Golf Barometer: Piercing the Competition

In three consecutive weeks now a surprising victor has emerged on the PGA Tour with rookie Cody Gribble, aged Rod Pampling, and formerly-injured Pat Perez coming as the most recent winners. Weaker competition has allowed for some of the less-commonly heard names to rise and fall, while many of the top players in the world are either currently trying to win the European Tour's Race to Dubai, or simply taking additional rest before the 2016-17 season really ramps up and the excitement begins.

VALUE RISING

Russell Knox

After ending the 2016 FedExCup Playoffs on a high note with three consecutive top-25 finishes, Knox appeared to be in good shape as the fall series of his next campaign approached. Instead of taking a step back following just a one-month offseason, the 31-year-old Scotland native has soared into the top-20 of the Official World Golf Ranking due to three consecutive top-10s at the CIMB Classic, WGC-HSBC Champions, and most-recent OHL Classic. He tends to lack driving distance as he stands just 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds, but Knox is able to make up for it with his stellar accuracy and greens in regulation percentage. Having secured a victory at the Travelers Championship in early August, his next start on the Tour figures to come during the first week of January 2017 at the coveted Tournament of Champions.

Scott Piercy

Piercy has been one of the busiest golfers on Tour since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, appearing in the maximum number of five possible events dating back to the Safeway Open in mid-October. Other than a disappointing week at the WGC-HSBC Champions event, Piercy's past five starts have included two top-five finishes to go along with a T10 and T24, as he currently resides at No. 7 in the FedExCup Standings. He's driving the ball over 300 yards on average while also hitting greens in regulation at a clip of 76 percent through his first 20 rounds of the season. He won't be in the field for this week's RSM Classic, so Piercy will finally be able to take a somewhat lengthy break from tournament action before likely returning for mid-January's Sony Open in Hawaii, where he placed 13th earlier this year.

Luke List

List's potential as a sleeper was noted prior to the 2016-17 season after barely earning his Tour card for another campaign, but he's impressed through four events thus far having notched a runner-up finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship and a seventh-place result at the more-recent OHL Classic. His ability to bomb the ball off the tee improves his stock even further, currently averaging nearly 323 yards in driving distance while also hitting over 70 percent of his greens in regulation. As you could imagine, his accuracy numbers aren't as intriguing due to the distance factor, but it's tough to argue with a sub-69.50 average score through 16 rounds. List will look to keep the momentum rolling at this week's RSM Classic before the fields strengthen in the early portion of 2017.

VALUE FALLING

Spencer Levin

Through five events of the new season, it's tough to find a bright spot for Levin after failing to finish inside the top-50 of a tournament since early August. Despite participating against weak competition, he has missed two cuts at the Safeway Open and Sanderson Farms Championship, along with earning just $45K total in his other three disappointing finishes. The numbers don't lie for Levin, who is averaging a discouraging 30 putts per round and remains below average in terms of driving distance, driving accuracy, and greens in regulation percentage for Tour standards. The upcoming RSM Classic will be his last chance to turn it around before dwelling on his spotty performance during the Tour's winter break, with Levin's schedule slated to resume at the Sony Open.

Carl Pettersson

Due to three missed cuts, Pettersson has played just 10 total rounds this season despite appearing in four events. At this rate, it could be his last year of Tour eligibility given the fact he only has his card because of a one-time exemption (top-50 career money list). For a veteran who doesn't drive the ball as far as the younger weapons on Tour these days, hitting just 48 percent of fairways so far this season has been a major setback. Heading into the upcoming RSM Classic it's doubtful to see him on anyone's fantasy radar, but if he's able to figure something out off the tee, his putting ability could make him competitive against a weaker field in a best-case scenario.

Morgan Hoffmann

Just like Pettersson, Hoffmann has also missed three cuts in four events which is a bit disheartening after a third-place finish at the John Deere Classic in mid-August, which appears to have been false hope for the upcoming season. Unlike Pettersson however, Hoffmann retains some upside given his natural talent, athletic physique, and age (27). He's another potential candidate to bounce back at the RSM Classic, although with six missed cuts in his last eight events, it may take a bit of magic before he returns to fantasy relevance.

INJURY UPDATE

Grayson Murray (back)

Murray's rookie campaign hit its first roadblock this past week as he was forced to withdraw prematurely from the OHL Classic due to back soreness. The issue appears to be minor though, and he'll have plenty of time to nurse the issue back to full health since he won't be in the field for the RSM Classic before a December break from tournament play. Murray has already notched a top-10 result on Tour this season at the Sanderson Farms Championship after impressing on the Web.com Tour throughout the summer, which inluded a win at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship to put the cherry on top.