Patrick Rodgers

Rodgers has the best season of his career this past year with two top-3s, five top-10s and nine top-25s, but a closer look reveals that his season wasn't quite as good as the numbers would indicate. Both of his top-3s came at opposite-field events, in Bermuda and the Barracuda, so it's hard to put much weight behind those results. Rodgers has been the same player since the start of his career, generally finishing around 100 on the FedEx list and after eight years on the PGA Tour, there's no reason to think that will change this year. Rodgers also missed time at the end of the season due to an undisclosed injury and we likely won't get much info on his health prior to the season.

Rodgers got off to a quick start with a pair of top-10s in his first three events but never found himself in serious contention to win thereafter with just one other top-10. Nevertheless, it was his best season statistically as he ranked a career-high 46th in strokes-gained total with his biggest advantage being his length with driver. It seems like just a matter of time before he finally gets his first win.

Rodgers disappointed with a missed cut at the Wyndham Championship when he was on the FedExCup Playoffs bubble, but he retained status with two top-20s during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He's consistently inconsistent, but Rodgers owns just two total top-10s across 61 events played on the PGA Tour across the last two seasons. On the bright side, he was 33rd in SG: off-the-tee and 26th in driving distance in 2020-21.

Rodgers has had an up-and-down PGA Tour career, one that has seen him look like a star in the making at times and one that makes you wonder if he will live up to the potential. Rodgers has that rare gift of exceptional length off-the-tee and feel on the greens, but his iron play has held him back as he's failed to gain positive strokes on the field in approach play in any of his six seasons on Tour. He's a reliable cut maker at this point, but we don't see him winning next season.

Rodgers first appeared on the PGA Tour as a non-member in 2015 and by the time the season was over, he had earned enough points to gain full membership for the following season. Since then, he's remained comfortably inside the top-125 each season and he's even shown signs of improvement from year to year. He had a set back last season when he was forced to sit out four months due to a hand injury. Even with the missed time, he finished safely inside the top-125. Rodgers should continue to improve this season, but his upside is still in question.

In his rookie season if 2013, Rodgers earned over $1 million in just 17 events. While he's improved upon that earnings number in each of his past three seasons, that's only due to his beefed-up schedule. Rodgers has averaged over 28 events during the past three seasons, but his earnings have gone up roughly $300k per season. Simple match would put that average per tourney around $30k and that's just not good enough. Rodgers has every right to improve and at just 26 years of age, he probably will get better, but to expect a significant jump this season is too much.

One of these years, Rodgers is going to break out. The same thing was likely said prior to last season and the break out obviously did not take place, but at just 25 years of age, Rodger's best golf is still in front of him. Last season was not a great one for Rodgers as a big chunk of his earnings came from one runner-up showing at the John Deere Classic. Outside of that showing, Rodgers didn't accomplish much as he ended the year with only three top-10s. There's not a lot to point to in the numbers that suggest Rodgers is close to a break out season, but he passes the eye test and at his current salary, it doesn't take much to find a place for him on a salary cap roster.

Any time a golfer earns his card via an in-season method, he's going to get noticed and that's what happened with Patrick Rodgers two seasons ago when he earned a spot on the PGA Tour in only 17 starts as a non-member. With that attention come expectations though and unfortunately, Rodgers did not live up to the hype in year-one. The good news is, he played well enough to retain his status for the upcoming season and give it another go. Rodgers has a ton of upside and his price is in a great spot for the upcoming season. He's not a "must-have" in salary cap leagues, but he's close to that status. In drafts he should go near the seventh round.