PGA power rankings: The 2019 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier

PGA power rankings: A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier

5. Joaquin Niemann – (84)

If you have been in my articles at any point over the last year, you know I have a special affinity for this 20-year-old from Chile and his textbook swing, and the bettor in me thinks this could be the week he finally breaks through and gets his first win. Niemann will tee it up for the third time in his young career already The Greenbrier, as he played this event in 2017 as an 18-year-old amateur and finished T-29. In his second appearance here last year, Niemann notched his best finish on tour to date with a T-5, which he also ended up matching two additional times late last season.

Niemann missed the cut at both majors he qualified for, but his consistent cut-making elsewhere led to a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He T-30 at the Northern Trust and it was enough to push him into the top-70 for the BMW Championship, but his season came to an end there with a T-31 finish. I expect big things from this future star this season.

4. Jason Kokrak – (54)

Kokrak got hot at the right time down the stretch in the FedEx Cup playoffs, and it was a fantastic finish to a very consistent 2019 season. He only missed one cut in 2019 in 20 events total, and his T-6 at the Wyndham Championship gave him the boost he needed to go deep into the playoff. Kokrak then T-12 at the Northern Trust, and his T-19 the following week at the BMW Championship was enough to get him a spot in the TOUR Championship, where he finished the year with a T-9 finish and one last top-ten. The 34-year-old ended up finishing 14th in the final FedEx Cup standings.

Here at the Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, Kokrak was all struggles until last year when his 13-under par finish was good for a T-3. In four previous chances, the bomber missed two cuts, and his best finish was a T-41 back in 2013. With the way he finished last season compared to the rest of this field, it is quite possible that Kokrak has the best recent form overall coming in this week.

3. Sungjae Im – (56)

Much like my affinity for Niemann, my regular readers know I have been talking about 21-year-old South Korean Sungjae Im for just as long. The pair both turned pro at relatively the same time this time last year and while they did not have the notoriety of Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland, all four along with fellow young phenom Collin Morikawa look to be the future of this sport.

Im is still yet to capture that first win just like Niemann while Morikawa and Wolff both got that out of the way quickly, but he made a name for himself this season by grinding it out every week, so much so that he was able to finish 19th in the final FedEx Cup standings. Im teed it up in a total of 35 FedEx Cup events last year, three more than the next closest golfer Tom Hoge.

2. Viktor Hovland – (111)

Hovland is also still seeking that first win, but the 21-year-old only has a few events under his belt as a professional. He was unable to accumulate enough points for postseason play, but he ended his season with his a solo fourth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship. In six events total after turning pro, Hovland notched five top-20’s and did not miss a cut.

Although his PGA Tour season ended at the Wyndham, Hovland took his game to the Korn Ferry Tour in an effort to secure his first PGA Tour card. He was able to accomplish the task at hand with a T-11 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship and a T-2 at the Boise Open. It sounds like he will play in Europe next week on the European Tour on an invite, but expect to see plenty of Hovland during the fall swing this season.

1. Bryson DeChambeau – (10)

Usually, in these fall swing events, there will be at least one golfer in the top-20 or so in the world, with more and more joining the action as we get closer to December. My guess is we could see some big names in South Korea and Japan at the CIMB Classic and the inaugural ZOZO Championship in October, as the WGC-HSBC Champions in China is sure to draw a solid field the following week, and a warm-up or two could be in order. T

he best in the world will also head to Australia for the President’s Cup in December, but in the meantime, we will likely have a handful of tournaments with clear-cut favorites like we have this week.

We all know DeChambeau had his issues on the green and is now deemed one of the slowest players on tour. Even though he was pretty emotional about the hate he received, he was able to block out the noise for the most part throughout the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Bryson made a run at the TOUR Championship but finished T-7 for the tournament, and T-12 overall in the final FedEx Cup standings for the 2018-2019 season. He has played this event once two years ago, and he T-14 at 8-under par.

Thanks for stopping by FanSided Fantasy and checking out our ever-expanding Fantasy Golf content. I hope you enjoyed this week’s PGA Power Rankings. Be sure to keep an eye out for my FanDuel article coming soon as well. As always, special thanks to goes to Smart Golf Bets for his tournament sheets.