This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
The Zurich Classic provided PGA Tour members with a spring break from traditional stroke play as a collection of two-man teams gathered in New Orleans for the diverting event. We're back in business this week at the Wells Fargo Championship where a loaded field resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. The calendar's proclaimed "fifth major" sits just one week out, as we'll be treated to another talented field at The Players Championship in a matter of days. We'll take a look at numerous fantasy trends and a couple of injury updates as the month of May commences.
VALUE RISING
Henrik Stenson
Prior to his top-20 at the Zurich Classic alongside Englishman Justin Rose, Stenson finished T6 or better in three consecutive starts at the API, Houston Open and The Masters. The Swede fell to 15th in the Official World Golf Ranking after a T60-MC stretch earlier this year, but has rebounded nicely since his appearance at Arnie's place. He'll make his next start at TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship, which he won back in 2009.
Billy Horschel
Horschel paired with Scott Piercy to win last week's Zurich Classic, while the former has now placed T11 or better in three consecutive starts after missing the cut in five of his previous six events. He's now top-40 on Tour in both FedExCup points and SG: Off-the-Tee heading into The Players Championship. Horschel's recent victory in New Orleans also guaranteed him a spot in the 2018 PGA Championship.
Brooks Koepka
A wrist injury
The Zurich Classic provided PGA Tour members with a spring break from traditional stroke play as a collection of two-man teams gathered in New Orleans for the diverting event. We're back in business this week at the Wells Fargo Championship where a loaded field resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. The calendar's proclaimed "fifth major" sits just one week out, as we'll be treated to another talented field at The Players Championship in a matter of days. We'll take a look at numerous fantasy trends and a couple of injury updates as the month of May commences.
VALUE RISING
Henrik Stenson
Prior to his top-20 at the Zurich Classic alongside Englishman Justin Rose, Stenson finished T6 or better in three consecutive starts at the API, Houston Open and The Masters. The Swede fell to 15th in the Official World Golf Ranking after a T60-MC stretch earlier this year, but has rebounded nicely since his appearance at Arnie's place. He'll make his next start at TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship, which he won back in 2009.
Billy Horschel
Horschel paired with Scott Piercy to win last week's Zurich Classic, while the former has now placed T11 or better in three consecutive starts after missing the cut in five of his previous six events. He's now top-40 on Tour in both FedExCup points and SG: Off-the-Tee heading into The Players Championship. Horschel's recent victory in New Orleans also guaranteed him a spot in the 2018 PGA Championship.
Brooks Koepka
A wrist injury kept Koepka sidelined for a majority of the winter months, but he returned to action at last week's Zurich Classic and is on pace to make the cut this week at Quail Hollow. In a recent interview with Golf.com, Koepka stated, "when I come back, there's not going to be anyone else in the field more excited to play golf than me." He's remained inside of the top-10 in the OWGR since the injury, but is certainly eager to be competing at a high level again. Following the conclusion of the Wells Fargo Championship, Koepka will likely head to TPC Sawgrass for The Players, where he's finished top-35 each of the past two seasons.
Tony Finau
Up to No. 8 in the FedExCup standings, Finau has finished worse than T32 just twice in 13 starts this season. His duo finished sixth at the Zurich Classic, which was preceded by a T10 at The Masters for Finau. He'll look to contend down the stretch at Quail Hollow before making his next start at The Players.
Jimmy Walker
Walker's bounceback from a Lyme disease diagnosis has been inspiring, while he's made the cut in eight of his last nine starts. The 39-year-old has remained inside of the top-100 in both the FedExCup standings and OWGR, while also ranking top-60 on Tour in SG: Approach, SG: Around-the-Green and SG: Putting.
VALUE FALLING
Daniel Berger
Berger was primed to take the next step this season with a couple years of experience under his belt by now, but the Florida State product has notched ZERO top-10 finishes since last July's John Deere Classic. He's just 70th in the FedExCup standings after finishing 26th or better in each of the past three seasons. Berger needs to get more dialed in with his irons this summer, as he ranks 157th on Tour in proximity.
Shubhankar Sharma
The 21-year-old Indian phenom rose as high as 64th in the OWGR following a pair of European Tour wins at the Maybank Championship and Joburg Open, earning himself a special invite to The Masters. In three starts stateside, however, Sharma missed the cut at Augusta, the Houston Open and Valero Texas Open. He's not qualified for The Players Championship and may not appear in another high-profile event until the Open Championship in late July at Carnoustie.
Kevin Na
Na has missed the cut in three consecutive starts dating back to the RBC Heritage, which is quite a disappointing development after finishing T20-T2-T36 from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am through the API. He ranks just 193rd on Tour in SG: OTT and 171st in GIR percentage, but has kept his head afloat with a quality short game as he sits third in SG: Around-the-Green. He'll be in the field at next week's Players Championship, but he's not yet qualified for the remaining trio of majors this season.
INJURY UPDATE
Andrew Landry
Landry decided to call it quits at the Wells Fargo Championship following a first-round 78, citing an illness as his reason for the withdrawal. The issue is likely minor in nature, while he'll now have additional time to rest and prepare for The Players Championship next week.
Camilo Villegas
Villegas continues to nurse a shoulder injury that has kept him out since late March's Houston Open. Although the 36-year-old is qualified for next week's Players Championship, he's not listed as a participant in the expected field.
