This article is part of our Golf Draft Kit series.
Below are our Best Values for the 2017-18 PGA Tour season.
A player's grade is based solely on his value for 2017-18. The value compares 2016-17 earnings vs. 2017-18 projected earnings. A player like Jason Dufner might earn a "D" grade or lower, but that is no indication of how he will play this year. It is simply a result of how his 2017-18 projected earnings compare to his 2016-17 earnings.
Improvement percentage (2016-17 earnings vs. 2017-18 projected earnings) is the factor that drives the grading process. Anything positive is a good score, though a slight positive score might just reflect inflation in prize money.
Ranking includes only 2017-18 PGA Tour card winners who played at least 10 events on last year's tour:
• Top 125 on FedEx Cup Points List
• Notable Exempt Players not in Top 125 (E)
• Non-Rookies from Web.com Tour Top-25 Money List (W)
• Non-Rookies from Web.com Tour Finals (F)
• International Newcomers (I)
• Conditional Status Players who Finished 126-150 on Points List (C)
Click column headers to sort.
| GOLFER | 2016-17 EVENTS | 2016-17 EARNINGS | 2017-18 PROJ. EARNINGS | IMPROVE% | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Danny Willett – E | 22 | $217,975 | $600,000 | 175.3% | A |
| 2. Jimmy Walker | 21 | $1,101,162 | $3,000,000 | 172.4% | A |
| 3. Bubba Watson | 22 | $1,223,129 | $3,000,000 | 145.3% | A |
| 4. Jason Day | 20 | $2,978,181 | $6,000,000 | 101.5% | A |
| 5. Nicholas Lindheim – F | 21 | $175,107 | $350,000 | 99.9% | A |
| 6. Patrick Cantlay | 13 | $2,049,632 | $4,000,000 | 95.2% | A |
| 7. Ryan Palmer – C | 20 | $772,560 | $1,500,000 | 94.2% | A |
| 8. Daniel |
Below are our Best Values for the 2017-18 PGA Tour season.
RotoWire golf writers Len Hochberg, Michael Riek, Bryce Danielson and Pete Gargano contributed to this report.
A player's grade is based solely on his value for 2017-18. The value compares 2016-17 earnings vs. 2017-18 projected earnings. A player like Jason Dufner might earn a "D" grade or lower, but that is no indication of how he will play this year. It is simply a result of how his 2017-18 projected earnings compare to his 2016-17 earnings.
Improvement percentage (2016-17 earnings vs. 2017-18 projected earnings) is the factor that drives the grading process. Anything positive is a good score, though a slight positive score might just reflect inflation in prize money.
Ranking includes only 2017-18 PGA Tour card winners who played at least 10 events on last year's tour:
• Top 125 on FedEx Cup Points List
• Notable Exempt Players not in Top 125 (E)
• Non-Rookies from Web.com Tour Top-25 Money List (W)
• Non-Rookies from Web.com Tour Finals (F)
• International Newcomers (I)
• Conditional Status Players who Finished 126-150 on Points List (C)
Click column headers to sort.
| GOLFER | 2016-17 EVENTS | 2016-17 EARNINGS | 2017-18 PROJ. EARNINGS | IMPROVE% | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Danny Willett – E | 22 | $217,975 | $600,000 | 175.3% | A |
| 2. Jimmy Walker | 21 | $1,101,162 | $3,000,000 | 172.4% | A |
| 3. Bubba Watson | 22 | $1,223,129 | $3,000,000 | 145.3% | A |
| 4. Jason Day | 20 | $2,978,181 | $6,000,000 | 101.5% | A |
| 5. Nicholas Lindheim – F | 21 | $175,107 | $350,000 | 99.9% | A |
| 6. Patrick Cantlay | 13 | $2,049,632 | $4,000,000 | 95.2% | A |
| 7. Ryan Palmer – C | 20 | $772,560 | $1,500,000 | 94.2% | A |
| 8. Daniel Summerhays – C | 29 | $826,124 | $1,600,000 | 93.7% | A |
| 9. Rory McIlroy | 14 | $2,430,182 | $4,500,000 | 85.2% | A |
| 10. Harris English | 27 | $864,959 | $1,600,000 | 85.0% | A |
| 11. Brandt Snedeker | 15 | $1,625,806 | $3,000,000 | 84.5% | A |
| 12. John Peterson – E | 15 | $329,705 | $600,000 | 82.0% | A |
| 13. Steve Wheatcroft – F | 17 | $309,518 | $550,000 | 77.7% | A |
| 14. Adam Scott | 16 | $1,695,144 | $3,000,000 | 77.0% | A |
| 15. Tyrrell Hatton – I | 13 | $1,103,224 | $1,900,000 | 72.2% | A |
| 16. Scott Piercy | 22 | $1,317,452 | $2,250,000 | 70.8% | A |
| 17. Ryan Armour – F | 20 | $443,006 | $750,000 | 69.3% | A |
| 18. David Lingmerth | 23 | $1,070,754 | $1,800,000 | 68.1% | A |
| 19. J.B. Holmes | 23 | $1,353,584 | $2,250,000 | 66.2% | A |
| 20. Bryson DeChambeau | 31 | $1,817,054 | $3,000,000 | 65.1% | A |
| 21. Tom Hoge – F | 17 | $373,092 | $600,000 | 60.8% | A |
| 22. Troy Merritt – F | 28 | $569,682 | $900,000 | 58.0% | A |
| 23. Ryan Moore | 24 | $1,751,851 | $2,750,000 | 57.0% | A |
| 24. Graeme McDowell – C | 17 | $639,770 | $1,000,000 | 56.3% | A |
| 25. Smylie Kaufman – E | 26 | $784,758 | $1,200,000 | 52.9% | A |
| 26. Branden Grace | 20 | $1,315,054 | $2,000,000 | 52.1% | A |
| 27. Alex Noren – I | 11 | $1,205,516 | $1,800,000 | 49.3% | B |
| 28. Shawn Stefani – F | 26 | $404,377 | $600,000 | 48.4% | B |
| 29. Chris Kirk | 28 | $1,216,047 | $1,800,000 | 48.0% | B |
| 30. Brett Stegmaier – F | 27 | $271,031 | $400,000 | 47.6% | B |
| 31. Ben Martin | 27 | $850,319 | $1,250,000 | 47.0% | B |
| 32. Matt Jones – F | 20 | $510,622 | $750,000 | 46.9% | B |
| 33. Alex Cejka – F | 28 | $618,171 | $900,000 | 45.6% | B |
| 34. Ryan Blaum | 29 | $962,768 | $1,400,000 | 45.4% | B |
| 35. Brandon Hagy | 26 | $861,227 | $1,250,000 | 45.1% | B |
| 36. Kevin Na | 26 | $1,728,351 | $2,500,000 | 44.6% | B |
| 37. Henrik Stenson | 15 | $2,769,771 | $4,000,000 | 44.4% | B |
| 38. Emiliano Grillo | 25 | $1,567,015 | $2,250,000 | 43.6% | B |
| 39. Dominic Bozzelli | 24 | $868,519 | $1,200,000 | 38.2% | B |
| 40. Joel Dahmen – F | 16 | $344,824 | $475,000 | 37.8% | B |
| 41. David Hearn – C | 29 | $800,710 | $1,100,000 | 37.4% | B |
| 42. Russell Knox | 24 | $1,643,924 | $2,250,000 | 36.9% | B |
| 43. Brian Stuard – E | 31 | $588,806 | $800,000 | 35.9% | B |
| 44. Kevin Tway | 27 | $1,472,613 | $2,000,000 | 35.8% | B |
| 45. Nick Taylor | 29 | $1,255,259 | $1,700,000 | 35.4% | B |
| 46. Richy Werenski | 26 | $890,262 | $1,200,000 | 34.8% | B |
| 47. Patrick Reed | 29 | $3,055,111 | $4,000,000 | 30.9% | B |
| 48. Jon Rahm | 23 | $6,123,248 | $8,000,000 | 30.6% | B |
| 49. Bob Estes – E | 15 | $76,930 | $100,000 | 30.0% | B |
| 50. Patrick Rodgers | 27 | $1,346,322 | $1,750,000 | 30.0% | B |
| 51. Rafa Cabrera Bello | 19 | $1,934,675 | $2,500,000 | 29.2% | B |
| 52. Ollie Schniederjans | 28 | $1,935,669 | $2,500,000 | 29.2% | B |
| 53. Tommy Fleetwood – I | 10 | $2,094,454 | $2,700,000 | 28.9% | B |
| 54. J.T. Poston – C | 28 | $662,565 | $850,000 | 28.3% | B |
| 55. Kevin Chappell | 27 | $3,149,615 | $4,000,000 | 27.0% | B |
| 56. Zach Johnson | 23 | $2,362,968 | $3,000,000 | 27.0% | B |
| 57. Thomas Pieters – I | 12 | $2,058,000 | $2,600,000 | 26.3% | B |
| 58. Cameron Tringale – F | 28 | $792,814 | $1,000,000 | 26.1% | B |
| 59. Robert Streb | 30 | $1,588,287 | $2,000,000 | 25.9% | C |
| 60. Jim Furyk – E | 18 | $558,097 | $700,000 | 25.4% | C |
| 61. Seamus Power – F | 25 | $646,180 | $800,000 | 23.8% | C |
| 62. Hudson Swafford | 28 | $2,246,090 | $2,750,000 | 22.4% | C |
| 63. Byeong Hun An | 22 | $1,236,090 | $1,500,000 | 21.4% | C |
| 64. Nick Watney | 23 | $824,162 | $1,000,000 | 21.3% | C |
| 65. Wesley Bryan | 28 | $2,495,751 | $3,000,000 | 20.2% | C |
| 66. Harold Varner III | 31 | $918,779 | $1,100,000 | 19.7% | C |
| 67. Jamie Lovemark | 28 | $1,886,972 | $2,250,000 | 19.2% | C |
| 68. Phil Mickelson | 22 | $2,102,599 | $2,500,000 | 18.9% | C |
| 69. Justin Rose | 18 | $4,245,308 | $5,000,000 | 17.8% | C |
| 70. Cameron Smith | 26 | $2,123,216 | $2,500,000 | 17.7% | C |
| 71. Patton Kizzire | 28 | $1,110,395 | $1,300,000 | 17.1% | C |
| 72. Johnson Wagner – C | 26 | $685,306 | $800,000 | 16.7% | C |
| 73. Brooks Koepka | 24 | $5,612,397 | $6,500,000 | 15.8% | C |
| 74. Adam Hadwin | 28 | $3,455,012 | $4,000,000 | 15.8% | C |
| 75. Shane Lowry – E | 16 | $831,411 | $950,000 | 14.3% | C |
| 76. Zac Blair – C | 32 | $788,352 | $900,000 | 14.2% | C |
| 77. Sergio Garcia | 17 | $3,522,476 | $4,000,000 | 13.6% | C |
| 78. Louis Oosthuizen | 18 | $3,105,422 | $3,500,000 | 12.7% | C |
| 79. J.J. Spaun | 29 | $1,122,611 | $1,250,000 | 11.3% | C |
| 80. Billy Horschel | 28 | $2,697,960 | $3,000,000 | 11.2% | C |
| 81. Billy Hurley III – E | 25 | $719,579 | $800,000 | 11.2% | C |
| 82. Seung-Yul Noh | 31 | $1,080,706 | $1,200,000 | 11.0% | C |
| 83. Daniel Berger | 26 | $4,287,161 | $4,750,000 | 10.8% | C |
| 84. Kelly Kraft | 27 | $1,638,045 | $1,800,000 | 9.9% | D |
| 85. Morgan Hoffmann | 29 | $1,278,568 | $1,400,000 | 9.5% | D |
| 86. Bud Cauley | 28 | $1,553,685 | $1,700,000 | 9.4% | D |
| 87. Webb Simpson | 28 | $3,209,646 | $3,500,000 | 9.0% | D |
| 88. Grayson Murray | 30 | $1,468,728 | $1,600,000 | 8.9% | D |
| 89. James Hahn | 28 | $1,841,314 | $2,000,000 | 8.6% | D |
| 90. Danny Lee | 32 | $1,611,331 | $1,750,000 | 8.6% | D |
| 91. Martin Flores | 27 | $830,057 | $900,000 | 8.4% | D |
| 92. Michael Kim | 28 | $1,018,204 | $1,100,000 | 8.0% | D |
| 93. Rory Sabbatini | 23 | $741,617 | $800,000 | 7.9% | D |
| 94. Jim Herman | 25 | $1,205,632 | $1,300,000 | 7.8% | D |
| 95. Rickie Fowler | 21 | $6,083,197 | $6,500,000 | 6.9% | D |
| 96. Whee Kim | 27 | $1,125,368 | $1,200,000 | 6.6% | D |
| 97. Kevin Streelman | 26 | $1,313,327 | $1,400,000 | 6.6% | D |
| 98. Jason Kokrak | 28 | $1,173,708 | $1,250,000 | 6.5% | D |
| 99. William McGirt | 28 | $1,225,005 | $1,300,000 | 6.1% | D |
| 100. Brian Gay | 25 | $942,372 | $1,000,000 | 6.1% | D |
| 101. Jordan Spieth | 23 | $9,433,033 | $10,000,000 | 6.0% | D |
| 102. Aaron Baddeley – E | 20 | $755,356 | $800,000 | 5.9% | D |
| 103. Derek Fathauer | 27 | $898,491 | $950,000 | 5.7% | D |
| 104. Jason Dufner | 24 | $3,310,341 | $3,500,000 | 5.7% | D |
| 105. Tony Finau | 29 | $2,838,639 | $3,000,000 | 5.7% | D |
| 106. Tyrone Van Aswegen | 32 | $806,410 | $850,000 | 5.4% | D |
| 107. Fabian Gomez – E | 21 | $332,352 | $350,000 | 5.3% | D |
| 108. Scott Stallings | 27 | $955,337 | $1,000,000 | 4.7% | D |
| 109. Charl Schwartzel | 18 | $2,156,036 | $2,250,000 | 4.4% | D |
| 110. Luke Donald | 18 | $958,850 | $1,000,000 | 4.3% | D |
| 111. John Huh | 28 | $767,575 | $800,000 | 4.2% | D |
| 112. Ross Fisher – I | 10 | $1,258,083 | $1,300,000 | 3.3% | D |
| 113. Sam Saunders – F | 24 | $678,117 | $700,000 | 3.2% | D |
| 114. Keegan Bradley | 29 | $1,940,478 | $2,000,000 | 3.1% | D |
| 115. Dustin Johnson | 20 | $8,732,193 | $9,000,000 | 3.1% | D |
| 116. Anirban Lahiri | 22 | $1,944,289 | $2,000,000 | 2.9% | D |
| 117. Russell Henley | 27 | $3,413,876 | $3,500,000 | 2.5% | D |
| 118. Robert Garrigus | 26 | $880,905 | $900,000 | 2.2% | D |
| 119. Greg Chalmers – E | 28 | $344,631 | $350,000 | 1.6% | D |
| 120. Gary Woodland | 26 | $2,980,225 | $3,000,000 | 0.7% | D |
| 121. Ricky Barnes – C | 31 | $697,624 | $700,000 | 0.3% | D |
| 122. Scott Brown | 29 | $1,748,324 | $1,750,000 | 0.1% | D |
| 123. Matt Every – E | 30 | $351,420 | $350,000 | -0.4% | F |
| 124. Martin Laird | 25 | $1,759,706 | $1,750,000 | -0.6% | F |
| 125. C.T. Pan | 29 | $1,267,649 | $1,250,000 | -1.4% | F |
| 126. Jonathan Randolph – F | 22 | $511,032 | $500,000 | -2.2% | F |
| 127. Peter Malnati – E | 29 | $358,541 | $350,000 | -2.4% | F |
| 128. Blayne Barber | 25 | $823,082 | $800,000 | -2.8% | F |
| 129. Ben Crane – C | 26 | $618,483 | $600,000 | -3.0% | F |
| 130. Davis Love III – E | 13 | $257,720 | $250,000 | -3.0% | F |
| 131. Bill Haas | 25 | $2,842,173 | $2,750,000 | -3.2% | F |
| 132. Michael Thompson – C | 21 | $568,991 | $550,000 | -3.3% | F |
| 133. Luke List | 31 | $1,813,219 | $1,750,000 | -3.5% | F |
| 134. Chez Reavie | 28 | $1,819,207 | $1,750,000 | -3.8% | F |
| 135. Charles Howell III | 23 | $2,606,383 | $2,500,000 | -4.1% | F |
| 136. Hideki Matsuyama | 22 | $8,380,570 | $8,000,000 | -4.5% | F |
| 137. J.J. Henry | 29 | $734,874 | $700,000 | -4.7% | F |
| 138. Greg Owen – C | 17 | $738,711 | $700,000 | -5.2% | F |
| 139. Brendan Steele | 25 | $2,907,095 | $2,750,000 | -5.4% | F |
| 140. Graham DeLaet | 25 | $1,603,666 | $1,500,000 | -6.5% | F |
| 141. Matt Kuchar | 26 | $4,282,489 | $4,000,000 | -6.6% | F |
| 142. Sean O'Hair | 25 | $1,873,856 | $1,750,000 | -6.6% | F |
| 143. Jhonattan Vegas | 29 | $2,944,738 | $2,750,000 | -6.6% | F |
| 144. Camilo Villegas | 25 | $971,420 | $900,000 | -7.4% | F |
| 145. Trey Mullinax – C | 28 | $758,141 | $700,000 | -7.7% | F |
| 146. Geoff Ogilvy | 25 | $867,249 | $800,000 | -7.8% | F |
| 147. Chris Stroud | 22 | $1,308,445 | $1,200,000 | -8.3% | F |
| 148. Sung Kang | 32 | $1,943,309 | $1,750,000 | -9.9% | F |
| 149. Steve Stricker | 13 | $1,002,036 | $900,000 | -10.2% | F |
| 150. Paul Casey | 24 | $3,906,974 | $3,500,000 | -10.4% | F |
| 151. Lucas Glover | 26 | $1,955,822 | $1,750,000 | -10.5% | F |
| 152. Kevin Kisner | 28 | $4,766,936 | $4,250,000 | -10.8% | F |
| 153. Vaughn Taylor | 26 | $797,385 | $700,000 | -12.2% | F |
| 154. Francesco Molinari | 21 | $2,875,850 | $2,500,000 | -13.1% | F |
| 155. Chad Collins – F | 26 | $693,743 | $600,000 | -13.5% | F |
| 156. Stewart Cink | 26 | $1,463,922 | $1,250,000 | -14.6% | F |
| 157. Jonas Blixt | 25 | $1,408,288 | $1,200,000 | -14.8% | F |
| 158. Mackenzie Hughes | 31 | $2,355,553 | $2,000,000 | -15.1% | F |
| 159. Ian Poulter | 20 | $2,098,346 | $1,750,000 | -16.6% | F |
| 160. Cameron Percy – C | 23 | $623,694 | $500,000 | -19.8% | F |
| 161. Brian Harman | 30 | $4,396,470 | $3,500,000 | -20.4% | F |
| 162. Charley Hoffman | 31 | $4,161,008 | $3,300,000 | -20.7% | F |
| 163. D.A. Points | 22 | $893,700 | $700,000 | -21.7% | F |
| 164. Cody Gribble | 28 | $1,305,554 | $1,000,000 | -23.4% | F |
| 165. Rick Lamb – C | 19 | $524,372 | $400,000 | -23.7% | F |
| 166. Chad Campbell | 29 | $1,329,941 | $1,000,000 | -24.8% | F |
| 167. Vijay Singh – E | 18 | $337,305 | $250,000 | -25.9% | F |
| 168. Kyle Stanley | 29 | $3,402,106 | $2,500,000 | -26.5% | F |
| 169. Justin Thomas | 25 | $9,921,560 | $7,000,000 | -29.4% | F |
| 170. Xander Schauffele | 28 | $4,312,674 | $3,000,000 | -30.4% | F |
| 171. Soren Kjeldsen – C | 17 | $722,913 | $500,000 | -30.8% | F |
| 172. Marc Leishman | 25 | $5,866,391 | $4,000,000 | -31.8% | F |
| 173. Si Woo Kim | 30 | $2,681,177 | $1,750,000 | -34.7% | F |
| 174. Pat Perez | 26 | $4,361,400 | $2,000,000 | -54.1% | F |
| 175. Rod Pampling | 22 | $1,539,422 | $400,000 | -74.0% | F |
RotoWire golf writers Len Hochberg, Michael Riek, Bryce Danielson and Pete Gargano contributed to this report.
