This article is part of our The Reshuffle List series.
Without a reshuffle in July, we will spotlight some of the players not on the Reshuffle List who are nonetheless in danger of losing their PGA Tour cards. Remember, the Top 125 on the season-ending money list keep their Tour cards.
As an aside, the PGA Tour announced last week that effective immediately the Nationwide Tour (golf's equivalent of Triple-A) is now known as the Web.com Tour in a new, 10-year sponsorship.
(Players listed in order of money list position.)
J.J. Henry, No. 104, $583,325: Henry, who's lone PGA Tour victory was in 2006, has had a decent year so far with a third at the Byron Nelson Championship and a T9 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Henry has missed eight cuts, which has prevented him from locking his card up. If he doesn't play well he will easily be passed, and recent finishes of MC-T59-T47-80 have not helped his cause.
Kris Blanks, No. 127, $365,659: Blanks won more than $1.3 million last year, capped by a playoff loss at the Canadian Open. This season has been a different story, however. Through 21 starts he has as many disqualifications and withdrawals as top-25s - one each - and failed to win even a dollar in June. Blanks is a talented golfer, but he needs a hot summer and early fall to keep his card.
Hunter Haas, No. 129, $359,309: Last season featured two unrelated Haas' - Hunter and Bill - as contenders for PGA Tour victories. Hunter tied for third
Without a reshuffle in July, we will spotlight some of the players not on the Reshuffle List who are nonetheless in danger of losing their PGA Tour cards. Remember, the Top 125 on the season-ending money list keep their Tour cards.
As an aside, the PGA Tour announced last week that effective immediately the Nationwide Tour (golf's equivalent of Triple-A) is now known as the Web.com Tour in a new, 10-year sponsorship.
(Players listed in order of money list position.)
J.J. Henry, No. 104, $583,325: Henry, who's lone PGA Tour victory was in 2006, has had a decent year so far with a third at the Byron Nelson Championship and a T9 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Henry has missed eight cuts, which has prevented him from locking his card up. If he doesn't play well he will easily be passed, and recent finishes of MC-T59-T47-80 have not helped his cause.
Kris Blanks, No. 127, $365,659: Blanks won more than $1.3 million last year, capped by a playoff loss at the Canadian Open. This season has been a different story, however. Through 21 starts he has as many disqualifications and withdrawals as top-25s - one each - and failed to win even a dollar in June. Blanks is a talented golfer, but he needs a hot summer and early fall to keep his card.
Hunter Haas, No. 129, $359,309: Last season featured two unrelated Haas' - Hunter and Bill - as contenders for PGA Tour victories. Hunter tied for third in Puerto Rico while Bill won the Tour Championship in dramatic fashion and the FedEx Cup. This season, on the other hand, has only been kind to one Haas thus far. Bill won the Northern Trust Open and has continued his ascent toward the top of the U.S.'s top players, while Hunter has just one top-10 - a T8 at the Texas Open -- with 10 missed cuts. Why is Haas struggling? He is 83rd in driving accuracy and 147th in greens hit in regulation. Not a good combination if you want to contend on the PGA Tour.
Joe Durant, No. 131, $355,628: Durant was unable to keep his card last year and as a result has been forced to play this year off his past-champions status (he's a four-time Tour winner). Through the season's first six months he has only eight starts, and while he finished third at the Byron Nelson Championship, his best finish thereafter was a T32 in Puerto Rico. Durant needs to take advantage of every start he gets rest of the season (and there may not be many) if he wants to avoid Q-School or the Web.com Tour at year's end.
Chris DiMarco, No. 138, $328,326: DiMarco's name will always be remembered for his duel down the stretch with Tiger Woods at the 2005 Masters. The years since have largely been a problem for DiMarco, with a mixture of swing changes and bad play forcing him to have to work hard to keep his card each fall. At times in 2012 he has shown flashes of his game coming around, showing up on leaderboards Thursday and Friday afternoons before falling back on the weekend. That inconsistency shows in his results as through 20 events played he has two top-25s and 10 missed cuts. Something to watch with DiMarco is that he, like others on this list, is near No. 125 on the FedEx Cup points list, and any playoff events he gets to play can be an added bonus toward amassing the necessary cash to keep his card.
Roland Thatcher, No. 139, $327,906: Thatcher is a good example of how one good finish does not always change your season. Thatcher finished T4 at the Travelers Championship to go with a tie for 12th in March in Puerto Rico. So why does he only have a little more than $325K in the earnings? First, Puerto Rico is an opposite-field event to a World Golf Championship, meaning the purse is lower than usual. Second, look at the rest of his season: a T54, seven missed cuts and a withdrawal. With only conditional Tour membership (for players who finished 126-150 on the 2011 money list) and fewer starts as a result, Thatcher needs to play well when he gets the chance. The Hartford finish, though, proves he belongs with the big boys.
Josh Teater, 151, $248,976: A strong 2011 that included two top-10s brought Teater's name to the forefront of potential breakout golfers looking for their first win. His 2012 has failed to produce on those expectations, however. His best finish is a T22 at the Humana Challenge with eight missed cuts and a disqualification from the Houston Open after he signed an incorrect scorecard. It all adds up to a rough third year on Tour for Teater.
Sung Kang, No. 169, $169,439: Ask a casual fan to name a golfer from South Korea and K.J. Choi will undoubtedly be picked. But Kang had a pretty solid 2011 himself, earning $700K and garnering a third-place finish with five other top-25s. Unfortunately for Kang, 2012 has been a much different story, with just seven made cuts in 21 events and a tie for 26th at the Wells Fargo Championship his best finish this season. Stay away from Kang who has been anything but consistent this year.
Cameron Beckman, No. 177, $148,809: Beckman's two-year exemption for winning the 2010 Mayakoba Golf Classic runs out at years end, so he must either win an event or finish within the Top 125 on this year's money list to keep his card. It has been a struggle since that 2010 victory for Beckman, as the three-time Tour winner has no top-10s and just five top-25s the last two seasons. He likely be forced to play a lot of fall events for a chance to keep his card, making him one to watch after the FedEx Cup playoffs conclude.
Ryuji Imada, No. 201, $78,503: Imada has been one of the better up-and-coming international players in recent years and had two third-place finishes in a solid 2011. This season, on the other hand, has been a completely different story. In 18 starts he's gone trunk-slamming after 36 holes 12 times, and his best finish is only a tie for 53rd at the Wells Fargo Championship. It is really perplexing to see someone with Imada's talent playing so poorly. But that's golf sometimes.
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