FedEx Cup standings: Post-PLAYERS top ten breakdown
9. Brendan Steele
1062 points, 15 events (avg. 70.8)
1 win, 4 top 10s
Last two weeks: DNP – Wells Fargo; T6, The PLAYERS
Brendan Steele is this week’s biggest winner in the top ten, leapfrogging both Justin Rose and Brian Harman with his sixth-place finish at THE PLAYERS. Steele’s week at TPC Sawgrass was quietly impressive. Inside the top ten after each of the first two rounds, Steele made the cut at four-under, popped a 75 on Saturday to fall eight back of the lead, then came back with a four-under 68 on Sunday.
In a weekend that saw most of the biggest names in golf struggle mightily (Jason Day shot 80 on Sunday), that’s an effort to be commended, and he reaped the rewards. Steele’s 1,062 FedEx Cup points are the third-most in his career, and he’s still got almost half a season left ahead.
The only question ahead is what Steele can do to keep up the pace. Before this week, he had gone without a top-25 finish since the Honda Classic, a five-tournament run that netted him just 73 points – 25 fewer than he won at TPC Sawgrass.
Steele is striking the ball remarkably well, ranking 13th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. That’s a skill that can give him plenty of opportunities at any course. Even with some of the game’s toughest tests ahead, Steele could remain a force through the year.