Tour’s Rookie Class
Ready to “Pullets” Weight
Last season on the PGA Tour, one of the biggest storylines was veterans breaking multi-year winless streaks: Stewart Cink won for the first time since 2009, Martin Laird since 2013, Lucas Glover since 2011, and Brian Gay since 2013.
This year, we will see one of the strongest Korn Ferry Tour graduating classes in history, due to the sustained excellence that it required to earn promotion after their two-year super season. I believe a theme of this season — especially is this upcoming fall portion of the Tour schedule — will be of breakout, first-time Tour winners. This theme could start to play itself out this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi.
Out of a field loaded with fresh talent, here are five PGA Tour rookies who I’ll be excited to watch have a chance to contend this week at the Sanderson:
Davis Riley is 24 years old and played collegiately at University of Alabama. He earned his first PGA Tour card for this season after recording two wins last season on the Korn Ferry Tour, 17 top-25s in 36 events played, and finishing seventh on the regular season points list (with the top 25 finishers on both the regular season and finals series points list earning PGA Tour cards). Throughout his career, he’s played in 12 PGA Tour events, made 6 cuts, but failed to record a top-25 finish. According to datagolf.com, Country Club of Jackson rewards driving distance more than an average course played on the PGA Tour, and Riley’s driving distance is greater than the PGA Tour average. Riley will also be playing the Sanderson in his home state.
Cameron Young is also 24 years old and played collegiately at Wake Forest University, where he was a teammate of Will Zalatoris. Young earned his first Tour card for this season after two wins and a second-place finish, putting him at 19th on the regular season-ending Korn Ferry Tour points list. So far, Young has played in four career PGA Tour events and has yet to make a cut. Young should also be well suited for the Country Club of Jackson due to his length off the tee. Fun fact: Young made it to the second round of the 2015 U.S. Amateur, and lost to Jon Rahm.
Brandon Wu, another 24-year-old, played collegiately at Stanford University. Wu earned his first Tour card for this season after a win and two second place finishes, putting him at 13th on the regular season-ending Korn Ferry Tour points list. So far, Wu has played in 12 career PGA Tour events, with the highlight being a T7 at the Puerto Rico Open in February 2021. Wu’s driving distance is just about average for the PGA Tour, but his game is well-rounded enough to contend this week. In high school, Wu also earned four varsity letters in swimming.
Greyson Sigg is 26 years old and will join the deep ranks of Georgia Bulldogs on Tour. Sigg earned his first Tour card for this season after two wins, a second-place finish, and 29 made cuts in 35 events, putting him at sixth on the regular season ending Korn Ferry Tour points list. So far, Sigg has played in 10 career PGA Tour events and made seven cuts, with his best finish being a T9 at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in March 2021. Sigg sports a very well-rounded skill profile, and has been a consistent performer at all levels so far in his career, even having made 30 of 36 cuts during his early time as a professional on the Mackenzie Tour/PGA Tour Canada. And here’s a fun fact: Having spent lots of time in my life on the PGA Tour website, I’ve never come across this, but Sigg listed hunting and fishing as his personal interests. Here’s to hoping that he’ll be able to find some guys on Tour to discuss his hobbies with.
Taylor Pendrith is a 30-year-old Canadian who — like fellow Canadians Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners — played collegiately at Kent State University. Pendrith earned his first Tour card for this season after recording four second-place finishes, and 32 made cuts in 37 events, putting him at fifth on the regular season-ending Korn Ferry Tour points list. So far, Pendrith has played in 10 career PGA Tour events and made seven cuts, with three top-25 finishes. In the 2019 season, Pendrith won twice on the Mackenzie Tour/PGA Tour Canada, which earned him membership on the Korn Ferry Tour for the following season. Pendrith’s game should set up well for the Sanderson, as his driving distance is significantly greater than the PGA Tour average.
Bonus nugget: also in the Sanderson field are three of the stars of the 2019 U.S. Amateur which was played at Pinehurst. Andy Ogletree defeated John Augenstein in the championship match, and 17-year-old Mississippi native Cohen Trolio lost in the semifinals to Ogletree. All three are in the Sanderson field this week. Ogletree has dealt with injuries to begin his professional career, and has only made two cuts in nine starts on Tour so far through sponsor exemptions and various exemptions stemming from his U.S. Amateur victory. Augenstein has been grinding in Monday qualifiers since turning professional and is looking to build on the success of his T6 finish at the season-opening Fortinet Championship two weeks ago (which earned him a spot this week in the Sanderson). Cohen Trolio is currently a freshman on the LSU golf team and will be playing in his first PGA Tour event.
Chris Parsons is a suburban Philadelphia transplant living and working in New York City. He is an avid fan of all Philadelphia sports teams and all things golf (except equipment reviews). He writes about golf at his Medium site, and on Twitter at @cparsons981.
Photos: credit Sanderson Farms Championship.
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