The First Look: QBE Shootout

Joost Luiten … The 32-year-old Dutchman easily is the most recognizable name on this page. However, like many continentals before and since, his game hasn’t translated as strongly against the PGA TOUR’s best as he’s without a top 10 in 35 career TOUR starts. Perhaps his return trip to Club de Golf Chapultepec (T25, 2017) cracks the goose egg in that column. He’s fresh off his latest of six European Tour victories having captured the NBO Oman Open by two strokes two weeks ago. That was foreshadowed by a surging T11 in Malaysia in his previous start. Shubhankar Sharma … Beware the fearless. Just 21 years young, the native of India has been a professional since the age of 16. He’s won twice already on the European Tour this season and sits atop the Race to Dubai standings. He got there in part with a second-round 61 at the Joburg Open in December and with a closing 62 at the Maybank Championship four weeks ago, sites of his titles. Rapidly 75th in the Official World Golf Ranking, he’s making his first appearance on the PGA TOUR. Dean Burmester … There has to be some bittersweetness to his appearance this week. See, if he didn’t qualify, his other option would be to defend his title at the Tshwane Open in his native South Africa. The win was among the litany of top 10s on last season’s Sunshine Tour from which his placement at No. 2 in the Order of Merit granted his exemption in Mexico. It also counted as a co-sanctioned, breakthrough victory on the European Tour. The 28-year-old can really move it off the tee and he’s more than capable with the putter. He’s also arriving on the muscle of a T4 at the Dimension Data Pro-Am where he recorded progressively lower scores in every round. Jorge Campillo … The former standout at Indiana University – he was a freshman the year after Jeff Overton graduated – has only one PGA TOUR start under his belt. It was also in Mexico, and it was way back in 2010 when he missed the cut at Mayakoba. Now 31 years of age, the Spaniard charges in at fifth in the Race to Dubai standings with a runner-up finish in Malaysia followed by a T4 in Oman. That gives him four top 15s already in 2018. Balanced throughout his bag, the veteran of 197 European Tour starts is still winless on his home circuit. Chris Paisley … Timing is everything as he makes his PGA TOUR debut. If the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship would have been contested in early January, not only wouldn’t he have qualified, but his odds to crack this field would have been staggering. Of the top 138 in the Official World Golf Ranking, no one started 2018 worse than the 31-year-old at 289th. He soars into Mexico City at 83rd with a contrail of successes. After launching the year with a maiden victory at the BMW SA Open, he added confidence-cementing fifth-place finishes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. All of that yielded this week’s exemption via the Race to Dubai standings in which he’s slotted sixth. The terrific putter played collegiately at the University of Tennessee.

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Harris English … Those who survive the gut check of qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs with timely success at the Wyndham Championship – as he did with a T11 to open the 2018 Playoffs as the 124-seed – present as intriguing storylines as soon as the next season commences. The 29-year-old has responded admirably to his latest lease on PGA TOUR playing privileges. He’s 7-for-7 in 2018-19, albeit with only one top-35 finish. It’s a stark departure from the disappointment of last season when he missed 20 of 31 cuts, and he’s in position to perform well again. He’s perfect in six appearances at Torrey Pines with three top 15s, including playoff loss in 2015. Last year’s T8 is his best finish in a non-additional event in his last 63 starts overall. He also comes having beaten par in his last 12 rounds, his longest such streak since he connected 20 in a row to bridge the holiday break of the 2013-14 season. J.J. Spaun … Can’t forget about this guy, especially in the event nearest his college stomping grounds at San Diego State University. The comfortable climes have been kind as he’s gone T9-T23 in his pair of appearances since debuting as a PGA TOUR rookie in 2017. He arrives this week having survived 12 straight cuts since August. Four went for a top-15 finish, two of which a T3. Although he scales to just five feet, nine inches, the 28-year-old holds his own off the tee while setting the standard in terms of precision tee to green. When considering a locale for his putter to catch fire, there’s no place like home. Rory Sabbatini … The 42-year-old born in South Africa made news recently for becoming a citizen of Slovakia. However, he’s made noise throughout his career at Torrey Pines. In 13 appearances since 2002, he’s rattled off two top fives among seven top 25s, including a T14 in 2017. En route to last year’s T20, he led the field in fairways hit and co-led in par-4 scoring. Ranked inside the top 25 in par-5 scoring in each of the last two completed seasons. Sam Burns … Casual fans are likely to remember him bettering Tiger Woods, 68-70, in the final round of The Honda Classic last year – going bogey-free no less – to finish T8. Heck, hardcore fans will recall that rare opportunity and execution as well, but they’ll also understand that it was anything but fluky. Although he doesn’t qualify as a rookie by definition this season, the 22-year-old is a first-time PGA TOUR member as a Web.com Tour graduate. He ranked third in the all-around on the developmental circuit in 2018 and led in putts per GIR, putting: birdies-or-better percentage and par-3 scoring. He’s fresh off a T18 at the Desert Classic where he finished T2 in fewest putts (100) and T3 in one-putt percentage. With length to give off the tee and supreme confidence with the flat stick, it’s not out of the realm of consideration that he’ll be smiling once again with Woods nearby at Torrey Pines. Adam Svensson … The PGA TOUR rookie from Canada made a wave with an opening 61 at Waialae Country Club two weeks ago. He didn’t sustain the ride to finish T43, but he regrouped for a career-best T18 at the Desert Classic. Like numerous entrants in the Farmers field every year, he has experience on the South Course at Torrey Pines via the Junior World Championships. In fact, among his numerous appearances was a victory in the boys 15-17 division in 2010. Other notables in that field included Xander Schauffele (T21), Beau Hossler (T27), Brandon Stone (T27), Gavin Green (T31), recent Mauritius Open champ Kurt Kitayama (58th) and Bryson DeChambeau (MC). Experience never hurts, but positive experience isn’t universal. While he hasn’t flashed it enough this season to prove it, Svensson profiles as an above-average putter. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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