PGA Tour: 9 Sleepers To Watch In The 2015-16 Season

By Alex Myers

From Jimmy Walker in 2014 to Brooks Koepka in 2015 to Smylie Kaufman and Emiliano Grillo so far this season, our recent track record of picking sleepers* has been pretty good. Which under-the-radar golfers do we expect big things from in 2016? Read on to find out.(*We define a sleeper as a player who has never won on the PGA Tour or qualified for the Tour Championship)

Michael Kim of the United States tees off from the 9th tee during the second day of the Walker Cup golf tournament held at the National Golf Links of America on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013 in Southampton, N.Y.(AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

Photo by AP

Emiliano Grillo

The 23-year-old Argentine spent most of 2015 on the European Tour, but came to the U.S. for the Web.com Tour Finals and shined. In the four events, he won the season finale and added a runner-up to earn his PGA Tour card for the first time.UPDATE: Grillo won the first event of the 2015-16 season, the Frys.com Open.

Smylie Kaufman

The man with the best name on the list also proved he should be taken seriously on the course in 2015. Kaufman only made half his cuts during his rookie season on the Web.com Tour, but when he stuck around for the weekend, he often contended, with five top 10s, including a win and a runner-up. The 23-year-old LSU product will be a rookie on the PGA Tour.UPDATE: Kaufman won the second event of the 2015-16 season, the Shriner's Hospitals for Children Open. Are you seeing a trend here with these picks?

Patton Kizzire

The 29-year-old Auburn product took awhile to get to the Web.com Tour, but once he did, he dominated. Kizzire won twice in 2015 and made $567,866 to lead the developmental circuit.

Patrick Rodgers

As a PGA Tour non-member in 2014-15, Rodgers, 23, made enough money (more than $1 million) to earn his tour card for 2015-16, highlighted by a runner-up at the Wells Fargo Championship. Rodgers, who tied Tiger Woods' record for wins while at Stanford, also won on the Web.com Tour in 2015. He's our pick to be this year's Brooks Koepka as the tour's biggest breakout player.

Jamie Lovemark

Another former collegiate star, Lovemark's transition to the pros hasn't been easy thanks to an assortment of injuries. Now healthy -- and still only 27 -- Lovemark hopes his latest go-round on the PGA Tour will go better after a solid year on the Web.com Tour in which he finished 12th on the money list.

Anirban Lahiri

Forget about that short missed putt at the Presidents Cup and focus on what Lahiri, the most accomplished player on this list, did well in 2015. At 28, the native of India had a breakout season by notching his first two European Tour titles and a T-5 at the PGA Championship. Lahiri locked up his PGA Tour card for the first time through the Web.com Tour finals.

Michael Kim

A former star at Cal, Kim was the low amateur at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion (T-17). In his first two years as a pro, the 22-year-old native of South Korea has showed steady improvement. He finished 13th on the Web.com Tour's regular season money list in 2015.

Harold Varner III

The pressures of trying to secure his PGA Tour card for the first time almost proved too much for the 25-year-old East Carolina product. After finishing 30th on the Web.com Tour money list in 2014, he hung onto the 25th spot in 2015 to punch his first trip to the PGA Tour. He is just the second African American to earn full status on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters.

Si Woo Kim

At 20, Kim is the youngest player on this list. Kim. Kim also qualified for the PGA Tour in 2012, but he wasn't allowed his card because at he was too young. Why are we expecting big things from someone under the legal age in this country? Because Jason Day is the only player to ever win a Web.com Tour event at a younger age. That's pretty good company.