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The Best Of The Rest After The Top 30 Players

January 06, 2009

Listed in order of their World Ranking on Dec. 15, NR=Not Ranked, N=Nationwide Tour graduate, Q=Qualifying School graduate, M=Medical extension

16 Kenny Perry The first player with three wins not to cash in at a major since Mark McCumber in 1994.

19 Justin Rose Would have led in approach distance from 100-125 yards and 125-150 yards in 2008 had he played enough rounds to qualify.

25 Ian Poulter Sixty percent of his earnings came with his $899,325 check at the British.

27 Robert Allenby After missing the Sony Open cut, he made a career-best 27 straight.

28 Tim Clark Joins Ryan Moore as the only players without a tour win who have had a runner-up finish every year since '05.

31 Luke Donald Didn't play after withdrawing from the U.S. Open due to a wrist injury.

32 Rory Sabbatini Average distance to hole on approaches from the fairway improved from T-119 to T-12.

40 Angel Cabrera Played in a career-high 17 events but finished 122nd on money list.

41 Paul Casey No. 1 in hitting the green when going for it in two on a par 5 or from the tee on a par 4 (37.50 percent).

45 Retief Goosen Five of his six top-25 finishes came in Big Eight events.

47 Kevin Sutherland Went from 74th to T-10 in putting percentage from inside 10 feet (88.6 percent).

53 Dudley Hart Final-round scoring (72.60) was more than two strokes higher than his first-round total (70.27).

55 Rod Pampling A 74 at the Buick Invitational was his only final round over par.

56 Woody Austin Went from the top 25 in 2006-07 in one-putt percentage to 114th in '08.

58 Mathew Goggin Was 40th in earnings, 45 places higher than his previous best.

60 Carl Pettersson Was in the top 10 in total birdies for the fourth time in five years.

61 Scott Verplank Led in proximity to the hole on shots from 100-125 yards and 125-150 yards.

64 Chad Campbell Averaged 71.54 in round one, more than one stroke worse than any other round.

65 Ryuji Imada Was 170th in distance but hit the fourth longest drive in 2008, a 414-yarder at the Buick Inv.

66 Fredrik Jacobson Had a career best in earnings (54th), but career worsts in distance, GIR and birdies.

71 Rocco Mediate U.S. Open and a T-6 at the Memorial were his only top-10s.

72 D.J. Trahan Trailed only Phil Mickelson and Greg Kraft in bounce-back, following bogey or worse with a birdie or better 23.55 percent of the time.

80 Ken Duke Was in the top 40 in earnings (37th and 28th) in each of his first two years.

82 Pat Perez Had his best money rank (42nd) since his rookie year (40th in 2002).

84 Bart Bryant Fourth in driving accuracy. He hasn t been outside the top 20 in fairways hit since 1996.

85 Jeff Quinney Joined Brian Gay as the only players in the top 40 in earnings who averaged less than 275 yards off the tee.

91 Billy Mayfair Only Scott Verplank hit fewer balls into the left rough (Verplank, 7.52 percent; Mayfair 7.59).

93 Nick O Hern Sidelined until March after knee and thumb surgeries.

94 Paul Goydos The only player not to miss a short putt, converting all 706 from three feet or less.

95 Steve Flesch Had his best finishes at the Masters (T-5) and PGA Championship (sixth).

96 Heath Slocum Third in driving accuracy and first in proximity to the hole from the fairway (28 feet).

99 Jerry Kelly Took nearly three fewer putts on Sunday (27.23) than Thursday (30.14).

102 Ben Crane Led in scrambling from more than 30 yards, making par or better 42.5 percent of the time.

103 John Senden Was ninth in total driving, and hasn't finished worse than 12th in seven years.

108 Steve Marino Former mini-tour grinder made more putts of 25 feet or longer (36) than anyone on tour.

109 David Toms An injury-plagued year led to his worst finish in earnings (131st) since 1994.

110 Brian Gay Averaged more than 280 yards per drive in only eight of his 31 starts.

112 Peter Lonard Finished outside the top 100 in putting for the fifth time in six years.

114 Briny Baird Fourth at the Players is his best finish in a Big Eight tournament.

Listed in order of their World Ranking on Dec. 15, NR=Not Ranked, N=Nationwide Tour graduate, Q=Qualifying School graduate, M=Medical extension

115 Charlie Wi His scoring average was higher in round four than any other, yet he shot 61 Sunday at the Valero.

116 Arron Oberholser Had another injury-filled season, but returned with a T-4 at Frys.com Open. M

117 Mark Wilson Sixth in sand saves and ninth in all-around rank.

121 Bubba Watson The tour's longest hitter had his best finishes (Travelers, Buick Open) on two of the tour's shorter courses.

124 Kevin Streelman Led the tour with 54 rounds in the '60s (114 rounds total).

127 Daniel Chopra Had the tour's longest hole-out in 2008, 256 yards on the ninth hole at TPC Summerlin.

132 Matt Kuchar T-48 at the U.S. Open was his first made cut at a major as a pro.

133 Charles Howell III Didn't have a top-two finish for the first time since 2000.

134 Matt Bettencourt Only five of the last 10 Nationwide earnings leaders retained cards off the PGA money list the next season. N

137 Mark Calcavecchia Was 196th on tour in three-putt avoidance and 190th in putting from three feet or less.

138 George McNeill Climbed 126 places in greens hit to explain jump from 77th to 23rd in all-around rank.

139 Tommy Armour III Had three rounds of 65 or better in one event (Hartford) for the first time since 2003 Texas.

147 Johnson Wagner Earned 70 percent of his money when he won in Houston.

149 Jonathan Byrd Improved his accuracy off tee (59.84 percent to 67.31 percent) but lost seven yards in distance.

153 Marc Turnesa His two best starts and 80 percent of his earnings came in the fall.

155 Ryan Moore Averaged a tour-best 27.18 putts in the final round.

157 Nicholas Thompson Third in total driving in both his years on tour but improved from 180th in earnings in 2006 to 41st in 2008.

158 Dean Wilson Was T-3 at AT&T National and the U.S. Bank Championship.

160 Steve Elkington Shot the first 61 of his PGA Tour career at Texas Open in his 499th event.

163 Tim Herron Made 28 putts from 20-25 feet, more than anyone in 2008.

167 John Mallinger In the top 40 in scoring before the cut; 177th in round three.

170 John Rollins His second-round scoring average was 29th on tour. It was outside the top 100 the other rounds.

171 John Merrick One of four players in the top 30 in distance who was also in the top 100 in accuracy.

173 Lucas Glover Had 19 top-10s from 2005-07 but only two in 2008.

174 Jason Bohn Back surgery after the U.S. Open sidelined him until the final weeks of the season.

175 Fred Couples Missed the cut at the Masters for the first time in 24 starts at Augusta National.

177 Tom Lehman Turns 50 in March but still has PGA membership through 142nd rank in earnings.

179 Troy Matteson Led the tour by hitting 31 consecutive greens during season-ending Ginn/Disney events.

181 Michael Allen Was 123rd in earnings heading to Disney but finished ninth to climb to 106th.

182 Nathan Green Fourth in putting (1.741) after finishing T-8 in 2007.

185 Steve Lowery The playoff win at Pebble Beach was his first title since 2000.

192 Nick Watney Tie for fifth at Mercedes was his only top-10.

193 Tom Pernice Jr. Made 30 starts in 2008, his 10th straight year of 30 or more.

195 Parker McLachlin 20.94 percent of his tee shots landed in the right rough.

196 Greg Chalmers Earned more than $3.7 million in 204 tour starts, posting 37 top-25s. N

197 Scott Piercy Second on Nationwide Tour in birdies per round (4.17). N

198 Brian Davis Driving distance of 277.7 was his lowest in four years on tour.

200 Ryan Palmer Led in birdies per round (4.16) and was second in putts per GIR (1.720).

202 Cameron Beckman Finished 76th in ball-striking after leading the tour in '07.

203 Arjun Atwal Solid putting (1.746 average, T-6 on Nationwide) helped him return to the PGA Tour. N

205 Chez Reavie RBS Canadian Open winner had only one other top-10 (Hope) in 2008.

206 Cliff Kresge Was 52nd in earnings after Memorial but only made the cut in three of 13 events the rest of the year.

Listed in order of their World Ranking on Dec. 15, NR=Not Ranked, N=Nationwide Tour graduate, Q=Qualifying School graduate, M=Medical extension

207 Michael Letzig Saved his best for his final event, a T-2 at Ginn sur Mer.

209 Brett Wetterich Should return from wrist and shoulder injuries during the West Coast swing. Last played at the Memorial. M

210 Spencer Levin The fiery former New Mexico All-American was T-13 at the'04 U.S. Open as an amateur. N

212 Brendon de Jonge Nationwide player of the year was par or better in 53 of his final 58 rounds in '08. N

215 Colt Knost Looking to prove wrong those who criticized decision to turn pro in'07 and decline Masters invite for U.S. Amateur, APL wins. N

216 Alex Cejka All-around rank fell from fourth to 189th but earnings improved from 120th to 117th.

217 Brett Quigley Tie for sixth at the Players was his best finish in a Big Eight event.

218 Will MacKenzie Ranked between 105th and 108th in distance, accuracy and GIR, but was second in holes per eagle.

219 Marc Leishman The Aussie hit two of the Nationwide Tour's three longest drives (404 and 403 yards) in 2008. N

221 Jason Day Was 69th in earnings after a T-8 in Houston in April; finished 136th.

225 Vaughn Taylor Kept his card with 29-spot jump in earnings after a T-2 at the Ginn sur Mer.

226 Chris DiMarco Ended08 by making four straight cuts for the first time all year.

227 Kevin Na Scoring average of 69.61 in round two was the best on tour.

228 Jeff Klauk Son of former TPC Sawgrass superintendent makes the show after seven seasons on Nationwide Tour. N

230 Bill Lunde San Diego native retired from golf in 2005 only to return in 2007. N

233 Joe Ogilvie Tied for 20th in par-breakers, his fifth straight year among the top 50.

T-234 Greg Kraft Win in Puerto Rico helped get him into the top 100 in earnings for the first time since 2000.

T-234 Charley Hoffman Turned around his season by making 14 cuts in his last 15 starts after missing nine of his previous 11.

236 Tim Wilkinson Rookie retained his card with a T-2 in the Valero Texas Open, solo third in New Orleans.

238 Jarrod Lyle Aussie returns to the tour after losing his card in'07. N

241 Scott McCarron Shot three of his five rounds of 65 or better in 2008 during his runner-up at Wyndham.

242 Bo Van Pelt Didn't shoot higher than 70 in the first round of his last 10 events.

247 Jeff Overton Had 16 straight rounds in the '70s before opening the AT&T National with 66-65.

248 Bill Haas Second on tour in round-three scoring and shot par or better on his last 13 Saturdays.

254 Corey Pavin New Ryder Cup captain can still play on shorter courses: was T-3 at Pebble, T-10 at Hartford.

256 Greg Owen Best known for three-putting from three feet on 17th hole, then bogeying the 18th to lose the'06 Bay Hill. N

261 Matt Jones Finished T-4 at the Buick Open after MCs in his previous six events.

262 Martin Laird Consecutive top-10s at Reno, Wyndham, Barclays helped him finish 125th in earnings.

263 Robert Garrigus Was in the top five in distance for the third straight year (311 yards) and was second in birdies per round (3.89) but still had to return to Q school. Q

266 Brad Adamonis Shot three rounds of 66 to lead John Deere but had 70 Sunday and lost playoff to Kenny Perry.

267 Brendon Todd Former Georgia All-American made only 14 of 23 cuts on Nationwide Tour in '08 but posted seven top-10s. N

268 J.J. Henry Made just two top-10s for the second straight year after making the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

276 Jay Williamson Got through Q school after missing the cut in six of seven fall events. Q

277 Tim Petrovic Finished the year by shooting par or better for two straight weeks for the first time all year.

280 D.A. Points Fifth in career Nationwide Tour money with $1,046,630. N

283 Jason Gore The only player in the top 50 in distance (15th) and fairways hit (41st).

284 Rich Beem Shot 63-63 on the weekend to finish third at Wyndham, his only top-10 of the year.

Listed in order of their World Ranking on Dec. 15, NR=Not Ranked, N=Nationwide Tour graduate, Q=Qualifying School graduate, M=Medical extension

285 Casey Wittenberg Just 24, the '03 U.S. Amateur runner-up already has played 26 tour events in his career, earning $331,606. N

290 Jesper Parnevik Was in the top 10 through the first round in four events, but fell out every time.

293 Roland Thatcher Had two top-10s before a wrist injury sidelined him in '08. M

297 Kris Blanks Worked as a teaching pro until'02; won the Nationwide's Bank of America Open. N

298 Steve Allan Only made nine cuts but led the tour in final-round scoring (68.29).

299 Bob Estes Was outside the top 125 in money (127th) for the first time since96.

301 Joe Durant Missed a tour-high 24 measured putts from three feet or less.

304 David Mathis Led Nationwide Tour in putts per round (28.81). N

305 Shane Bertsch Made only one bogey in two rounds at Disney but still missed the cut and fell from 124th to 126th in earnings.

309 Kevin Stadler Shot 61 at Frys.com Open but missed the cut after opening with an 81.

310 Charles Warren The third-place finisher at the FBR Open was second on tour in total driving.

316 Brian Bateman Tied for 20th in his first Masters, his best finish of the year.

331 Richard S. Johnson Winner in Milwaukee, he didn't have another top-20 all year.

334 Webb Simpson Former U.S. Walker Cupper won $148,991 in eight Nationwide Tour starts after graduating from Wake Forest. Q

335 Eric Axley Tied for ninth at the U.S. Open, his first cut made at a major.

338 Chris Riley The only former U.S. Ryder Cup player at Q school rallied with three birdies over his final 11 holes to get his card back. Q

339 Bob Tway At 49, became the oldest player to lead the tour in a statistical category (putts per GIR, 1.718).

340 Brandt Jobe Has four events remaining on '08 medical extension. Needs to earn $480,950. M

345 Patrick Sheehan Played 35 events, one fewer than Nicholas Thompson for the tour lead.

348 Scott Gutschewski Long hitter returns for his fourth PGA season after finishing 21st on the Nationwide money list. N

350 Darron Stiles Making his third go on the tour ('03,'05- '07); he has had just two top-10s in 95 starts. N

356 Matt Weibring D.A.'s son improved his Nationwide GIR percentage from 68.03 in '07 to 72.92 in'08. N

361 Peter Tomasulo Former Cal All-American had the most eagles on Nationwide Tour (19) in'08. N

363 Todd Hamilton His last start of the year (T-18 at the Ginn) was also his best.

364 Tommy Gainey Fourth in birdie percentage on par-4 holes but T-175 in par-4 scoring.

371 James Driscoll In three years on tour his accuracy rank is 195th, 195th and 189th.

381 Bryce Molder Got his tour card with a T-3 at the Nationwide Tour Championship. N

382 Tag Ridings Sixth in distance, his third straight year in the top 10.

384 Scott Sterling Only top-10s (T-8 Vegas; T-6 Disney;) came in the fall.

386 José Coceres Injuries ended his season in July. Has 12 events to earn $612,359 and keep his card. M

397 José Maria Olazbal Has medical status but isn't likely to appear often in the U.S. M

399 Aron Price Won at Livermore Valley in May and never fell out of the Nationwide Tour's top 25. N

401 Fred Funk Missed the cut in seven of his last nine PGA Tour starts.

413 Shaun Micheel Had shoulder surgery in June and likely won't return until spring. M

416 Rick Price The 40-year-old is a PGA rookie after 19 trips to Q school. N

418 Chris Stroud A Q-school grad the last three years but hasn't finished better than 133rd in earnings. Q

428 Jeff Maggert Can elect to use a one-time tour exemption for being in the top 50 in career earnings.

439 Ricky Barnes Former U.S. Amateur champ was 25th on Nationwide money list. N

442 Stephen Leaney Didn't play after the AT&T National because of vertigo but returned for year-end events in Australia. M

461 Harrison Frazar Q-school medalist shot 59 in the fourth round at PGA West. Q

Listed in order of their World Ranking on Dec. 15, NR=Not Ranked, N=Nationwide Tour graduate, Q=Qualifying School graduate, M=Medical extension

469 Frank Lickliter II Ended the year with 11 cuts in 12 starts but never finished better than T-37.

470 John Huston Seven-time Tour winner returned to Q school for first time since finishing first there in 1987. Q

474 Y.E. Yang Beat Tiger Woods at the 2006 HSBC Champions in China. Q

485 Kent Jones Was 16th on tour in fairways hit and sixth in GIR. Q

504 Bob Heintz Q-school graduation rate (4 of 9, 44.4) is better than his percentage of cuts made on tour (46 of 132, 34.8). Q

508 Glen Day Broke par every round at the final stage of Q school for the third time. Q

562 Mathias Grnberg Barely kept his PGA card in'06,'07 before having to return to Q school in '08. Q

566 Jimmy Walker Nationwide Tour's top earner in 2004 has yet to match that year's money ($371,346) in any season on the PGA Tour. Q

591 Jason Dufner Final-round average (72.00) was more than a shot worse than his overall average (70.97).

661 Ted Purdy Was 107th or worse from all eight measured distances on greens.

702 Wil Collins Secured card with a bogey-free final-round 67 at Q school. Q

726 James Nittles Sixth on Australasian money list in 2007. Plays with arthritis in his right hip and leg. Q

799 David Duval Ranks 33rd in career earnings, which allows him a one-year exemption.

883 Paul Azinger A full-time player again after back injury and Ryder Cup captaincy limited his '08 schedule.

931 Aaron Watkins One of eight players to earn a card by advancing through all three stages of Q school. Q

951 Chris Couch Missed all of 2008 because of a shoulder injury. M

984 Duffy Waldorf Out since May due to a knee injury. M

1,003 Kirk Triplett Limited to a career-low nine starts in 2008 after shoulder surgery. M

1,111 Derek Fathauer First All-American to play at Louisville; one of two golfers to finish college last spring and earn a tour card at Q school. Q

1,165 Troy Kelly Turned pro in 2001 but has played just one PGA and six Nationwide events. Q

1,206 Brad Faxon Limited to three starts in 2008 and missed the cut in all of them.

1,314 Notah Begay III Four-time tour winner back after a stint on the Euro Tour. Q

NR Tyler Aldridge Went 80 holes at Q school without a bogey. Q

NR David Berganio Jr. Despite repeated medical extensions, a back injury has limited him to just nine tour starts since'03. Q

NR Matthew Borchert Hooters Tour alum has never played a PGA Tour event. Q

NR Leif Olson Has played just one tour event a missed cut at the '04 U.S. Open. Q

NR James Oh Former prodigy (beat Aaron Baddeley in final of98 U.S. Junior) finally gets a big-time shot. Q

NR Brian Vranesh Mini-tour player has moonlighted waiting tables and delivering pizzas. Q

NR Gary Woodland Former D-II hoopster should challenge for driving distance title. Q

The following players will have a medical extension for 2009 and have no World Ranking: Jonathan Kaye, Hank Kuehne, Patrick Moore, Carl Paulson, Chris Perry, Wes Short, Joey Snyder.

Non-tour members in the top 50 on the World Ranking who will qualify for several tournaments on the PGA Tour in '09:

6 Robert Karlsson Had eight top-three finishes en route to winning the European Tour money title in '08.

8 Henrik Stenson Joined Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods as the only players with top-fives at two different majors (T-3 British, T-4 at PGA).

10 Lee Westwood Doubled his career top-three finishes with a T-2 at WGC-Bridgestone and a third at U.S. Open.

21 Miguel Angel Jiménez Tie for eighth at Augusta was his first top-10 in the U.S. since the '02 Masters.

26 Martin Kaymer Didn't finish higher than T-33 in eight PGA Tour starts.

29 Ross Fisher Was T-11 or better in his last six European Tour starts in 2008.

34 Shingo Katayama Has two top-10s in 51 PGA starts, but none since the 2006 Match Play.

35 Graeme McDowell A PGA Tour member in '06, he returned to Europe and won the Ballantine's Championship and Barclays Scottish Open in '08.

Listed in order of their World Ranking on Dec. 15, NR=Not Ranked, N=Nationwide Tour graduate, Q=Qualifying School graduate, M=Medical extension

36 Jeev Milkha Singh Co-led the PGA Championship after one round, finished T-9, his only top-10 in 22 tour starts.

39 Oliver Wilson Ryder Cupper had four seconds in Europe in '08.

46 S&216;ren Hansen Has played in the last five majors.

48 S&216;ren Kjeldsen Reached the top 50 in the world by winning the Volvo Masters in November.

49 Prayad Marksaeng Finished in the top 15 on Japanese and Asian tour money lists in 2008.

50 Rory McIlroy Finished T-42 at'07 British Open as an amateur, didn't qualify as a pro in '08.