Johnson Wagner … It’s not easy to navigate a PGA TOUR season on conditional status and still qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs, but this isn’t his first rodeo. It was in 2011 when he was in the same position upon arrival at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba and captured victory. In 12 starts this season, he’s connected three times for a top 20, twice in his last three starts, including at Quail Hollow (T13) where he’s a member and also at windy TPC San Antonio for a T20. Lurking at 136th in the FedExCup standings and eighth in both strokes gained: putting and scrambling. Russell Knox … Save a T7 (with Martin Laird) at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the 32-year-old has cooled on his own ball. However, he’s dangerous on unfamiliar layouts because ball-striking sets the table before the field attempts to solves the mysteries of the greens. At 25th on TOUR in greens in regulation and 13th in proximity, there’s no confidence lost on approach despite his mini-slump. And because he laid the foundation for his fifth consecutive appearance in the FedExCup Playoffs by scattering four top 20s in his first 11 starts to sit 77th in points today, he can continue to focus on his strengths. Keith Mitchell … As the last man in the field at THE PLAYERS (when Paul Casey withdrew), the rookie capitalized with an eight-birdie 67 at TPC Sawgrass in the opening round. The course fought back and he missed the secondary cut, but it served as further evidence at his fearlessness out of the gate. Ranks 17th on TOUR in first-round scoring average, but he’s also 13th in final-round scoring with nine red numbers in 11 chances. As a virtual lock to retain his card at 79th in the FedExCup standings entering the AT&T Byron Nelson, he’ll have the green light to land on a confident tee ball and his aggressive mentality to score, especially if Trinity Forest is gettable as it should be in its debut. The last time a course greeted a PGA TOUR field for the first time, he posted 14-under 274 and finished second at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Richy Werenski … Quietly but effectively passed the test as a rookie in 2016-17 in reaching the FedExCup Playoffs, but it’s only recently that he’s flashed some of that moxie that aided in retaining his playing privileges. En route to a season-best T11 at the Valero Texas Open, the 26-year-old led the field in one-putt percentage and ranked second in strokes gained: putting. And in his debut at THE PLAYERS last week, he hung on for a T23 with four red numbers while slotting second in greens hit and T5 in par-5 scoring. Joel Dahmen … After an uneventful foray on the PGA TOUR in 2016-17, the 30-year-old has found another gear as a sophomore this season. He’s almost matched his FedExCup points total as a rookie and cruises into Trinity Forest having gone 6-for-6 with three top 25s since the beginning of the Florida Swing. While his above-average accuracy off the tee doesn’t singularly translate into higher expectations this week, that value is within the component of control given the premium on course management. That gets multiplied by his underrated proficiency in the wind.
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