After qualifying for the Tour Championship in 2022, Stallings was unable to carry the momentum into last season with just three top-20s over 29 events. He took a considerable step backward with his iron play and putting, ranking 138th in strokes-gained approach and 153rd in putting. That's not a good recipe for success when you lack an elite skill. With that said, Stallings lost in a playoff at the Sanderson in October, although it was largely due to an excellent week on the greens. That was enough for him to retain his card for another season, which will continue to be a challenge in the latter stage of his career.
Stallings was in the midst of a decent season heading into the BMW Championship, but his runner-up at that event change his entire season. Stallings entered that week with six top-10s on the season, enough to secure a spot in the field for the BMW and when he finished runner-up, he vaulted way up the standings. He also made a nice check that week, which help push his season total over $4 million. This from a guy that never cracked $2 million in any of his previous 11 seasons on the PGA Tour. It seems clear that Stallings is a better player now than at any point in his career, but he also set the bar way too high this past season for salary cap purposes.
Stallings best finish of the season came at the Byron Nelson in which he finished T-3 - one of two top-10s on the season. His game has been pretty consistent on a yearly basis in that his approach play is his strength and he features average length off-the-tee. His short-game tends to be his weakness and prevents him from finishing in the top 20 more often. Stallings is a safe bet to be in the 100-125 range this season.
Stallings seemed to find hints of his old form during the Tour's hiatus as he returned with two top-10 results since the re-start with only missed one cut. Now in his mid-30s, he isn't as dominant with his driver as he used to be, but he's been solid with his approach play. Look for Stallings to continue his momentum into the 2020-21 season as a reliable cut maker who may find himself in contention to get back into the winner's circle.
Stallings has spent the past eight seasons on the PGA Tour trying to reach the heights of his rookie season, but he's been unable to match the $1.9 million in earnings that he posted in 2011. That's not to say that he's played poorly over the past eight years, in fact, he's won twice since his rookie season, but overall, he hasn't shown the ability to play well for long stretches. Stallings made a concerted effort to get into better physical shape last season, but he hasn't reaped any benefits yet. Stallings has spent the past five seasons around or under the $1 million mark and that's likely where he'll end up this season.
Stallings is one of the more anonymous three-time winners on the PGA Tour as most who follow this sport couldn't pick him out of lineup. It surely doesn't help that he's been pretty much irrelevant on the PGA Tour for the past four seasons. It is truly an odd case as Stallings played at a high- evel for much of his first four seasons on the PGA Tour, but it's been the opposite in his past four seasons. He did pick up his play a bit last season however, topping the $1 million mark for the first time since 2013, but there's just not enough there to think he's going to see a big bump in production this season.
Stallings is one of very few exceptions to the rule of guys in this range that made most of their money in the fall portion of last season. Stallings actually missed the cut in every single start last fall. He turned his season around with an 8th-place showing at the Career Builder Challenge in January. From there, he posted two more top-5s, but both came at opposite-field events. Stallings has had a strange career in that he's won three times on the PGA Tour, but he's never managed to top $2 million in earnings. What that means is, he's capable of playing at a high-level, but not for very long. As such, he's not a good salary cap option this season.
Stallings is the most accomplished of the 50 Web.com grads, with three PGA Tour wins. But pretty remarkably, he's also missed more cuts than he's made in his career, and it's tough reaching the playoffs that way. He just missed last season while finishing 128th in points, and it should be another down-to-the-wire scenario for Stallings again this season.
Stallings is the rare breed on the PGA Tour. He started strong in his rookie season and he really hasn't progressed or regressed since. In fact, his highest finish on the Fed Ex list was 63rd in 2013 and his lowest was 84th in 2014. He's won an event in three of his four seasons on the PGA Tour, which is both good and bad. Good because he knows how to win at this level, bad because it's hard to replicate on a yearly basis. However, if Stallings can simply find a little more consistency within the season, he could bust through the $2 million mark. He's got the skills and he knows how to win, which makes Stallings a guy who should be given serious consideration in salary cap leagues. In draft leagues he should go in the 7th or 8th rounds.
Stallings had a nice 2013 season, but he had trouble finding high-end finishes. He certainly has some upside, but he got off to a poor start in the 2013-2014 portion of the season where he played four events and earned less than $20k. At just over $1.6 million in earnings, his number is probably too high to take him in salary cap leagues. In draft leagues he should go in the 50-60 range.
Scott Stallings picked up a win for the second consecutive year last season, but after earning nearly $2 million in 2011, his earnings dropped to less than $1.3 million in 2012. That's not exactly the progression you want see from a player who earned his first victory the season before. But he finished better than he started, so perhaps he was suffering from a first-win hangover early last season. Stallings has upside, making him worth a look in salary cap leagues. He may not be the most reliable player, however, so the risk is high. In draft leagues, he should go in the seventh round.
Of the first-time winners on the PGA Tour last year, Stallings may have been the most surprising. Prior to his win in late-July, Stallings had only one Top-10. In addition to that, his made-cut percentage was hovering at about 50 percent. This is golf, however, and players can get hot for four days out of the year. That is exactly what Stallings did, which is great for him, but bad for his draft prospects this year.
Stallings finished strong at Q-School when the pressure was on as he birdied the final two holes. You have to like that type of play in the clutch - it should serve him well on the PGA TOUR this season.
