Players on the cusp at the Northern Trust
By Bill Felber
72. Harold Varner
Varner’s shining moment came at the RBC Heritage back in April. He tied for second, although four shots behind Stewart Cink’s winning total.
In 27 starts this season, it was his only top 10 finish.
He’s also coming in to the Northern Trust with little momentum, at least by comparison with others who are on the cusp of the 70 cutoff spot. Since June 1, Varner has made just six starts, and compiled just 110 FedEx Cup points. Of the 10 guys in the 66-75 range, only Streb has helped his case less.
His best recent finish was a tie for 11th at the John Deere back in July.
Varner plays a consistent but not spectacular game that doesn’t vary much from week to week. He ranks between 40th and 75th on Tour in three Strokes Gained categories – Off the Tee, Approaching the Green and Around the Green. Putting is a weakness, although like anyone else Varner’s can get hot. When he finished second at the RBC, he gained 1.40 strokes per round on the greens.
Getting past the Northern Trust and into the BMW has been a hurdle for Varner. He’s had five shots at doing so, and has succeeded just once. That came in 2019, when Varner used a T3 at the Northern Trust to play his way into the round of 70.