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Peter Malnati: 2021 FedEx Cup Contender or Pretender?

By Tim Letcher

ST SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 21: Peter Malnati of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of The RSM Classic at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club on November 21, 2020 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ST SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 21: Peter Malnati of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of The RSM Classic at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club on November 21, 2020 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Peter Malnati has not had much success in the FedEx Cup in his career. Could his fast start on the PGA Tour this season change that?

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. 17, Peter Malnati.

Best career FedEx Cup finish: Malnati has played six seasons on the PGA Tour. He has not had a great deal of success in the postseason. In fact, he has made the playoffs just twice in his career. In 2016, he had his best finish, as he was 104th in the standings. He was 118th in 2019.

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So far this season: Malnati started his season at the Safeway Open. He shot 71 on Thursday and 70 on Friday to miss the cut.

Two weeks later, Malnati played the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. He shot 69 on both Thursday and Friday, but had a 71 on Saturday and a 73 on Sunday. That left him in a tie for 41st place.

Then, Malnati got hot for two straight weeks.

It started at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He shot 70 on Thursday and 67 on Friday. He had another 70 on Saturday, but his final round of 63 allowed him to jump 12 spots and into solo second, just one shot behind winner Sergio Garcia.

Malnati stayed hot the following week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. He opened with a 66 and followed that with a 62 on Friday to share the lead after 36 holes. But he shot 71 on Saturday and 66 on Sunday and ended up in a tie for fifth. Still, it marked consecutive Top Five finishes for Malnati.

After taking a couple of weeks off, Malanti returned at the Bermuda Championship. He opened with a 63 to put himself firmly in the mix. But a 74 on Friday derailed his chances. He shot 70-70 on the weekend to finish in a tie for 21st.

Malnati next played at the RSM Classic. There, he opened with a 65, followed by a 70 on Friday. He shot 73 on Saturday and 67 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 48th.

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In his final 2020 start, Malnati had an awful 78 in the first round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He followed that with a 68 on Friday but missed the cut.

The verdict: Despite a couple of nice showings so far this season, Malnati has not proven that he can get past the first round of the playoffs. Consider him a pretender for the 2021 FedEx Cup.

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