Each week on GolfChannel.com, we’ll examine which players’ stocks and trends are rising and falling in the world of golf.
RISING
Marc Leishman (+8%): Remember Billy Horschel’s sprint to the FedExCup title in 2014, with a close call in Boston, a win at the BMW and then a clean sweep at the Tour Championship? Leish might be copying that winning formula.
Anna Nordqvist (+5%): Still not 100 percent from her bout with mono, Europe’s best player summoned the goods when she needed it most at the Evian, playing an 11-hole stretch in 8 under and prevailing in a playoff in bone-chilling conditions.
Patrick Cantlay (+3%): If only they still handed out a Comeback Player of the Year award. After sitting out more than two years because of a back injury and a personal loss, the former amateur star reached the Tour Championship after only a dozen starts. Stud.
J-Rose (+2%): Got his heart ripped out at Augusta, but it looks like he has finally recovered, running off three consecutive top-10s in the playoffs and rolling straight into East Lake, one of his favorite venues.
Jerry Kelly (+1%): Apparently, the senior circuit suits him well – he has nearly as many victories in the past four weeks (two) as he had in 22 years on the big tour (three).
FALLING
Hideki (-1%): The Japanese star led the FedExCup race after the PGA Championship. Three consecutive finishes outside the top 20, and now he’s all the way down to seventh – a potentially big hit to his bank account.
Veteran Tour caddies (-3%): After the Jason Day-Colin Swatton split, five of the top 10 players in the world now have caddies with no prior looping experience on Tour. A new trend, perhaps: Bros before pros?
Ariya Jutanugarn (-4%): It was her older sister, Moriya, who stole the show at the Evian. Kid sis, who rose to No. 1 in the world in June, has missed the cut or withdrawn from seven of her past eight events.
Rory (-5%): His PGA Tour season is over, and he now has two more starts to extend his streak of eight consecutive years with at least one win. The way he’s currently playing, well, that seems unlikely.
LPGA major season (-7%): So, what was the most memorable major moment this year? The rules debacle with Lexi? The 54-hole Evian decision? Not a great look.
Source: Internet
