby Wyatt
He made a rapid ascent from the mini tours to the big leagues
A few weeks before his breakthrough performance at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Bobby Wyatt won $1,000 in a mini tour event. That was a nice chunk of change for the former Walker Cup player and NCAA team champion at Alabama, who was then fighting through the murky waters of the small-time circuits early on in his young career.
Playing on a sponsor’s exemption, Wyatt quickly hit the jackpot in New Orleans by tying for fourth to rake in $336,000. The feel-good story didn’t continue immediately, as he missed the cut in his subsequent three PGA Tour starts and later took 72nd in the alternate field Barbasol Championship, but his big check in the Big Easy was enough to propel him to the Web.com Tour Finals.
From there, he made the cut in each of the three Finals events, tying for 12th in week three, to seal the deal. The former amateur standout, who shot a 57 in high school and was an All-American at Alabama, likely won’t get too much recognition when stopping at Chipotle after his round, but he has the potential to outplay some of the more recognizable faces on this list.
4. Grayson Murray
The former top junior appears to be back on track after an up-and-down collegiate career
From a young age, the now 23-year-old Murray was pegged to be a future great. He was often the top-ranked golfer in his age group and won three straight Callaway Junior Championships — an achievement that only two others can claim, one being Tiger Woods.
As a 16-year-old, he became the second-youngest player in history to make the cut at a Web.com Tour event, and he competed in the 2013 U.S. Open at the age of 19. It seemed like only a matter of time before bigger things were on the way for the prodigy, but four different colleges and mixed results at each stop left his future uncertain.
He tied for 74th at last year’s Web.com Tour qualifying school to earn limited status, forcing himself to capitalize on the events he could get into. Playing on a sponsor’s exemption at the Rex Hospital Open in his native North Carolina, he tied for 10th place, and the dominos fell from there. That result got him into the BMW Charity Pro-Am, where he tied for eighth place. Full status was his from there on out.
He piled on three more top 10 finishes in the regular season before advancing out of the Hurricane Matthew-shortened Web.com Tour Finals with a pair of podium finishes, including a win at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.
As one of the hotter players in golf over the past month, he should be thankful he hasn’t had to wait long to try to make a dent in the big leagues. He’ll make his first career PGA Tour start this week at the Safeway Open.
Oct 24, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Ollie Schniederjans tees off on hole number 1 during the third round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin at TPC Summerlin. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports
3. Ollie Schniederjans
The Georgia Tech product has already proven he’s capable of competing on the big stage
Few would be surprised if Ollie Schniederjans contends for Rookie of the Year honors, and that’s because he’s already proven that he can play with the big boys, despite his limited opportunities.
He co-leads the rookie class with seven career cuts made on the PGA Tour, his most notable being a tie for 12th at the 2015 Open Championship, where he shot a final round 67 at St Andrews.
Even if this week’s event in Napa were his first taste of PGA Tour action, he’d still land a spot on this list based on his amateur career alone. As a collegian at Georgia Tech, Schniederjans was a three-time All-American and held the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for a staggering 41 weeks, just to cherry pick a couple of his numerous accolades.
He was unable to pull off a Jordan Spieth-like effort of earning his tour card off of a few sponsor’s exemptions in the 2015 season, but his 2016 season on the Web.com Tour could serve as a springboard to a strong campaign next year.
In 2016, Schniederjans recorded five top 10 finishes, including a win at the Air Capital Classic, to finish comfortably in the top 25 of the Web.com Tour regular season money list.
Jul 28, 2016; Springfield, NJ, USA; PGA golfer Andrew “Beef” Johnston walks the 15th hole during the first round of the 2016 PGA Championship golf tournament at Baltusrol GC – Lower Course. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
2. Andrew “Beef” Johnston
The fan favorite could have staying power if he continues on his current trajectory
Andrew “Beef” Johnston has blossomed into the people’s champ with his abundance of both gregariousness and facial hair. While his level of career success does not quite match his high profile, Beef’s still got some game.
After earning his card via the Web.com Tour Finals, the European Tour winner can now maximize his star power by playing in the U.S. At age 27, he’s the oldest player on this list, but that’s still pretty green in golf years. He’s jumped nearly 200 spots in the world ranking since January, from No. 244 to his current standing at No. 79.
#Beef 😂 😂 https://t.co/miXd9mrPQm
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 17, 2016
That’s a result of his win at the Spanish Open in April, along with three other top 10s. A tie for eighth-place finish at The Open Championship cemented the possibility of “Beef” becoming more than just a happy diversion. I do worry about Johnston becoming something of a (hopefully less scandalous) John Daly story if he starts to become known more for style than substance. That said, all indications to this point say he has a good head on his shoulders. He’s the type to own the moment and to not allow the moment to own him.
He’ll likely still play a fair amount in Europe — he’s understandably opting to play the British Masters over the Safeway Open this week — but it wouldn’t be a shock to see “Beef” in the winner’s circle ready to “get hammered” in the States in 2016-17 .
Aug 12, 2016; Silvis, IL, USA; Wesley Bryan watches his tee shot on the eleventh hole during the second round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
1. Wesley Bryan
Originally known for his trick shots, there are no gimmicks when Wesley Bryan steps inside the ropes
Sure, Andrew Johnston might get more folks to turn on their TVs or buy tickets to tournaments, but Wesley Bryan might have a greater impact on getting more people, especially children, out on the golf course.
Thousands of young linksters from across the country have seen at least one of Bryan’s dozens of trick shot YouTube videos made alongside his brother George. They opened up an alternate avenue through which golfers can enjoy the game, and now Wesley is out to prove that his game goes beyond a two- or three-minute rehearsed clip or clinic. Like Murray, the Bryan brothers were also featured on “Big Break: The Palm Beaches.”
This summer, often with George on the bag, Bryan became one of 11 golfers in history to earn the “battlefield promotion” to the PGA Tour via three wins in one Web.com Tour season. Say what you want about the talent on that tour or the courses they play, but winning three professional tournaments in a span of five months is nothing to sneeze at. Add that to the fact that he had a chance to win the John Deere Classic in his first PGA Tour start post-promotion (he eventually tied for eighth) and I’m a believer. He had a relatively successful career at South Carolina, winning twice individually, but things are now really beginning to click for a guy the PGA Tour ought to embrace.
Who’s your preseason pick for 2016-17 Rookie of the Year? Was he on this list? Let us know in the comments and keep it here with PGN for updates from this week’s Safeway Open.
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