The Five: Stories you missed amid wild first three weeks

The PGA TOUR has delivered on winners’ narratives in 2024.

First there was Chris Kirk at The Sentry, continuing a comeback from a battle with alcohol abuse and depression that required a competitive leave. Grayson Murray followed at the Sony Open in Hawaii, a triumph after his own struggles with alcohol use and anxiety.

Then University of Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap made history at The American Express, becoming the first amateur to win on TOUR since 1991. “Can he really do this?” the golf world whispered. Then he did.

While the winners made headlines, several TOUR pros asserted themselves through the season’s first three weeks as primed for big things in 2024. Justin Thomas is quickly ascending on the comeback trail, and Sahith Theegala continues to build his case as a superstar-in-waiting. Some lesser knowns like J.T. Poston (the other JT), are racking up high finishes as well.

Here’s a look at five stories you may have missed through the season’s first three weeks, as the TOUR heads to Torrey Pines Golf Course for this week’s Farmers Insurance Open, which features a Saturday finish.

(The top five on a three-event FedExCup points list comprising the Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open – not otherwise exempt – will qualify for next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am via the Aon Swing 5, as well.)

1. JT’s re-emergence continues

Thomas’ 2023 didn’t turn out as envisioned. He missed the cut at three of four majors – finishing near the bottom at the U.S. Open and Open Championship – and failed to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. Last month, Thomas revealed his nine 2023 season goals on Instagram, and he failed to reach eight of them – the only green checkmark was for making the Ryder Cup team, which required a captain’s pick. Among the goals: top-10 in over half his events (four in 21 starts), no missed cuts (he missed six) and reach world No. 1 (he fell from eighth to 26th).

It takes a certain vulnerability to share these goals with the public, particularly when they aren’t met.

“Everybody is different in their goal setting,” Thomas said on Instagram. “I’ve always been one to set the bar high to try and work toward them and achieve them. While 2023 was my least successful year on @pgatour, it provided my best opportunity for learning experiences and areas to grow.

“2024 will be season 10 … on TOUR, and I’m still looking to just get 1% better each day.”

Whatever his 2024 goals may be, the early returns are solid.

Thomas’ re-emergence began in late 2023, as he closed the year with three consecutive top-five finishes at the Fortinet Championship, DP World Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge and Hero World Challenge. Across that 12-round sample, his Strokes Gained ranked as second highest (behind Collin Morikawa) for a player’s most recent 12 rounds, per Data Golf.

Thomas carried that form into 2024 with a third-place finish at The American Express last week. He didn’t get back into the winner’s circle, but the week brought a reward nonetheless. Thomas, 30, moved from No. 28 to No. 23 on the Official World Golf Ranking, assuring his spot inside the top 30 after this week – which cements a spot in next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a Signature Event.

Thomas had registered for this week’s Farmers Insurance Open but withdrew after his top-three finish at The American Express, no longer needing to secure a spot at Pebble via either the top-30 OWGR or the Aon Swing 5. He’ll be rested for a trip to the Monterey Peninsula, primed to chase his first TOUR win since the 2022 PGA Championship. If he’s not all the way back, he’s close.

2. Theegala isn’t slowing down

Last summer, Theegala narrowly missed the TOUR Championship in harrowing fashion, finishing No. 31 on the FedExCup after the BMW Championship. He lingered that Sunday in the parking lot at Olympia Fields, frustrated but also determined not to feel the same again.

Then he got to work. Theegala earned his first TOUR title in his next start, the Fortinet Championship in his native state of California, and he carried the same elite form into 2024. Theegala finished runner-up at The Sentry in the season’s first event, carding 28 under to fall one stroke shy of winner Chris Kirk. The Pepperdine alum made 10 birdies in a final-round 63 at Kapalua but couldn’t convert a 10-foot birdie at the 72nd hole that would have forced a playoff.

It's another sign that anything’s possible for Theegala, who told Golf.com last fall that he was motivated by not being in the discussion for the U.S. Ryder Cup Team. Don’t be surprised if he’s very much in the discussion for Captain Jim Furyk’s American side at Royal Montreal this fall.

“Last year I was hurt during the off-season, didn't play any golf," Theegala said after The Sentry. "This year I got a lot of work in, in the gym, a lot of work in with my coach, and felt so ready for this event. Finishing second here is going to be a really nice boost for the rest of the West Coast Swing.”

Theegala will compete this week at Torrey Pines, just 80 miles from his hometown of Orange, California, hungry for another spin around the top of the leaderboard.

3. It’s good to be Ben

The Sony Open in Hawaii’s two runners-up displayed very different attitudes. On one side was the uber-competitive Keegan Bradley, who appeared despondent after failing to match winner Murray’s playoff birdie at Waialae Country Club, saying afterward it was one of the hardest losses of his career.

On the other side was An, who smiled as he greeted his wife Jamie and daughter Ji-woo before lifting his son Sun-woo into his arms. He remained cheerful as he fielded media questions and as he packed up a van alongside his family. An, 32, is still chasing his first TOUR title in 182 starts. The Sony marked his fifth runner-up finish without a win, perhaps not yet meeting the lofty expectations bestowed upon An as an amateur; he won the 2009 U.S. Amateur at age 17, defeating Ben Martin in the 36-hole final, 7 and 5.

But after returning to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 (and earning back his card), An’s first TOUR title appears imminent. Last summer, he placed T3 at the Genesis Scottish Open and T2 at the Wyndham Championship. He finished No. 44 on the FedExCup, cementing a spot in this year’s Signature Events – and allowing for a four-month break last offseason, an unprecedented competitive hiatus.

He admitted being a bit worried about how his game would translate after the break, but if there was any rust, it didn’t show. An finished fourth at The Sentry earlier this month before his runner-up at the Sony. He continues to grow more and more confident in his work with swing coach Sean Foley and putting coach John Graham, and the results have stacked up.

“Face control, try to get a little bit stronger club face throughout the swing," An said of his work with Foley. "A little width on the swing, not get narrowed down, so I'll have a little bit more consistent strike. I feel like my swing has been very consistent the last couple months, and last year I feel like played some good golf.”

That good golf has only continued.

4. Don’t sleep on the other JT

Poston plays for trophies, not money or points. But he’s accruing plenty of those latter two, as well.

Most players say they play only for trophies, but actions speak louder than words, and Poston’s actions under the gun have backed up his statements. The first example came at last year’s 3M Open, where he went for the green from the rough on the reachable par-5, only to find the water hazard en route to a triple-bogey 8 – falling into a three-way T2 and surrendering 92 FedExCup points. He said he’d make the same decision again.

Flash forward to Sunday at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where Poston found a fairway bunker off the tee at the par-5 18th hole. Once again, he didn’t hesitate in playing boldly to win, pulling 3-wood – the rationale being that if he careered it, he’d have the best chance for eagle to post a number that would pressure the leaders. He didn’t quite flush it but still made birdie, ultimately finishing two shots out of a playoff.

“I went through it at the 3M last year … we’re not out here to finish second,” Poston said afterward. “We’re out here to try and win golf tournaments … If it meant me absolutely careering a 3-wood out of a bunker to get up there somewhere on the green or around it and chip in, never know.

“Any time I feel like I’ve got a chance to win, I’m playing for the win.”

Poston hasn’t won yet in 2024, but that might change soon. He finished fifth at The Sentry, sixth at the Sony Open and 11th at The American Express. He’s fourth on the FedExCup. And if he has a sniff at the trophy on the final hole, you know he isn’t holding back.

5. Bezuidenhout is buzzing

Rarely does a player earn first-place prize money for a second-place showing, but that’s what happened at The American Express. With winner Dunlap unable to accept prize money due to his amateur status, runner-up Christiaan Bezuidenhout happily accepted the $1.5 million winner’s check.

With 300 FedExCup points, Bezuidenhout also moves into second place on the Aon Swing 5, assuring his spot at next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am via the season’s first Full-Field Swing (Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express, Farmers Insurance Open).

Bezuidenhout continues an upward trajectory after struggling on TOUR for most of 2023. He kept his card by finishing No. 106 on last year’s FedExCup Fall standings but didn’t notch a top-10 until the Sanderson Farms Championship (T6) in October. He closed the year with three consecutive top-20s on the DP World Tour, including a solo third at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. He kept the pedal down at The American Express, where he closed with a birdie that made Dunlap sweat out a 6-footer for the win on the 72nd hole.

Bezuidenhout’s journey hasn’t always been smooth. He accidentally swallowed rat poison as a toddler, was rushed to the hospital and suffered severe nervous system issues. He also speaks with a stutter (which his family assumed for years was derived from the rat poison incident, which it turns out wasn’t the case), and he was diagnosed at age 4 with severe anxiety. Golf became his refuge, and the South African native rose through the ranks with the support of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation. He enjoys a close relationship with Els, who serves as a mentor, to this day.

Now he’s a three-time DP World Tour winner, hungry to make his second straight Presidents Cup appearance for the International Team this fall. His start to 2024 has boosted those efforts.

Bezuidenhout currently stands No. 2 on the Aon Swing 5, behind Murray.

Justin Thomas and Kevin Yu share third place, followed by Carl Yuan at No. 5. Michael Kim holds sixth place, followed by Matthieu Pavon (No. 7) and Keith Mitchell (No. 8). The Aon Swing 5 for next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be finalized after the Farmers Insurance Open.