This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
UPGRADE
Ted Potter Jr.: He putted like a man possessed and he hit just enough greens to get by - that's how this journeyman changed his life and grabbed a trophy at The Greenbrier Classic. But let's not forget everything that happened (well, didn't happen) for Potter before this event: he slammed the trunk five straight times into last week, and he only had one check more than $35K all season before this breakthrough. The Cinderella win makes for a good story, but it will go down as one of the fluke victories of the season.
Sean O'Hair: You see him at 59th on the money list and might pass on by, but O'Hair's actually been pretty steady all year (just two cuts missed out of 16 starts). A T15 at the Wells Fargo Championship in early May got some momentum going, and O'Hair's ball striking was sharp all last week. A comeback is just about started, the world just doesn't know it yet.
John Daly: Obviously the world has stopped expecting anything from Daly, and maybe that's the best thing for the paler. He's cashed five times in six starts this year, including a solid T19 at St. Jude and a T12 last week at The Greenbrier Classic. The driving accuracy will always be a problem here (and it mucks up Daly's iron stats), but he stands fifth in putting strokes gained and 26th in scoring. This should be a fun story to follow at the John Deere Classic.
UPGRADE
Ted Potter Jr.: He putted like a man possessed and he hit just enough greens to get by - that's how this journeyman changed his life and grabbed a trophy at The Greenbrier Classic. But let's not forget everything that happened (well, didn't happen) for Potter before this event: he slammed the trunk five straight times into last week, and he only had one check more than $35K all season before this breakthrough. The Cinderella win makes for a good story, but it will go down as one of the fluke victories of the season.
Sean O'Hair: You see him at 59th on the money list and might pass on by, but O'Hair's actually been pretty steady all year (just two cuts missed out of 16 starts). A T15 at the Wells Fargo Championship in early May got some momentum going, and O'Hair's ball striking was sharp all last week. A comeback is just about started, the world just doesn't know it yet.
John Daly: Obviously the world has stopped expecting anything from Daly, and maybe that's the best thing for the paler. He's cashed five times in six starts this year, including a solid T19 at St. Jude and a T12 last week at The Greenbrier Classic. The driving accuracy will always be a problem here (and it mucks up Daly's iron stats), but he stands fifth in putting strokes gained and 26th in scoring. This should be a fun story to follow at the John Deere Classic.
DOWNGRADE
Phil Mickelson: He's sandwiched a couple of missed cuts around a no-op at the U.S. Open (T65), and now he's getting ready for the major that least suits his game (the British). Don't get aggressive with a Lefty play until August.
Rory Sabbatini: We rarely want to say anything bad about Sabbatini, given two refreshing things about him - he plays quickly, and he says interesting things to the public. But when you're outside the Top 135 in driving distance, GIR and putting strokes gained, we can't be bullish on your week-to-week chances. Sabbatini does deserve credit for some creative scrambling (where he ranks 40th), but he's no longer an automatic pick for us as a Top-50 player.
HOLDING STEADY
Tiger Woods: It's a bump in the road but really not a big deal; Woods didn't seem especially committed to the event, or focused, and now he can get ready for what really matters to him, the British Open. No rank adjustment necessary.
Charlie Beljan: Kudos on the T3 at The Greenbrier, but if every golfer on tour were as slow as this guy, the game would be dead in six months. Keep it moving, ace.
Ken Duke: It's been a solid season for the 43-year-old journeyman - 16 checks, 40th on the money list. But do the bright lights of the weekend (and the smell of contention) unnerve Duke a little bit? His scoring average is sixth before the cut, but he slips to 84th in third-round scoring (moving day) and 59th on Sundays. His final few holes at The Greenbrier were disappointing, given the pedestrian leaders Duke was chasing.
