Web.com Graduates to watch on the PGA Tour by Keagan Scott

The Web.com Tour came to an unfortunate end after the Tour Championship was cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew. It was a sigh of relief for the players inside the 25, but a bitter ending to those who thought they had one more chance to secure a tour card with a strong finish. Regardless, that’s how things work sometimes and there will be 50 players advancing to the PGA Tour or returning there once again.

The 2016-17 PGA Tour season begins this Thursday at the Safeway Open in California. This means we’re going to see the Web.com Tour graduates on the PGA Tour, most for the first time. Those of you who have been following along will have a strong advantage knowing which young studs might make some noise. Last season, then Web.com Tour graduate Emiliano Grillo won the Safeway Open in his first event on the PGA Tour. Those who were paying attention at the end of the Web.com Tour season last year knew Grillo was on a hot streak and had some serious potential heading into the fall season. Let’s take a look at my favorite graduates for this upcoming season.

1. Wesley Bryan
The GOAT of the Web.com Tour this season. The 26-year-old from South Carolina won three times on Tour this season giving him the automatic bid to the PGA Tour. His last win came in August and he’s cooled down a bit since, missing his last two cuts. I’m sure it was difficult to get motivated when you’re already secure for the upcoming season. When on the course there’s no doubt that Bryan is a flat out machine on the greens. He led the tour in putting average and birdie percentage, no thanks to his ball striking. He ranked outside the top 90 in driving distance and greens in regulation percentage. If he can figure that part of his game, Bryan has a chance to be an extremely good player on tour.

2. Grayson Murray
Grayson began this season with conditional status, but he definitely made the most of it. In his 17 starts he had eight top 10’s including a win and a third place finish in his last two starts. Grayson is an all-around great player, but he leans on his driving to get things started and he’s an absolute statistical monster. He ranks FIRST on tour in birdies per round, scoring average, par 5 scoring average, par 4 birdie or better, par 5 birdie or better, and birdie or better percentage. So basically he was an absolute machine when it came to making birdies if you didn’t notice. He also ranks inside the top 10 in driving distance, putting average, eagles and par 4 scoring average. The only thing he’s not inside the top 20 is greens in regulation and driving accuracy so other than that, Grayson Murray was phenomenal. He’s definitely playing extremely well right now and he’s someone to keep on your radar this week for the Safeway Open.

3. J.J. Spaun
The best player in 2015 on the PGA Canada Tour, Spaun followed that with an impressive season the Web.com Tour. The 26-year-old had seven top 10’s on the season including a win in August at the News Sentinel Open. He is an all-around good player with no obvious weaknesses besides being a little below average in putting. Spaun’s real strength comes with his approach shots as he ranks second in greens in regulation and fourth in ball striking (combines driving and gir). Given how well he hits the golf ball, if he can have a week or two where the flat stick is working, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few top 5’s from J.J. He’s a very consistent golfer that may not have the firepower to get a win on Tour this season, but he should be a viable cheap option to get a top 10.

4. Ollie Schniederjans
A lot of people may recognize him from his hatless hair or his strange last name, but Ollie Schniederjans is a player you’ll want to keep your eye on. The 23-year-old was the top ranked amatuer in the world before turning pro in 2015. He finished sixth on the regular season money list thanks to five top 10’s and a win in June. He’s cooled off lately with being cut in four of his last six events, but look for him to get his game back fairly soon. Ollie gets it done everywhere, but ranks 18th in driving distance and fifth in eagles.

5. Trey Mullinax
The 24-year-old recently helped the Alabama Crimson Tide to back-to-back national championships. Now he’s moving on to the PGA Tour thanks to a win back in May and 14 made cuts. The 6’4” Mullinax ranks inside the top 10 in several key areas including driving distance, putting, birdie average and par 5 birdie or better percentage. He’ll be one of my favorites moving forward.

6. Kevin Tway
I covered Tway several times this season and for good reason. The 28-year-old seemed like a lock for the regular season top 25, but a missed cut in the last event led to him finishing in a heartbreaking 27th. He redeemed himself in the playoffs with a third place finish in the last event of the season to secure his card. He ended the season with 15 made cuts and nine top 25’s. He’s been on the PGA Tour before back in 2014, but only made eight cuts sending him back down to the Web.com Tour. Currently, he’s playing much more consistently than he did back then. Tway is somewhat of a bomber given he ranks inside the top 10 in driving distance and par 5 scoring, but will need to pick it up around the green if he wants to remain on the PGA Tour this time.

7. C.T. Pan
C.T. Pan was a phenomenal player on the Web.com Tour this season. In his 22 events he made the cut 16 times with seven top 10’s. He was the most consistent player on tour this season, but never did enough to get a win. Standing only 5’6”, Pan doesn’t hit the ball a long way, but makes up for it with everything else. He ranks inside the top 10 in putting and scrambling and also leads the tour in par 4 scoring. He’s also a player that is playing extremely well as of late. In his last 10 events, he’s finished in the top 20 in eight of them and inside the top 10 in six of them. He’s definitely someone I’m going to be looking at this fall season.

8. Andrew Johnston
Get ready to see Beef a heck of alot more this year. Johnston now has full status on the PGA Tour thanks to his fourth place finish at the second tournament in the playoffs. Look for him to play on both the European and PGA Tour like Rory and other Europeans. Beef gained huge recognition this season with his goofy smile and charisma and an eighth place finish at The Open Championship. He’s an all- around solid player that’s extremely easy to root for and I really hope he can get a win on U.S. soil this season.

9. Seamus Power
The 28-year-old from Ireland had a fantastic season on the Web.com Tour this year. He finished ninth on the regular season money list thanks to 15 made cuts and a win in May at the United Leasing & Finance Championship. He’s playing well as of late with three top 16 finishes in his last five events. Seamus is one of the better ball strikers on tour ranking inside the top 15 in greens in regulation percentage and par 4 scoring average.

10. JT Poston
Poston has been one of the best players on tour the second half of the season. He finished 10th in the regular season standings after four top 10’s with a pair of runner-up finishes. In his last 12 events, he’s made the cut nine times with seven top 25’s. Poston is a ball striker, ranking inside the top five in greens in regulation percentage, birdie average and scoring average. He’s also tied with C.T. Pan for first in par 4 scoring average at 3.92. He’s a great overall player that is hot right now. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him inside the top 10 in the fall season.

11. Xander Schauffelle
One of my favorite players on tour this season, Xander ended up finishing in 26th on the regular season money list. Had he shot one stroke better in the final tournament, he would’ve landed inside the top 25 and on his way to the PGA Tour. That didn’t define his season, as he finished in 18th and 9th in his final two events giving him enough money to get one of the remaining 25 cards. He’s been the best player over the last 3 months on tour in terms of consistency and high finishes. In his last 11 starts, he’s only missed the cut one time and has four top 10 finishes. He has no real weakness in his game given he ranks inside the top 30 in almost every statistical category, but doesn’t have a dominating strength either only cracking the top 10 in par 3 scoring average.

That’s it for this week and the Web.com Tour season. Congrats to all the 50 players who either retained their card or are making their first appearance on tour. Many of these players we’ve had our eye on for quite some time so hopefully you’ve followed along and know a little more about these young players than the average fan. It certainly should help as you’re filling out your roster and using the tools we have here at Fantasy Golf Insider to get you in the money. The Safeway Open begins this Thursday and I’m excited to see how the new PGA Tour players adapt to the higher stakes. The Web.com Tour has an actual offseason unlike the PGA Tour and won’t be back until late January. Thanks again everybody and follow me on Twitter! @Keagan28.