None of the current top-ten players in the world (through RBC Heritage Classic) will be teeing it up this week at the Valero Texas Open. But, a number of top players just outside the top ten, including Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Jimmy Walker and Phil Mickelson, will look to improve their standing this week. Here is a summary on the players rated six to ten in the world and how they fared at the Masters.
6. Henrik Stenson: Stenson is fighting against the dreaded “best player never to have won a major” label. None of us will ever know how the added pressure of this moniker impacts a player as they come into a major. Stenson was hanging around for a while, but a third round 78 doomed his chances. He did recover to play a nice round of Sunday, shooting 69 and finishing in a tie for 24th place. Stenson hasn’t won since the 2014 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, a win that helped him climb to #2 in the world
7. Adam Scott: Scott’s best round was an even par 72 in round two. He never really looked comfortable and finished in a tie for 42nd place. Still, he has two wins already this season and he has handled the anchoring ban fairly successfully in this new season. Considering Scott had fallen to as low as #16 in the world in 2015, he should head into the next three majors, and the Olympics, in a solid frame of mind. Many people forget Scott was the number one ranked player in the world for a time as recently as 2014.
8. Dustin Johnson: It would be hard to say that anybody struck the ball better from tee to green at Augusta National than Dustin Johnson. Unfortunately, with its massive green complexes, putting is more critical at the Masters than any other major championship. Statistically, DJ didn’t fare too badly at the Masters. But, he missed a plethora of short putts and had two makeable eagle putts on the back nine on Sunday that didn’t scare the hole. In all, Johnson three-putted three times on Sunday. Still, he finished tied for 4th place. If he dials in the putting, look out. Johnson has been a fixture in the top ten since the 2015 WGC Cadillac Championship, but the pressure is quickly mounting on him (like Henrik Stenson) to get the “major monkey” off his back.
9. Danny Willett: Welcome to the world top ten Danny Willett! This will easily go down as the biggest week in Danny Willett’s life. His first child, a son, is born a week before the due date and his early arrival allows Willett to play in the Masters and capture his first major championship. While many casual Americans had never heard of Danny Willett before last week, the world of professional golf has known about him for some time. He has enjoyed a steady climb up the rankings with a win in Dubai earlier this year and a win at the Omega European Masters in 2015.
10. Justin Rose: A second round 77 was devastating to Rose’s chances of winning his first green jacket. He finished one over par in a tie for 10th place. If Rose shoots even par in round two he finishes at four under par, only one shot behind Willett’s winning number.
