Barracuda Championship: Top five sleeper candidates at Montreux
Tyrone van Aswegen, currently ranked 113th in the FedEx Cup race, is having one of the stronger seasons of anybody in this field. In 29 starts, he has four top-25 finishes. Even if you take out the T14 he had at the team-play Zurich Classic of New Orleans, partnered with veteran countryman Retief Goosen, those points should have him locked in for next year’s TOUR card.
Van Aswegen struggled in 2016’s Barracuda Championship, finishing tied for 72nd place in an adjusted schedule year, in order to accommodate the majors ahead of the Olympics in Rio. In 2015, though, van Aswegen came in at +36 to tie for 15th place. It was a solid showing that should help carry over into this year.
Van Aswegen’s only real weakness is his incredibly streaky nature. His season-long stats are pretty atrocious, but he’s found a way to make it work when he really needs to get the job done. Last week at the RBC Canadian Open, for instance, he led the field in strokes gained around the green, and tied for ninth in putts per green-in-regulation. That led to 19 birdies and an eagle, compared to just seven bogeys.
If he can play that aggressive style and continue to convert at Montreux, van Aswegen can work his way into a much better position for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the new season this fall.