2020-21 Rookie Watch

In a season devoid of a traditional rookie class, it’s predictable that there will be lulls in attention for golfers who could crash the conversation for the potential to trigger voting for an Arnold Palmer Award winner. In fact, that Will Zalatoris already has achieved Special Temporary Membership is a bonus. Alas, there’s no news out of The RSM Classic. The only non-member who made the cut was Bernd Wiesberger, and he finished T4, but the 35-year-old Austrian exhausted his rookie eligibility with 11 starts during the 2014-15 season. Only four others in the field of 156 at Sea Island still have rookie eligibility, but Michael Hebert now is a career 0-for-4 on the PGA TOUR, Brandon Crick is 0-for-2, PGA Georgia Section representative Anthony Cordes was making his TOUR debut, and Davis Thompson is an amateur. Of that smattering, the only golfer who presents as a strong possibility to contend for ROY at some point is Thompson, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Georgia. He was No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at the start of the week of the RSM. In the latest update of the WAGR (in which Thompson slots second), Andy Ogletree rose to a career-best fourth. It’s also where he finished his amateur days since he turned professional after finishing T34 at the Masters. Only professionals collect the equivalent of FedExCup points, so hejoins the play-for-pay ranks with zero. Elsewhere, Takumi Kanaya outlasted Tomohiro Ishizaka in a playoff to determine the winner of the Dunlop Phoenix in southern Japan. After trading a par and two birdies on the par-5 18th hole, Kanaya’s birdie on the fourth time through secured the title. It was Kanaya’s third start since turning professional, but it’s already his second victory on the Japan Golf Tour. He’s now 126th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Remarkably, both Kanaya and Ishizaka still are college students. Rafael Campos (only 2020-21 PGA TOUR rookie) Starts = 3 Cuts Made = 0 FedExCup Points = 0.000 FedExCup Rank = n/a Last Week = DNP Next = TBD ^ – The value beside Will Zalatoris reflects where he would rank among members with his total of equivalent FedExCup points. If he’s inside the top 125 at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship, he’ll earn PGA TOUR membership in 2021-22. He can become a member this season with a victory on the PGA TOUR or with two more wins on the Korn Ferry Tour. Non-members: Through the 2020 RSM Classic * – Because the 2019-20 season was contracted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this season’s target for Special Temporary Membership is 288.035 FedExCup points. It’s what Martin Kaymer totaled en route to ranking 150th in the FedExCup during the 2018-19 season. Non-members who achieve STM receive numerous benefits, three of which are primary as it concerns opportunities to compete on the PGA TOUR: 1) Unlimited sponsor exemptions; 2) Unlimited starts; 3) Position in the Beyond 150 Reshuffle. However, a non-member who achieves STM remains ineligible for the FedExCup Playoffs unless he wins a tournament. NOTE: The Player Advisory Council and the Player Directors nominate annually a list of first-season PGA TOUR members for the PGA TOUR members for the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. A player’s rookie season (“Rookie Year”) is defined as the season in which he becomes a PGA TOUR member (including Special Temporary Members) and plays in 10 or more events as a member or finishes in the Top 125 on the official FedExCup points list or qualifies as a Top 125 non-member, whichever occurs first. Further, for purposes of this definition, a new member (including Special Temporary Members) shall not be eligible to be a rookie if he has previously played in more than seven official PGA TOUR money events as a professional in any prior season. PGA TOUR members who have played in at least 15 official money tournaments vote on this award. The Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Olympic Games each count as one the 15. In their discretion, the Player Advisory Council and Player Directors may determine that circumstances (the potential lack of nominees due to the absence of 2020 graduating class from the Korn Ferry Tour) may not warrant the selection of an award recipient in the 2020-21 season

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