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2022-23 PGA TOUR full-membership fantasy rankings: 1-50
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The rise of Scottie Scheffler
NOTES: Age of Sept. 9, 2022 | An asterisk beside a salary indicates a bargain.
Rank | Player | Age | 2021-22 earnings | Status | Comment |
1 | Scottie Scheffler | 26 | 14.046M | Top 30 | The only thing that would thwart him going No. 1 overall is personal preference, but all tiebreakers go his way, too. No weaknesses and equally strong among things that we can see and things that we can’t. |
2 | Rory McIlroy | 33 | 8.654M | Top 30 | He came close to doing it all in 2021-22. The only missing piece was that he didn’t complete the career grand slam at the Masters (2nd). The FedExCup champ led the TOUR in adjusted scoring and comportment. |
3 | Patrick Cantlay | 30 | 9.369M | Top 30 | There are some on whom you rely for firepower, but if you were to identify who is the least likely among that short list to stumble in the long-term, he’s the answer. He’s the opponent that no one wants. |
4 | Jon Rahm | 27 | 5.248M* | Top 30 | Seasons like 2021-22 in which he won once and hung up eight top 10s are his baseline. There are no risks when a talent has earned the highest level of expectations and continues to answer the bell. |
5 | Justin Thomas | 29 | 6.829M* | Top 30 | Selecting him as your first-rounder is a matter of personal preference, but he answered a challenging 2020-21 admirably. Navigating traffic at Southern Hills to emerge as the champion was a microcosm of his grit. |
6 | Xander Schauffele | 28 | 7.427M | Top 30 | While the mainstream narrative focuses on him capturing his major, he’s unwavering in his rewards for us. He’s as automatic a first-round talent as any that the wins really do feel like bonuses. |
7 | Collin Morikawa | 25 | 4.837M* | Top 30 | It took just three full seasons before he failed to win, but that’s going to be the exception to his rule. He’s averaged one top 10 in every 2.76 starts since crashing onto the PGA TOUR in 2019. |
8 | Sam Burns | 26 | 7.073M | Top 30 | With a surname like that, you’d expect him to have a heater of a season, but my goodness. Because of his, ahem, firepower, he’s elevated into late first-round value. Fingers crossed he keeps pegging it ~25 times. |
9 | Jordan Spieth | 29 | 5.018M* | Top 30 | Since regaining form worthy of a late first-round call, he’s poised to reward if you can’t resist earlier than that. With a commitment to reconnecting with reliable putting piggybacking a gain in distance, look out. |
10 | Hideki Matsuyama | 30 | 5.776M | Top 30 | After a momentous 2021, it would have been surprising if there was a slump by any definition. However, wrist and neck injuries interrupted form and focus on what was a fantastic season. Late first-rounder. |
11 | Sungjae Im | 24 | 5.567M* | Top 30 | Made “only” 26 starts but logged his best season in the context of impact, and he led the PGA TOUR in bogey avoidance. If this is new norm, we’ll take it all season in the second round where he belongs. |
12 | Tony Finau | 32 | 6.117M | Top 30 | Despite two (consecutive) wins and two seconds, he still didn’t threaten career highs in top 10s, top 25s and cuts made, but he reached East Lake for the sixth straight season. He spoils us with his willingness to travel. |
13 | Matt Fitzpatrick | 28 | 7.012M | Top 30 | No one in the last half-decade has scaled to the upper echelon of the PGA TOUR more methodically, so to capture his first title in a major was perfect. Pair a busier star in the first round with him in the second. |
14 | Cameron Young | 25 | 6.520M | Top 30 | The last phrase in his comment in this space last year was, “Could be special.” Could be?! FIVE runner-up finishes and a pair of thirds defined his rookie season. Go ahead and bite in the second round. |
15 | Max Homa | 31 | 5.289M | Top 30 | Oh, daddy! Influenced in part by the Nappy Factor – his first child, a boy, is due this fall – he propelled forward with two more wins and career highs (or ties) in top 10s (five), top 25s (15) and paydays (21). |
16 | Will Zalatoris | 26 | 9.405M | Top 30 | If not for a pair of herniated discs that will delay the start of his season, he’d be a first-round pick. Now, he presents as, well, it depends on your opposition. It’s impossible to gauge the severity, so think it through. |
17 | Viktor Hovland | 24 | 4.868M* | Top 30 | Until he contains his woes with the short game in the long-term, we’ll have to accept maybe a half-dozen top 10s and maybe twice as many top 25 on the way to the TOUR Championship. Too bad, so glad. |
18 | Sahith Theegala | 24 | 3.124M* | Top 30 | Led TOUR in red numbers (69) and sub-70s (55). Reaching the TOUR Championship as a rookie without a win was a coup. Fulfills your objectives as a fan and for fantasy even if he reels back the playing time. |
19 | Tom Kim | 20 | 2.824M* | Top 60 | Wanna feel old? The 20-year-young South Korean was the first PGA TOUR winner (Wyndham) born in the 21st century. Someone in your league will reach, but it likely will be closer to the sweet spot than you think. |
20 | Billy Horschel | 35 | 4.940M | Top 30 | Although the last stretch wasn’t the harvest for which he was hoping, he hasn’t stopped giving us what we want overall, so jot him in as your third- or fourth-rounder per usual. In the heart of his prime. |
21 | Corey Conners | 30 | 3.876M* | Top 30 | Arguably the quietest qualifier for the TOUR Championship but that’s what the finest ball-striking and timely success generates. Yet, he still presents as underachieving, so he’s poised for a breakout campaign. |
22 | Tommy Fleetwood | 31 | 2.874M* | Top 70 | Gave us everything we wanted despite his conditional status last season. It was a non-factor. Arguably the strongest talent without a TOUR victory. Favorable OWGR (29th) is an invaluable bonus. |
23 | Shane Lowry | 35 | 3.616M* | Top 60 | Matched 2020-21 totals in top 10s (four) and top 25 (10), but he delivered a trio of podium finishes, so that’s why it felt like he was center stage so often. Self-governed playing time is a knock, so build around him. |
24 | Daniel Berger | 29 | 1.769M* | Top 125 | Because of his ongoing back problems, he’s poised to be boom or bust. You know which owners in your league will take the chance but holding your breath to start the season is a recipe for sleepless nights. |
25 | Russell Henley | 33 | 2.837M | Top 60 | This isn’t a prediction of final FedExCup ranking, but he was 43rd in this space last year and finished 42nd in the FedExCup. The point is that he submitted another predictable season to reward us. |
26 | Keegan Bradley | 36 | 3.623M | Top 60 | Prime time! Logged his best season with the putter since 2013-14 and didn’t have to surrender his calling card as a long-hitting ball-striker. The dedication yielded six top 10s, his most (also) in eight seasons. |
27 | Tyrrell Hatton | 30 | 2.849M* | Top 60 | Although the Brit hasn’t cracked 20 starts in any of his five seasons on TOUR, he’s maintained an incredibly high standard of form. Expect more of the same, just remember to limit your intake on sometimers. |
28 | Davis Riley | 25 | 3.190M* | Top 60 | Imagine if he won Valspar instead of falling short in the playoff, how would the Rookie of the Year chatter have transpired thereafter? Six top 10s among 10 top 20s and that reasonable sticker price. My goodness. |
29 | Cam Davis | 27 | 1.989M* | Top 60 | Poised for something special this season. He walked off 2021-22 by going 11-for-12 with four top 10s and another three top 20s. He already had the pedigree but now he has enough experience to explode. |
30 | Mito Pereira | 27 | 2.797M* | Top 60 | His precision on approach is almost unfair, so make sure to exploit it for personal gain. Also, while the late collapse at the PGA Championship was his most notable moment, don’t forget what got him there. |
31 | Aaron Wise | 26 | 3.454M* | Top 30 | Snuck into the TOUR Championship to pay off his best overall season sans victory. Youth serves him wonderfully here as he’s overachieved compared to recent expectations. This is what it looks like to figure it out. |
32 | Keith Mitchell | 30 | 3.068M | Top 60 | Fantastic example of the positive impact of a late-season surge (after two top 10s in his last four starts of 2020-21). In 26 starts in 2021-22, he hung up career bests in top 10s (six), top 25s (10) and paydays (20). |
33 | Seamus Power | 35 | 3.100M | Top 60 | Got beat up a little bit in the second half but still exceeded even the elevated expectation that he set after his massive summer of 2021. Set career highs with five top 10s and 13 top 25s. Does everything well. |
34 | Brian Harman | 35 | 3.226M | Top 30 | Soaring in his prime. The lefty has been nails across the most recent 24 months preceding this season. One clutch performance after another defined 2020-21, and then he paid off the run with a return to East Lake. |
35 | Si Woo Kim | 27 | 2.234M* | Top 60 | Even though he rarely rests, because of his penchant to withdraw before or during tournaments, he’s rarely recommended on the weekly, but his potency yields a big, crooked number when it’s all said and done. |
36 | Maverick McNealy | 26 | 2.689M* | Top 60 | Think he’s happy that he stuck with golf over the suit and tie of the corporate world? Uh, yeah. Not only has he locked into a pocket in the upper-middle tier of membership, but this is also better exercise. |
37 | Brandon Wu | 25 | 1.472M* | Top 80 | Through 10 starts, he was poised to join the ranks of forgotten phenoms who have been one and done on TOUR, but the Stanford stud reversed course and fulfilled the expectation in the aggregate. Budding star. |
38 | Taylor Pendrith | 31 | 2.330M* | Top 60 | As a rookie, the Canadian was limited to 21 starts due to a fractured rib and a bout with COVID-19, but he capitalized on the break. Bridged it by going 9-for-9 with six top 15s. Power and precisions for days. |
39 | Webb Simpson | 37 | 1.041M* | Top 125 | If he would claim that he recovered fully from the herniated disc in his neck that sidelined him for two months, or that he didn’t develop a bad habit, the results don’t support it. However, buy into the upswing. |
40 | Gary Woodland | 38 | 1.992M* | Top 80 | As the 2019 U.S. Open champ, he’s set for spots in the invitationals for two more seasons, so you’re going to keep getting potential bang for your buck even though his cuts-made clip has slipped to ~50 percent. |
41 | Kevin Kisner | 38 | 3.757M | Top 60 | Even though he missed 10 cuts in each of the last two completed seasons, which is essentially double his average of the previous five, he continues to deliver the goods long-term. Remains a weekly warrior, too. |
42 | Sepp Straka | 29 | 4.722M | Top 30 | Unless you like to game on the edge, it’s madness to load up on the busiest who don’t make noise … unless he has a win, a second and a third among a career-best five top 10s in a career season. Dynamic value. |
43 | Adam Scott | 42 | 2.913M* | Top 30 | With T5s in the first two legs of the Playoffs, he was the only golfer to climb from outside both bubbles and into the next events. This is to say that the fortnight was timelier than it was a fulfillment of expectations. |
44 | Justin Suh | 25 | 15K* | KFT | So it took him three years, big deal. Led KFT in the all-around and with 10 top 10s. Only grad exempt from reorders. Spots in THE PLAYERS and the U.S. Open already secure. First-time TOUR member but not a rookie. |
45 | Adam Hadwin | 34 | 2.574M | Top 70 | The automatic salary buy of 2020-21 paid dividends on cue, matching a career high with five top 10s. Never mind that it was a Presidents Cup year. He’s in his prime and he’s back to slump-proof form. |
46 | Alex Noren | 40 | 1.971M | Top 70 | Missed out on the berth into The Open but he made lemonade with a career-best-tying runner-up at the Barracuda. His growing pains on the PGA TOUR are long gone, so continue to rely on his veteran savvy. |
47 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 28 | 2.233M* | Top 60 | The South African navigated his debut as a TOUR member as if he’s been doing it for years. En route to 10 top 25s, he was inside the top 10 in proximity and many putting metrics. Missed only four cuts! |
48 | Sebastián Muñoz | 29 | 2.545M* | Top 60 | It’s now evident that he needed just the rookie season (2018-19) to prove that he belongs. Better than membership average essentially in everything but putting, but it’s not a problem. Gonna win again. |
49 | Chris Kirk | 37 | 2.408M* | Top 70 | Presents so much quality. He’s regained his place after finding peace outside the ropes. As consistently reliable a performer as any on the board. Plays often enough to enhance his impact in the long-term. |
50 | Scott Stallings | 37 | 3.933M | Top 30 | Talk about going off! Surged at the finish line and qualified for his first TOUR Championship. Shattered career highs with seven top 10s and a dozen top 25s. Ride the wave but expect a regression to the mean. |