It has been a couple weeks since I published a Thrash Talk, but good things have been happening in the golf world. The Sand Trap held its annual Newport Cup in North Carolina, and once again my team was on the short end of the stick. It was great to meet up with all the guys and play some great courses, but losing isn’t my cup of tea. But I must say that, as an American golfer, being a loser in a team event is particularly fitting.
As far as the PGA Tour goes, congratulations to Troy Matteson for picking up his first career PGA Tour victory. Matteson was a star on the Nationwide Tour last season, and he took full advantage of his PGA Tour exemption this season.
It’s also great to see Davis Love III back in the winner’s circle! Love won the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro two weekends ago. The win was Love’s first since 2003. That is very hard to believe, but hopefully this will put him back in the thick of things over the next few years. I’d like to see DLIII make one last run before riding off into the sunset known as the Champions Tour.
Davis Love III had to fight off a host of hungry golfers to pick up the win. Some of these golfers haven’t ever tasted victory on the PGA Tour. Picking up that first win is always the toughest, but it’s often smooth sailing after that.
I’ve had my eye on several golfers over the past year or so that seem to be extremely close to sealing the deal and picking up their first career PGA Tour win. It’s surprising that a couple of the guys on my list haven’t already won, but their time is undoubtedly coming. In fact, one or two of the guys might pick up a win before this season is over. Keep in mind these are only golfers who play the PGA Tour reguarly, so you won’t be seeing Colin Montgomerie, Henrik Stenson, etc.
Tim Clark
Tim Clark has won a few tournaments worldwide, but he hasn’t tasted victory on the PGA Tour. Clark has been a regular member of the PGA Tour for five seasons now and has come close to winning on numerous occasions. The South African doesn’t only contend in the cupcake tournaments either.
The first time I took notice of Clark was at the 2003 PGA Championship. Shaun Micheel won and Chad Campbell finished second, but Tim Clark was right in the thick of things as well coming down the stretch. He has a great mentality for handling big-time tournaments.
Clark has carried his solid play into this season as well. He is currently 30th on the money list and ranked 22nd in the Official World Golf Rankings. He also has four top-ten finishes, including a runner-up finish to Phil Mickelson at this year’s Masters. Clark undoubtedly has the right tools to win on the PGA Tour, and it’s just a matter of time. Chances are it will be a big tournament as well, possibly even a major championship.
Brett Quigley
Right now, Brett Quigley is the most consistent PGA Tour golfer without a career win. After looking at his statistics, it’s actually pretty crazy that he hasn’t already won. Quigley had a pretty decent season in 2001, but he almost fell off the planet after that. It’s obvious he is back in 2006!
Quigley has racked up ten top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, the fourth most of any golfer on tour. He has moved himself up to 59th in the world and 16th on the PGA Tour money list. He has missed ten cuts, but he usually takes advantage of things when he does make the cut.
Brett Quigley has four top-20 finishes in a row, three of which are top-10 finishes. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he won one of the three remaining events this season including The Tour Championship. Quigley has the game, and now he has the confidence needed to perform well with the big boys. He will win one within the next year.
Nathan Green
Nathan Green made the jump to the PGA Tour this season after finishing 18th on the Nationwide money list in 2005. Needless to say, the Aussie has taken full advantage of it and is now one of the most underrated golfers in the world.
Green has been in the top 30 on the money list at times this season, but he has recently fallen to 36th. That still leaves him an outside shot at making it to The Tour Championship. He has made 23 cuts in 28 tournaments this season which is a very solid number, and he also has six top-10 finishes.
Green has been in contention on numerous occasions, and he has had his fair share of tough Sunday finishes. He lost in a playoff to Tiger Woods at the Buick Invitational in January, but that experience will help him in future events. The Aussie hasn’t been playing well lately, but he has proven he can compete with the world’s best, and he will only improve his finishes with experience. I don’t think he will win one this season, but a victory is in his near future.
Daniel Chopra
The 2006 season is only Daniel Chopra’s third on the PGA Tour. Chopra has consistently improved in those three years, moving from 108th on the money list in 2004 to 48th currently. The Swede has six top-10 finishes in 2006, including two in the last three weeks.
Like Nathan Green, Chopra has wilted under the wrath of Tiger Woods. Chopra and Woods were paired together in the final round at Doral earlier this season, but the days didn’t go the same both golfers. Woods won, and Chopra stumbled to a tie for 20th. Tiger does that to almost everyone, and Chopra will gain valued experience from those situations.
Like I mentioned above, Chopra has two top-10 finishes in the last three weeks, so he is on a roll. He could definitely win one of the two events before The Tour Championship, and that would also put him in the top 30 as well. The Swede is ranked first in putting on the PGA Tour this season, and he is fourth in birdie average. Those statistics will give him a chance to win every time he tees it up.
Other Possibilities
There is also a group of young guys ready for a breakout win on the PGA Tour. Camilo Villegas, Ryan Moore, Charley Hoffman, and Hunter Mahan have all put themselves in contention throughout various points of the season, but none of them have been able to shut the door.
Villegas started off the year on fire, but he has cooled off quite a bit as of late. He still has all the tools to be a factor for years to come. He will win numerous tournaments in his career, but he needs to find a way to win that first one. The same can be said for Ryan Moore. Moore has come close a few times, and the experience he gained will help him win a lot of tournaments down the road.
Charley Hoffman has had a couple chances to win an event over the past few weeks, but he hasn’t been able to finish strong on Sunday. In fact, It won’t be a surprise if he wins the next event he plays. Hoffman will win one eventually if he keeps putting himself in the right positions.
Hunter Mahan has a couple runner-up finishes to his name in his short PGA Tour career, but he will need to learn to finish the deal in order to finish one spot higher. The sky is the limit for Mahan, but right now he is a small fish in a big pond. There are a boat load of others trying to pick up their first win as well, so it’s going to be a battle every week for the up-and-comers.
The Final Say
There is a chance that all these guys will filter out slowly and never pick up a win on the PGA Tour. On the other hand, a couple of the golfers listed might go on to win numerous major championships and have great careers. In any sport, the first one is always the toughest, but it also seems to be the sweetest.
This list of golfers are making a great living regardless of whether they are winning tournaments or not. However, professional golfers don’t play golf to finish second. They want to win like any other athlete out there. The “best golfer without a PGA Tour victory” label isn’t a good one to have, so it’s important for these guys to win and get over the hump.
It’s your turn to tell me what you think. Who is currently the best PGA Tour golfer without a win? Also, which guys on this list will fade away and which ones will move on to great things? Finally, which golfer not included in the article would you like to see pick up their first career PGA Tour win? If you have anything to add, feel free to comment below or discuss it in the forum. Thanks for reading this week’s Thrash Talk!
Photo Credits: © Badz/PGA Tour/WireImage, © PGA Tour.
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