5 One-Hit Wonders of the 2012 PGA Season

Kyle Stanley won the Waste Management Phoenix Open early in the year.
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The PGA tour is filled with promise.

Every year, new golfers get their tour card, and that gives them a chance to play in some of the richest and most prestigious tournaments in the world.

Getting there is a big part of the battle, but the other part is competing and doing well. Some golfers struggle to make cuts, while others might do well one week and play poorly for the next four tournaments.

It's obviously difficult when you are competing with the best players in the world.

In this piece, we will look at golfers who won once on the PGA tour in 2012 and then did little else either before or after collecting that victory.

That does not mean these players won't be successful in future years, but the 2012 golf season was clearly a roller coaster year for these five golfers.

Kyle Stanley

Unless you are a true fan of the PGA tour and you follow it every week, you might not remember Kyle Stanley.

Stanley got off to a solid start during the golf season. At the end of January, he finished second in the Farmers Insurance Open and took home $648,000 for the effort. Stanley shot a 16-under 272 for his four rounds.

He didn't stop there. The next week, Stanley won the Waste Management Phoenix Open as he shot four sub-70 rounds. He won just under $1.1 million for the victory. He shot a 15-under par 269.

Then it was as if he forgot how to play the game. The best finish he had after winning in Phoenix was a tie for 16th. He failed to make the cut in nine other tournaments.

George McNeill

Every once in a while, a golfer can catch lightning in a bottle.

That's what George McNeill did when he entered the Puerto Rico Open in mid-March. McNeill played the tournament with savvy and skill. He was 16-under for the tournament with a four-round score of 272.

That outstanding showing earned him a $630,000 payday. McNeil opened with a 66, shot 70 in the second round, and his final two rounds saw him shoot 67 and 69.

Prior to the the Puerto Rico Open, McNeill's best performance was a tie for 19th in the Sony Open in January. After the Puerto Rico Open, his best finish was a tie for 24th in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

John Huh

John Huh has a great future as a golfer on the pro tour. He is 22 years old, and he has already been victorious on the tour.

However, the 2012 season was part of the learning process for Huh. He got off to an excellent start, but he was nowhere near as competitive after he won the Mayakoba Golf Classic in February as he was before it.

Huh had a sixth-place finish and a 12th-place finish before he won the Mayakoba with a 13-under score of 271. That tournament earned him $666,000.

After that victory, Huh played in 22 more tournaments. He only had two top-10 finishes in those events.

J.J. Henry

J.J. Henry struggled through much of the golf season.

Prior to the Byron Nelson Golf Classic in May, Henry had participated in 22 events. He had one top-10 finish, but he failed to make the cut in nine events.

Henry tied for third in the Byron Nelson, earning $312,000 while shooting a nine-under-par score of 271.

After that event, he missed two more cuts and did not have any top-10 finishes until he won the Reno-Tahoe Classic. That victory paid him $540,000.

Scott Stallings

Scott Stallings struggled badly on the PGA tour through much of the season.

Prior to entering the True South Classic in late July, Stallings had participated in 18 tournaments. He failed to make the cut in 12 of those tournaments and was forced to withdraw in one more. His best finish was a tie for 22nd.

Stallings was probably the most surprised golfer in the world when he won the True South Classic, firing a 24-under par 264 and winning $540,000.

Stallings tied for seventh the following week and won another $162,000. After that, he failed to make the cut in the PGA and then did not have one top-10 finish the rest of the way.