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PGA Tour Bubble Boys: Kyle Stanley trying to regain form

By Tim Letcher

RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO - FEBRUARY 22: Kyle Stanley plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of the Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Country Club on February 22, 2020 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO - FEBRUARY 22: Kyle Stanley plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of the Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Country Club on February 22, 2020 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Kyle Stanley once appeared on his way to PGA Tour stardom

As we continue to look at those on the bubble to make the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour, the “bubble boys”, today we land on another player who seemingly should not be on this list. Kyle Stanley has seemed to be ready to take the tour by storm on a couple of occasions, only to find himself slipping back to the rest of the field.

Stanley turned pro in 2009 after a successful collegiate career at Clemson. He played in the U.S. Open that summer as an amateur, finishing 53rd, then turned pro immediately after the event. He would make four of five cuts on the PGA Tour that season.

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In 2010, Stanley played on the Korn Ferry Tour and quickly earned his way onto the PGA Tour. And upon his arrival on the big tour, Stanley made the rest of the tour take notice.

His rookie year was quite solid, and it included a second place finish at the John Deere Classic after Steve Stricker holed out a putt from off the green on the 72nd hole. Still, Stanley would finish a very respectable 34th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2011.

Stanley had a big chance in 2012

He appeared to be on his way to a big win at the Farmers Insurance Open during his second season on tour. He held a five-shot lead entering the final round of the event, only to fall to Brandt Snedeker in a playoff. Later in the season, he was in 30th place in the FedEx Cup standings, but fell to 31st, and out of the Tour Championship, during the BMW Championship.

In 2013, he had a pair of third-place finishes, but not much else, as he finished 77th in the FedEx Cup standings. And in 2014, it got worse, as Stanley finished 158th and was forced to play in the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs to get his PGA Tour card back. He was unable to do so and was forced to play the KFT the following season.

During that 2015 campaign, Stanley was able to fight his way to 22nd place in the priority standings, giving him a trip back to the big tour the following season.

In 2016, Stanley squeaked into the playoffs and finished 116th in the standings. He managed just five top 25 finishes that season, but it was enough to keep his standing.

Stanley had a bounce back season in 2017. He earned his second PGA Tour win, this one coming at the Quicken Loans National, and he had four additional top 10s that season. He made the playoffs and went all the way to the Tour Championship, ultimately finishing 24th in the FedEx Cup standings.

In 2018, Stanley continued his strong play. He had a pair of second-place finishes, at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the Memorial, on his way to a 27th-place finish in the FedEx Cup standings.

However, 2019 was not good to Stanley. He had only one top 10 finish and struggled his way to a 103rd-place finish in the FedEx Cup standings.

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This season has not been much better. Stanley has made the cut just five times in 13 starts. He did finish in a tie for third at the Puerto Rico Open in February, but he hasn’t shown much outside of that. He’s currently 123rd in the FedEx Cup standings.

Much like Russell Henley, it’s hard to figure out what might be wrong with Stanley. He’s only 32 and has a ton of talent. Why he’s not playing better is a huge question mark.

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