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Russell Henley: 2021 FedEx Cup Contender or Pretender?

By Tim Letcher

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 25: <>during the final round of the Zozo Championship @ Sherwood on October 25, 2020 in Thousand Oaks, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 25: <>during the final round of the Zozo Championship @ Sherwood on October 25, 2020 in Thousand Oaks, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Russell Henley is a very talented player who has not been able to convert that talent into a postseason run. Can this be his year in the FedEx Cup?

With the 2020 portion of the PGA Tour schedule in the books, we at Pro Golf Now will be taking a look at the current top 50, and some selected others, in the current FedEx Cup standings and whether they are contenders or pretenders for the 2021 FedEx Cup. Our latest subject is the current No. 28, Russell Henley.

Best career FedEx Cup finish: Henley has made the FedEx Cup playoffs in each of his eight seasons on the PGA Tour. He was 44th in his first year and jumped to 19th his second season in 2014. However, his best finish came in 2017 when he made his second trip to East Lake for the Tour Championship. He finished 13th that season.

So far this season: Henley opened his 2020-21 campaign at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, where he opened with consecutive rounds of 67. He then shot 66 on Saturday and 70 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 27th place.

Henley bounced back the following week at the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek. He shot a 66 on Thursday, 68 on Friday and 67 on Saturday to put himself in the mix. However, he shot a 70 on Sunday and slipped to a third-place finish.

The hot streak continued for Henley the following week at the Zozo Championship. His 63-66 weekend landed him in a tie for fourth place, his second straight Top 10.

After a week off, Henley played the Houston Open, where he had a consistent week. His 69-72-69-68 week left him at 2-under par and in a tie for 29th place.

Henley played in two more events to close his 2020 calendar year.

At the RSM Classic, he shot 10-under for the week, which was good enough to allow him to finish in a tie for 30th place. But in his 2020 finale, at the Mayakoba Classic, Henley shot 72-74 to miss the cut.

The verdict: Henley has never fully taken advantage of his talent during his PGA Tour career. It doesn’t seem likely that he will make a run at the FedEx Cup this season, even with all of that talent. He’s a pretender for the 2021 FedEx Cup.

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