This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
Last week an emotional Bryson DeChambeau followed in the footsteps of Payne Stewart and Jordan Spieth by notching his first career PGA Tour victory at the John Deere Classic, while Rafael Cabrera-Bello reached a career-high 17th in the Official World Golf Ranking after his win at the Scottish Open. Preparation time for the players at this week's Open Championship has expired, as alarm clocks around the United States will be set way earlier than normal in order to catch the action in Southport, England.
We'll now shift our attention to trends on both the PGA and European Tours with 2017's third major just moments away.
VALUE RISING
Rickie Fowler
Knocking on the door for quite some time now, Fowler is one of -- if not the best -- current golfers without a major victory. This narrative is seemingly brought up non-stop, but the 28-year-old continues trending toward that first big win. He followed up his T5 at the U.S. Open with a T3 at the Quicken Loans before heading overseas for the Scottish Open, where he placed T9 while preparing for this week's Open Championship. The sixth-ranked player in the FedExCup standings is 10th on Tour in SG: T2G, eighth in SG: Approach, third in SG: Putting and third in total driving this season. He'll be a prime candidate to hoist the Claret Jug come Sunday and finally remove his name from the major drought list.
Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau appeared to be on the rise after three consecutive top-26s followed
Last week an emotional Bryson DeChambeau followed in the footsteps of Payne Stewart and Jordan Spieth by notching his first career PGA Tour victory at the John Deere Classic, while Rafael Cabrera-Bello reached a career-high 17th in the Official World Golf Ranking after his win at the Scottish Open. Preparation time for the players at this week's Open Championship has expired, as alarm clocks around the United States will be set way earlier than normal in order to catch the action in Southport, England.
We'll now shift our attention to trends on both the PGA and European Tours with 2017's third major just moments away.
VALUE RISING
Rickie Fowler
Knocking on the door for quite some time now, Fowler is one of -- if not the best -- current golfers without a major victory. This narrative is seemingly brought up non-stop, but the 28-year-old continues trending toward that first big win. He followed up his T5 at the U.S. Open with a T3 at the Quicken Loans before heading overseas for the Scottish Open, where he placed T9 while preparing for this week's Open Championship. The sixth-ranked player in the FedExCup standings is 10th on Tour in SG: T2G, eighth in SG: Approach, third in SG: Putting and third in total driving this season. He'll be a prime candidate to hoist the Claret Jug come Sunday and finally remove his name from the major drought list.
Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau appeared to be on the rise after three consecutive top-26s followed a stretch of eight consecutive missed cuts, but his first career win at the John Deere Classic certainly proves that he's finally rounded into form. The "Golf Scientist" has earned himself a spot in this week's Open Championship, which will mark his debut at the coveted major. He's 44th in SG: T2G and 18th in SG: OTT this season on Tour, but he had experienced putting troubles prior to the John Deere. He'll look to maintain recent success with the flat stick at Royal Birkdale.
Andy Sullivan
The Englishman has finished outside of the top-20 just once in his last five starts on the European Tour, ascending to No. 66 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He most recently placed T9 at the Scottish Open, ranking seventh in driving accuracy and 26th in GIR percentage among the field. In two career appearances at the Open Championship, the 31-year-old has finished T30-T12, looking to make his third consecutive cut at the event this week.
VALUE FALLING
Justin Thomas
Thomas is too good and too young for this to be a long-term call, but his short-term value has fallen with back-to-back missed cuts in his last two starts since an impressive T9 at the U.S. Open. The 24-year-old has enough talent to post a couple low scores at Royal Birkdale if the weather stays somewhat friendly, but he may not display the experience and patience necessary to contend just yet. He's just 111th on Tour in scrambling and 172nd in sand save percentage this season, which could haunt him at the Open Championship.
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick has slipped to No. 40 in the OWGR after beginning his 2017 campaign at 30th in the rankings, while his recent form includes a pair of missed cuts and no finish better than a T35 in his last four events. He's also just 22 years old, missing the cut at the 2016 Open Championship three years after finishing as the low amateur. Fitzpatrick is generally accurate off the tee, but even if he makes the cut, a top-25 finish doesn't seem likely.
Chris Wood
Currently at just 148th on the European Tour in GIR percentage, Wood has either missed the cut or withdrawn in his past three starts. His putting has been solid this season, but that won't be enough to carry him at Royal Birkdale in windy conditions.
INJURY UPDATE
Brandt Snedeker
Snedeker announced less than 24 hours before the Open Championship's first round of tee times that he's dealing with a rib injury that hasn't healed yet, forcing him to withdraw from the event. The 36-year-old's quest for his first major title continues, while it remains to be seen when he'll be able to return to tournament golf.
