PGA Tour stock up, stock down after Luke List breaks through at Farmers Insurance Open

Luke List went low on Sunday then won a playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open to get his first PGA Tour win. Now, we take a look at the stock watch. 

Golf fans and analysts, particularly those who have bought into the advanced metrics and data in recent years, have been waiting on Luke List to make a proverbial leap. He’s one of the best tee-to-green players in the world at his best but his putter has betrayed him time and again. At Torrey Pines this week for the Farmers Insurance Open, however, he finally found his mojo.

Coming into the week, I had List as my longshot bet to win the tournament and, after firing off a 6-under round on Sunday to take the clubhouse lead and then making birdie on the first playoff hole against Will Zalatoris, the 37-year-old List notched the first PGA Tour victory of his career.

Being right is great, but the scene on the 18th green with his family after finally tasting a win was even better.

On the heels of this breakthrough win for List, though, we open the scope to the PGA Tour field at the Farmers Insurance Open (and perhaps more broadly, too) to take a look at the hypothetical power rankings and whose stock is rising and whose is falling.

PGA Tour: Stock up after Farmers Insurance Open

Luke List – If you need to know just how good List has been this season, he now ranks second on the season (which is now one-quarter of the way done, roughly) in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. It, again, all comes down to the putter. But that’s the recipe for a lot of extremely talented guys on the PGA Tour right now, so you have to believe that the ball-striking in its current form is going to take him to some big paydays and perhaps back to the winner’s circle again this year.

Will Zalatoris – Yes, I know the putt on the 18th hole was shaky, as was the one on the playoff hole. And those misses cost him his first PGA Tour victory.

All that said, the 25-year-old in his first year with full status on the Tour has now started 2022 by going T6 at The American Express and now second outright at the Farmers Insurance Open. The guy is a mess with the flat stick in his hands but the rest of his game is absolutely lights out. Perhaps he catches that List-type week and gets his first win soon in this form.

Jason Day – Certainly, you want to see it happen somewhere outside of Torrey Pines where the Aussie has great vibes from his great history. With that said, him coming out and finishing one stroke out of a playoff and T3 overall is a great sign for this former World No. 1. The only concern is that he did a lot of work with the putter and was a tad above average everywhere else. Even still, it was signs of life from a player who’s fun when he’s in the mix.

Viktor Hovland – So yeah, Hovland didn’t tee it up at Torrey Pines, but he did shoot a 6-under Sunday round at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic to force a playoff on the DP World Tour and then get the win. That’s now three wins in his last five starts, a stretch that includes another top five as well. Hovland is up to No. 3 in the world and looks like he’s primed to tear up the golfing world in 2022.

PGA Tour: Stock down after Farmers Insurance Open

Bryson DeChambeau – I don’t know which injury is hurting Bryson DeChambeau the most right now. But whether it’s his wrist or his back, it was extremely ugly to watch the Big Golfer play on Wednesday and Thursday this week because he looked so uncomfortable. His game and health clearly aren’t in a good place right now and it’s quite concerning given how much he’s pushed his body in the last 18 months or so.

Xander Schauffele – Anyone who watches the game of golf isn’t going to argue that Schauffele is one of the best in the world. But man, it’s hard not to want more from him.

Schauffele was outside the top 30 at a tournament and course he’s both familiar with and that should suit his game. He’s now only won at the Olympics since 2018 and it’s starting to get a bit curious (if not more than that) that such a talented player isn’t winning at the clip he should be.

Jordan Spieth – One of the big questions coming into the year was how much we were going to see from Spieth after a resurgent 2021 where he seemed to find his form again. So far, the signs have been a bit troublesome and the Farmers added to that. Shooting a 78 and missing the cut by a wide margin on Thursday was far from a positive and some of the old issues with being just too erratic are biting him yet again.

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