This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
The weather is hot, the Euros are hotter. Let's see where the circuit is headed as we close in on the fourth major of the year.
UPGRADES
Carl Pettersson: His sixth-place check at the AT&T National sounded the alarm a few weeks back - Pettersson was close to putting it all together - and he had all the pistons cranking up north at the RBC Canadian Open last week, firing a 60 on Saturday and finishing with a winning 67 on Sunday. Pettersson was on the cusp of becoming a star before his stunning step back in 2009, but we can say now, definitively, that last year's results were nothing but a fluke. Pettersson's game doesn't have a lot of flash to it, but he's got the mind, nerve and consistency of a champion. Next up for the 32-year-old: making a run at a major.
Bob Estes: He hit a miserable slump in the second quarter of the year but a T8 at the St. Jude Classic seemed to rouse Estes a bit, and he had his good stuff at the RBC Canadian Open (T4). Estes probably won't take the Tour by storm over the final few months, but he's in a good place with his swing and figures to be a regular check-grabber for the rest of our fantasy campaign. If you're in a deeper league, make sure he's not on your waiver wire.
Matt Kuchar: He's not a bomber off the tee, but he does
The weather is hot, the Euros are hotter. Let's see where the circuit is headed as we close in on the fourth major of the year.
UPGRADES
Carl Pettersson: His sixth-place check at the AT&T National sounded the alarm a few weeks back - Pettersson was close to putting it all together - and he had all the pistons cranking up north at the RBC Canadian Open last week, firing a 60 on Saturday and finishing with a winning 67 on Sunday. Pettersson was on the cusp of becoming a star before his stunning step back in 2009, but we can say now, definitively, that last year's results were nothing but a fluke. Pettersson's game doesn't have a lot of flash to it, but he's got the mind, nerve and consistency of a champion. Next up for the 32-year-old: making a run at a major.
Bob Estes: He hit a miserable slump in the second quarter of the year but a T8 at the St. Jude Classic seemed to rouse Estes a bit, and he had his good stuff at the RBC Canadian Open (T4). Estes probably won't take the Tour by storm over the final few months, but he's in a good place with his swing and figures to be a regular check-grabber for the rest of our fantasy campaign. If you're in a deeper league, make sure he's not on your waiver wire.
Matt Kuchar: He's not a bomber off the tee, but he does just about everything else well: 30th in driving accuracy, 14th in GIR, 27th in putting, seventh in scoring. Kuchar also gets high point for consistency - he's cashed in 14-of-18 events - and he can handle the Sunday pressure (second in final-round scoring average). He's still young enough, at 32, to blossom into a star.
DOWNGRADES
Mike Weir: Seven cuts missed? A lowly 123rd on the money list? Weir's having his worst season since becoming an established pro, and you have to wonder how badly his recent arm injury is playing into this.
Alex Prugh: Is he starting to hit the rookie wall? He's made just 6-of-15 cuts the last four months, and his last significant check came in early February. The grind of the season and the lack of experience may be taxing Prugh over summer's dog days.
Tom Pernice Jr.: He's only missed four cuts this year, but nonetheless he's right around the Top 125 because most of his cashes have been modest ones. Pernice spots everyone a few yards off the tee - he's 146th in driving distanced - and he's not making up for it enough around the green (93rd in putting, 135th in scrambling).
HOLDING STEADY
Dean Wilson: His second-place check up north probably gets him into the FedExCup Playoffs, but that doesn't mean we like Wilson's chances to last very long in the end-of-year money grab. He's still one of the straightest-hitting players on the circuit, but he's also 172th in GIR and 119th in driving distance, a tough combo to overcome.
Sean O'Hair: He was on a two-month roll (five checks over six figures) into last week, but the physical drain of playing immediately after the British Open takes a toll on many American players. Don't read too much into O'Hair's trunk slam in Canada, it's probably a fatigue thing. He'll be rested for the PGA.
