Barbasol Championship: Top 10 power rankings

AUBURN, AL - JULY 14: A tee marker during the first round of the Barbasol Championship at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National on July 14, 2016 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - JULY 14: A tee marker during the first round of the Barbasol Championship at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National on July 14, 2016 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Barbasol Championship
SILVIS, IL – JULY 16: Patrick Rodgers hits his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on July 16, 2017 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

If you’re on the Patrick Rodgers bandwagon, you’re likely of the mindset that it’s a matter of when, not if, the former Stanford standout will become a PGA TOUR winner.

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That time was almost last Sunday at the John Deere Classic until a bogey on the par-5 17th and a par on the difficult par 18th afforded the win to another young first-timer, Bryson DeChambeau.

While DeChambeau is off to Royal Birkdale, Rodgers will seek to regroup in Alabama.

He can take solace in his rise to No. 52 in the FedEx Cup standings and his Tour card locked up for 2017-18. Known as a smart player with an easygoing personality, Rodgers appears equipped to bounce back, just as he nearly did to win last week on the heels of a ho-hum 2016-17 campaign.

Rodgers certainly has the talent to keep climbing. He matched Tiger Woods’ collegiate win total at Stanford (11) and was a former No. 1 world amateur.

He’s one of the longer guys on Tour (11th in driving, 6th in approaches from 225-250 yards) and when the putter’s rolling like it was last week with three of four rounds with a positive strokes gained mark, he can be an elite talent at the pro level.

The 25-year-old has also had close calls at the 2015 Wells Fargo Championship (T2) and the 2016 Travelers (T3). An alternate field event could be just what the doctor ordered for Rodgers to break through.