2011 PGA Tour: Unfamiliar Names Making an Impression in the FedEx Cup

One would be forgiven if the names currently leading the way in the 2011 US PGA Tour FedEx Cup Standings were not immediately recognizable. Currently the tour is being led by Mark Wilson. He has accumulated 1,055 points so far, but he failed to make a top-10 finish in 2010. Incredibly, he has already won twice this year from the seven tournaments he has played. His first win came in the Sony Open in Hawaii, which he followed up with victory in the Phoenix Open a few weeks later.

In total, Wilson has played five tournaments so far in 2011. In addition to his two wins, he finished in a tie for 74th place at the Northern Trust Open, he missed the cut at the AT&T at Pebble Beach and he was tied for 61st place in the Bob Hope Classic. The two wins, though, have shot him up in the world rankings to a career high of 53 which has earned him the opportunity to play in the 2011 US Masters in April, where he will be hoping to continue his fine start to the season.

Next in the standings with 751 points is the unusually-named Jhonattan Vegas, who is in his rookie year on the PGA Tour after qualifying with a seventh-place finish on the Nationwide Tour in 2010. He is the first Venezuelan to receive a PGA Tour card, and by winning the Bob Hope Classic in January, he became the first rookie to lead the FedEx Cup Points Standings. Vegas also finished third in the Farmers Insurance Open and tied for 12th in the Northern Trust Open. He is currently 71st in the world rankings but this 26-year-old Texas Longhorns alumnus is fast on the ascendancy.

Of the better-known players, those who have started well include Bubba Watson. He is in third place after finishing fourth in last week’s WGC Match Play, in addition to a win and a top 10 finish in five events. Ryder Cup players, Hunter Mahan and Phil Mickelson are eighth and 12th respectively after both claimed two top 10s so far.

In fourth place with 688 points is another unfamiliar name to most, D.A Points, an Illinois-born player who finished 66th on the money list last year. He won his first PGA Tour tournament when taking the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February by two strokes over Hunter Mahan. He also finished a very creditable fifth in the Farmers Insurance Open which has helped him rise up the rankings to a current high of 83, a rise of over 100 places from last year.

It is interesting to note where the top three in the standings from 2010 are currently placed: Ernie Els, who finished first last year, is way down in 94th place after only moderately-successful performances in the two tournaments he has played so far on the PGA Tour. Steve Stricker, second last year, is currently 27th this term after two top-10 finishes, while Jim Furyk has dropped to 69th position following missed cuts in two of his last three events.

The Europeans have yet to make any impression this year, with the highest-ranked player currently being Martin Laird. He is currently in 23rd place with just one top 10 so far, that coming in the Phoenix Open. He also has two other reasonable efforts in the Bob Hope Classic and Northern Trust Open. Justin Rose of England is three places below Laird after four tournaments, but he has shown plenty of consistency with four finishes in the top 25, with a best of tied for ninth in the Northern Trust.

Whether the surprise names stay towards the top throughout the season remains to be seen. But it is refreshing to see some new contenders emerging in the bigger events and it certainly gives the “familiar names” on the PGA Tour something to think about as we head towards the first majors of the season.