This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
Once upon a time, the thought of a Tiger-less Masters would have been the end-all for any chance at an electrifying showdown come Sunday on the sacred grounds of Augusta National. This year's edition of golf's most prestigious event may not feature one of the game's all-time transcendent figures donning a vibrant red polo, nor the course's famous azaleas following a spell of cold weather, but there figures to be no shortage of extraordinary talent and drama as several superstars have busted onto the scene since Danny Willett captured last season's green jacket in a come-from-behind win over Jordan Spieth. Currently favored to come out on top is world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who enters the event riding a three-tournament win streak. Close behind is Rory McIlroy as he attempts to complete the Career Grand Slam. Don't sleep on Rickie Fowler, who remains in search of his first major victory but looked impressive at last week's Shell Houston Open and won the Honda Classic just a few weeks prior. We will now take a look at several other golfers in the field who are rising in value, falling in the same category, and dealing with injuries or other circumstances.
VALUE RISING
Russell Henley
Soaring from outside of the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking up to No. 61, Henley rode a dominant Sunday performance to victory at the Shell Houston Open. Henley has made nine cuts in his last 10 events on Tour while also notching seven top-25
Once upon a time, the thought of a Tiger-less Masters would have been the end-all for any chance at an electrifying showdown come Sunday on the sacred grounds of Augusta National. This year's edition of golf's most prestigious event may not feature one of the game's all-time transcendent figures donning a vibrant red polo, nor the course's famous azaleas following a spell of cold weather, but there figures to be no shortage of extraordinary talent and drama as several superstars have busted onto the scene since Danny Willett captured last season's green jacket in a come-from-behind win over Jordan Spieth. Currently favored to come out on top is world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who enters the event riding a three-tournament win streak. Close behind is Rory McIlroy as he attempts to complete the Career Grand Slam. Don't sleep on Rickie Fowler, who remains in search of his first major victory but looked impressive at last week's Shell Houston Open and won the Honda Classic just a few weeks prior. We will now take a look at several other golfers in the field who are rising in value, falling in the same category, and dealing with injuries or other circumstances.
VALUE RISING
Russell Henley
Soaring from outside of the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking up to No. 61, Henley rode a dominant Sunday performance to victory at the Shell Houston Open. Henley has made nine cuts in his last 10 events on Tour while also notching seven top-25 finishes in that same span. He was able to punch a ticket to the Masters with his victory, so he will now prepare for the fourth appearance of his career at Augusta instead of taking the week off (bummer, right?). He finished 21-T31 in his previous two attempts at the Masters, but this time around he's playing some of the best golf of his career.
Charley Hoffman
The inconsistent 40-year-old is on the rise after four top-25 finishes -- including a T2 and T4 -- over his past six events launched Hoffman to No. 52 in the OWGR. So far this season it seems as if Hoffman either finishes in the top 25 or misses the cut completely, making him an intriguing option from week-to-week in GPP daily fantasy formats, but not so much in cash-game lineups that depend on the venue. He is ranked among the top 30 on Tour in terms of strokes gained: off-the-tee and strokes gained: tee-to-green, but the flat stick has been an issue for Hoffman. He owns a T9 performance at the 2015 Masters, which he followed up with a T29 in 2016, so he could be an interesting low-priced asset for gamers to consider at Augusta this week.
Hudson Swafford
Swafford experienced quite the figurative hangover following his win at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January, missing the cut in his next three events. He was able to bounce back with a mediocre T38 at the Valspar Championship, but has since finished top 10 at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Shell Houston Open. He ranks ninth on Tour in strokes gained: off-the-tee, but has been out of sorts with his wedge play around the greens at times. Luckily for Swafford he's hitting just over 70% of his greens in regulation, so the short game troubles have not been too exposed due to quality ball striking. Augusta presents a new challenge for Swafford, however, so he will need to polish off those flaws in order to have a successful debut at the Masters.
VALUE FALLING
Henrik Stenson
Stenson has certainly cooled off with back-to-back missed cuts following three top-10 finishes in four events to begin his calendar year. Despite his ascension into the top-five of the OWGR, Stenson still owns just one career major victory and no finish better than a T14 at the Masters. He has strung together four consecutive top-25s at Augusta, but the Swede will need to find the peak of his game in a hurry if he wants a shot at the green jacket. Quite a birthday gift it would be for Stenson, who turns 41 years old Wednesday.
Patrick Reed
Reed's ball striking numbers have been extremely lousy throughout 2017, as he currently ranks 191st on Tour in strokes gained: approach-the-green and 133rd in strokes gained: tee-to-green, all while hitting just 58.38% of his fairways in regulation. Most recently, the world's eighth-ranked golfer missed the cut at the Shell Houston Open due to a first-round 77, and he has now gone seven consecutive events without a top-20 finish. Reed has made just three career appearances at the Masters, with his best performance being a T22 in 2015. The former Augusta State University standout will look to get back on track this week and prove to the world he belongs where he does in the OWGR.
James Hahn
Hahn began his 2017 campaign as the 64th-ranked golfer in the world, but has since fallen to No. 80 after failing to record a single top-25 finish in eight events since January's SBS Tournament of Champions, where he finished T22 in a smaller field. He was able to qualify for the Masters via his win at last year's Wells Fargo Championship, but he missed the cut during his lone career start at Augusta in 2015. Hahn ranks inside the top 40 on Tour in both driving accuracy and GIR percentage, but has struggled with his short game and certain approach yardages as he continuously leaves himself with lengthy birdie and par opportunities.
Webb Simpson
Since finishing runner-up at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, Simpson has posted disappointing results of MC-T39-T41-MC, followed by a T58 at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship in which he did not come close to advancing past the group stage. Through 30 measured rounds on Tour so far this year, Simpson ranks eighth in terms of strokes gained: approach-the-green, but he has fallen to No. 200 in strokes gained: putting as the flat stick continues to present his greatest weakness. A poor putting performance on Augusta's tricky greens could prove to be fatal for Simpson's chances at a top-25 finish, a feat he has yet to accomplish in five career appearances.
INJURY UPDATE
Jason Day (personal)
Day's potential availability for the Masters was cloudy following an emotional withdrawal from the WGC-Dell Match Play, but he spent this past weekend at Augusta in preparation for his seventh consecutive run at a green jacket. According to Joel Beall of GolfDigest.com, Day's mother is experiencing an improvement with her health as she continues to battle cancer, so Day figures to be in a better place mentally this week. Currently ranked No. 3 in the OWGR, Day has notched three top-10 finishes at Augusta in six attempts, but he still owns just one career major victory.
Gary Woodland (personal)
Woodland was also forced to withdraw from the WGC-Dell Match Play due to a family matter as his wife experienced complications with her pregnancy, but the 36th-ranked golfer in the world will tee it up at Augusta this week. If any further issues arise, however, Woodland has no issues with calling it quits early at the Masters in order to be with his family, Jason Sobel of ESPN.com reports. The long-hitting 32-year-old's best career finish at the Masters came during his debut in 2011 when he finished T24, but he missed the cut during his last appearance in 2015.
Francesco Molinari (wrist)
A minor wrist injury resulted in Molinari's WD from the WGC-Dell Match Play, likely coming as a precaution in order to be fully healthy for the Masters after playing stellar golf throughout the past few months. He has racked up nine top-20 finishes in his past 11 events worldwide, but he has not played at the Masters since a 50th-place showing in 2014.
Si Woo Kim (back)
Kim withdrew for the second time in his last four events at the Shell Houston Open, citing a back injury during the latter portion of his second round. He'll be making his debut at the Masters this week, so a lack of course history, poor recent form, and back issues will likely make Kim a low-owned, albeit cheap, option in terms of daily fantasy formats this week.
