This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
UPGRADE
Scott Stallings: He was on a nice run with a bunch of 20-25 finishes in a two-month span, but winning The Greenbrier Classic puts him in a completely different light. The Tennessee Tech product gets your attention with his length off the tee (303 yards per poke) and a high frequency of birdies and eagles. Stallings needs to be more accurate with the driver and more consistent with the putter if he wants to be a multiple-year story, but whenever a rookie wins on the big circuit, we have to upgrade the stock.
Cameron Tringale: He's cashed five times in six starts, with four of those surpassing the $100K mark. His profile should work on most courses: respectable distance, decent iron play, strong putting and plenty of red on the card (ninth in birdies). It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of his first seasonal major, next week's PGA Championship.
Chris DiMarco: Is it time to start taking the Gator seriously again? He's made 10 cuts in his last 13 starts, including a T11 at The Greenbrier and a decent check at AT&T National. DiMarco's scoring numbers are better than any of his component stats, which points to his ability to grind and stay in the moment. He wouldn't be the first pro golfer to have a career renessaince in the early 40s. Keep an eye on him.
Gary Woodland: We love consistency in our game and Woodland has that in
UPGRADE
Scott Stallings: He was on a nice run with a bunch of 20-25 finishes in a two-month span, but winning The Greenbrier Classic puts him in a completely different light. The Tennessee Tech product gets your attention with his length off the tee (303 yards per poke) and a high frequency of birdies and eagles. Stallings needs to be more accurate with the driver and more consistent with the putter if he wants to be a multiple-year story, but whenever a rookie wins on the big circuit, we have to upgrade the stock.
Cameron Tringale: He's cashed five times in six starts, with four of those surpassing the $100K mark. His profile should work on most courses: respectable distance, decent iron play, strong putting and plenty of red on the card (ninth in birdies). It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of his first seasonal major, next week's PGA Championship.
Chris DiMarco: Is it time to start taking the Gator seriously again? He's made 10 cuts in his last 13 starts, including a T11 at The Greenbrier and a decent check at AT&T National. DiMarco's scoring numbers are better than any of his component stats, which points to his ability to grind and stay in the moment. He wouldn't be the first pro golfer to have a career renessaince in the early 40s. Keep an eye on him.
Gary Woodland: We love consistency in our game and Woodland has that in spades, cashing 14 times in 18 starts this year, including six appearances in the Top 10. With an aggressive driver and a set of radar irons (11th in GIR), this is someone who can be dangerous when his so-so putter feels like showing up.
DOWNGRADE
J.B. Holmes: He takes a big swing out there and sometimes doesn't know where the ball is headed. Holmes has consecutive trunk slams on his resume, and he hasn't banked more than $18,000 since mid-May. Perhaps a quicker pace of play would come in handy.
D.J. Trahan: On the surface, a season with 13 checks in 22 starts doesn't sound too bad, but Trahan ranks 98th in final-round scoring and hasn't made $100,000 in any event this year. An erratic driver and a death putter (188th in strokes gained) have been the biggest problems.
Camilo Villegas: Is he bored? Dealing with an undisclosed injury? Searching for his Mojo, somewhere in the swamps of Florida? We thought Spiderman had cleared the hurdle with his T3 at the St. Jude back in June, but he's 1-for-5 in cuts made since, with the only check a piddly T71 last week.
HOLDING STEADY
Tiger Woods: New attitude, new caddy, fairly new approach, but until I see something on the course with the same old body, I'm not buying. Let's see some red on the board, big guy.
Jeff Overton: Only three trunk slams all year, but it's disappointing to see it lead to a No. 61 spot on the money list. Overton's putting was a shade better in his breakout 2010 season, and his iron play was considerably better.
