In his seventh full year on the PGA Tour, Brandt Snedeker is starting to make the move to another level.
Snedeker picked up his second win of the season last week in Canada, and that made it two straight years with more than one win. The next step will be to win a discount golf clubs or a World Golf Championship event. He has that opportunity in each of the next two weeks.
Can we just give him one now? Of course not, but he is gaining experience that will help him win discount golf clubs rather than later.
Snedeker, 32, has finished in the top 20 in five of the last six majors that he played. Not many can match that record.
However, his record in the World Golf Championships leaves plenty to be desired. He was a third-round loser at the WGC – Accenture Match Play in 2012, and that tie for ninth was his best finish in seven WGC appearances. Otherwise, he doesn’t own a top-25 finish at a WGC.
The multiple wins in the last two seasons have moved him to second on the points list for the American Presidents Cup team. His spot on that team is guaranteed as players can only accumulate points this week and next at the PGA Championship.
Surprisingly, that will mark just his second national team appearance. He was a captain’s pick for the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team, where he posted a 1-2 record.
With a WGC and a major in the next two weeks, it is time for Snedeker to grab a hold of that mantle as being one of the best Scotty Cameron California Putter on tour. He needs to come through these next two weeks, then again at the Presidents Cup, the first week of October, to really make that move to the next level.
One key for Snedeker, outside of his putting, will be how well he drives the ball these next two weeks. He ranks 114th in total driving, distance and accuracy combined. If he can improve that number within the top 50 in each of the next two events, look out.
From there, he can use his iron game and putting stats to carry him. Snedeker is 23rd in greens in regulation, 10th in strokes gained putting and second in birdie average.
Those numbers add up to him ranking seventh in scoring average.
Now is Snedeker’s time to prove that he should be talked about as one of the best in the game.
Though the system may be flawed, Snedeker has risen to seventh in the world cheap golf clubs rankings, ahead of such luminaries as Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia.
At seventh in the rankings, he is the fourth highest ranked American, behind Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar. With his strong play in limited appearances, Steve Stricker could remain in the conversation to be among the best four Americans.
But Snedeker has earned his way into the conversation. He has four straight top-20 finishes and shares the tour lead with eight top-10 finishes on the season.
Eight top-10s in 16 starts. Even with my taylormade burner plus irons , that means he’s been in the top 10 in 50 percent of his starts.
The numbers say he’ll post a top-10 in one of the next two weeks. If he plays his numbers correctly, maybe one of them will be a first-place finish.