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PGA Tour Bubble Boys: Russell Henley remains a mystery

By Tim Letcher

PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: Russell Henley of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the final round of the Genesis Invitational on February 16, 2020 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: Russell Henley of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the final round of the Genesis Invitational on February 16, 2020 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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Russell Henley once appeared to be a rising star on the PGA Tour

Russell Henley is another one of the PGA Tour’s current “bubble boys”. That is, he currently sits squarely on the bubble of whether he will make this season’s FedEx Cup playoffs or not.

Henley’s name being on this list may be a surprise to some. While at the University of Georgia, Henley had an outstanding career, tying Chris Kirk for the most wins in school history. During his collegiate career, he qualified for the U.S. Open, where he was tied for the low amateur, finishing T16.

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Upon completion of his college career, Henley turned pro in 2011 and played on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2012. He was an immediate success, finishing third on the tour’s money list that season, earning his way onto the PGA Tour.

In 2013, making just his third career start, Henley won going away at the Sony Open in Hawaii. His three-stroke win over Tim Clark set the tone for his entire season and, it appeared, for his career. Henley would go on to finish 44th in the FedEx Cup standings that season.

The next season, Henley continued his climb

He won again, this time at the Honda Classic, to go along with two other top 10s. He made the playoffs and made it to the Tour Championship, where he finished 12th. Henley would finish 19th in the 2014 FedEx Cup standings.

In 2015 and 2016, Henley would slip back a bit, finishing 63rd in the FedEx Cup standings in 2015 and 87th in 2016. He had only one top three finish in those two years combined, and that came at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions early in 2015.

Henley would bounce back in 2017, getting his third career win at the Shell Houston Open. He would make it to the Tour Championship once again, this time finishing in a tie for third place. He would finish a career-best 13th in the FedEx Cup standings.

However, in 2018 and 2019, Henley would slip back again. He finished 96th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2018 and 87th in 2019.

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His 2020 season is also off to a slow start. Henley has played in 11 events and made six cuts so far. His missed five consecutive cuts before his two best showings of the season, which came in his last two events. He tied for 17th at the Genesis Open in February and tied for eighth at the Honda Classic in March.

Henley once seemed like this next young rising star on tour. However, he has struggled lately and needs to right the ship just to make the playoffs this season.

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