This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
Justin Thomas entered the PGA Championship having missed three cuts in his previous four starts, but the 24-year-old broke through for his first career major victory at Quail Hollow last week. His buddy Rickie Fowler once again watched a first-timer lift the trophy from the sidelines, while Hideki Matsuyama retained his positioning at No. 1 in the FedExCup standings. This week's Wyndham Championship marks the last opportunity for players to change their playoff outlook, so we'll take a look at a few trends heading into the final regular-season event.
VALUE RISING
Henrik Stenson
After a stretch of three consecutive missed cuts from the Arnold Palmer Invitational through the Masters, Stenson has finished worse than T26 just once in his last nine events worldwide. Most recently he finished T13-T17-T11 playing against loaded fields at the PGA Championship, WGC-Bridgestone and Open Championship. He's currently just 75th in the FedExCup standings but has the opportunity to make a move before the playoffs, having rounded into form heading into this week's Wyndham Championship.
Chris Stroud
As the WGC-Bridgestone fostered the world's attention in early August, Stroud won the opposite-field Barracuda Championship for his maiden victory on Tour. He didn't stop there, however, following that up with his best career finish at a major with a T9 at the PGA Championship. He's now up to 69th in the FedExCup standings, and could potentially earn a spot in the BMW Championship during the latter stages of the playoffs.
Robert Garrigus
A span of eight missed cuts
Justin Thomas entered the PGA Championship having missed three cuts in his previous four starts, but the 24-year-old broke through for his first career major victory at Quail Hollow last week. His buddy Rickie Fowler once again watched a first-timer lift the trophy from the sidelines, while Hideki Matsuyama retained his positioning at No. 1 in the FedExCup standings. This week's Wyndham Championship marks the last opportunity for players to change their playoff outlook, so we'll take a look at a few trends heading into the final regular-season event.
VALUE RISING
Henrik Stenson
After a stretch of three consecutive missed cuts from the Arnold Palmer Invitational through the Masters, Stenson has finished worse than T26 just once in his last nine events worldwide. Most recently he finished T13-T17-T11 playing against loaded fields at the PGA Championship, WGC-Bridgestone and Open Championship. He's currently just 75th in the FedExCup standings but has the opportunity to make a move before the playoffs, having rounded into form heading into this week's Wyndham Championship.
Chris Stroud
As the WGC-Bridgestone fostered the world's attention in early August, Stroud won the opposite-field Barracuda Championship for his maiden victory on Tour. He didn't stop there, however, following that up with his best career finish at a major with a T9 at the PGA Championship. He's now up to 69th in the FedExCup standings, and could potentially earn a spot in the BMW Championship during the latter stages of the playoffs.
Robert Garrigus
A span of eight missed cuts in 10 events had Garrigus on the outside looking in, but he's now up to 97th in the FedExCup standings thanks to a trio of top-10s in his last three starts. He'll easily make the playoffs without needing to tee it up at Sedgefield CC this week, and he also ranks third on Tour in GIR percentage this season.
VALUE FALLING
Graeme McDowell
Five missed cuts in his last six international events have sent McDowell outside the top-100 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in a decade. The 38-year-old will need a solid showing at the Wyndham Championship in order to have a shot at the playoffs, as he currently ranks 131st.
Padraig Harrington
A T4 finish at the Scottish Open in July foreshadowed good things to come for Harrington, but he went on to miss the cut at the Open Championship before missing his next two cuts as well. He will be in the field at this week's Wyndham Championship, but he's all the way down at No. 199 in the FedExCup standings. The aging Irishman will be 46 at the end of August, further lowering his value in the long term.
Jonas Blixt
Blixt, who won the Zurich Classic alongside Cameron Smith in late April, has missed three consecutive cuts and has made just five starts since the end of May. Without a high finish in the next couple weeks he's on pace to miss the cutoff for the BMW Championship, as he currently ranks 76th in the FedExCup standings. Blixt is eighth on Tour in SG: Putting this season, but a hot putter may not be sufficient enough to carry him in the near future.
INJURY UPDATE
Brandt Snedeker (ribs/sternum)
Snedeker finally relayed additional information regarding his injury after another late withdrawal from this week's Wyndham Championship, citing an unstable sternum joint as the source of the issue. He will be out indefinitely due to ongoing pain whenever he swings, so his 2016-17 season may be over before the playoffs even begin. A potential return timetable is unclear at this point, but Snedeker will continue to work with his medical team in hopes of a full, speedy recovery.
