This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
The "Risers" from the May 4 Barometer are HOT, as Kevin Kisner and Jason Dufner have both taken a trip to the winner's circle the past two weeks. Dufner followed up Kisner's DEAN & DELUCA victory with a convincing three-stroke win at the Memorial on Sunday, just one week after his first missed cut since mid-January. Both golfers have to like where their game is at heading into next week's U.S. Open.
Looking ahead, let's turn our attention to several other players who are rising or falling in value as the FedEx St. Jude Classic and U.S. Open approach, along with a bizarre injury update for a three-time major winner.
VALUE RISING
David Lingmerth
Lingmerth, who didn't post a single top-25 on Tour from last August through mid-April of 2017, has now finished T18 or better in four of his past five events. He began the calendar year inside the top 70 of the Official World Golf Ranking, but had recently fallen as low as 120th. He's now 15th on Tour in average proximity to the hole on approach shots from 50-125 yards and third in putts per round (27.96). Earlier this week, Lingmerth qualified for the upcoming U.S. Open via sectionals in Columbus, Ohio. He now sits 108th in the rankings.
Jamie Lovemark
Lovemark also qualified in Columbus for the U.S. Open, and the 6-foot-4, 215-pound bomber has the power to perform well at the lengthy Erin Hills. He's coming off a pair of top-20s, including a T10 at
The "Risers" from the May 4 Barometer are HOT, as Kevin Kisner and Jason Dufner have both taken a trip to the winner's circle the past two weeks. Dufner followed up Kisner's DEAN & DELUCA victory with a convincing three-stroke win at the Memorial on Sunday, just one week after his first missed cut since mid-January. Both golfers have to like where their game is at heading into next week's U.S. Open.
Looking ahead, let's turn our attention to several other players who are rising or falling in value as the FedEx St. Jude Classic and U.S. Open approach, along with a bizarre injury update for a three-time major winner.
VALUE RISING
David Lingmerth
Lingmerth, who didn't post a single top-25 on Tour from last August through mid-April of 2017, has now finished T18 or better in four of his past five events. He began the calendar year inside the top 70 of the Official World Golf Ranking, but had recently fallen as low as 120th. He's now 15th on Tour in average proximity to the hole on approach shots from 50-125 yards and third in putts per round (27.96). Earlier this week, Lingmerth qualified for the upcoming U.S. Open via sectionals in Columbus, Ohio. He now sits 108th in the rankings.
Jamie Lovemark
Lovemark also qualified in Columbus for the U.S. Open, and the 6-foot-4, 215-pound bomber has the power to perform well at the lengthy Erin Hills. He's coming off a pair of top-20s, including a T10 at the Memorial where he was sixth in SG: tee-to-green and third in SG: around-the-green. Lovemark is up to No. 62 in the FedExCup standings despite an average putter and occasional accuracy issues off the tee.
Ricky Barnes
After a stretch of 10 missed cuts in 13 events earlier in the 2016-17 season, Barnes is riding a solid streak of seven consecutive made cuts. He posted back-to-back top-25s at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational and the Memorial, where he fired one of the better weekend scores with a two-day total of six-under-par during his final two rounds. He probably does not have the talent to continue putting up top-25s, but an extended cut streak is the polar opposite of what he experienced earlier in the season. He'll have a good chance to keep that alive at the FedEx St. Jude Classic against a below-average field.
VALUE FALLING
Ryan Moore
From March through April, Moore finished no worse than a T34 in a span of six tournaments, climbing to No. 32 in the OWGR. Since then, he's gone T53-MC-T67-MC and descended to 42nd in the world rankings. Despite above-average accuracy off the tee, Moore has struggled to hit greens in regulation and currently stands 125th on Tour in GIR percentage. He's broken 72 just once in his last 12 competitive rounds, and he is now going to miss the U.S. Open due to a shoulder injury. Some time off to rest and recover may be what he needs to get back on track.
J.B. Holmes
Over his last five tournament rounds, Holmes is averaging a dismal 76.4 while falling to No. 49 in the OWGR. He has missed back-to-back cuts, and apart from the team-oriented Zurich Classic, he hasn't finished in the top 25 since the WGC-Mexico Championship in early March. Holmes is outside of the top 200 on Tour in driving accuracy and therefore hitting greens in regulation at a clip of just 62.7 percent. He'll be in the field for this week's FedEx St. Jude Classic as he looks to regain his form before the U.S. Open.
Luke List
List was firing on all cylinders at the start of the 2016-17 season, posting five top-15s in his first six events, but the well has run dry since April. He missed five cuts throughout his past six tournaments, and he finished outside of the top 50 the only time he played the weekend during that span. List is second on Tour in driving distance, but he doesn't hit a lot of fairways and isn't qualified for any of the three remaining majors at this point.
INJURY UPDATE
Padraig Harrington (elbow)
Harrington was coaching at an outing earlier in the week when an amateur accidentally struck him on the elbow during a practice swing, resulting in six stitches but no structural damage or broken bones. The injury will not cost him a U.S. Open berth because he did not qualify, but he will miss out on this week's FedEx St. Jude Classic due to the setback. The 45-year-old figures to take some time off as the elbow heals, and his next chance to play will come in late June at the Travelers Championship.
