Langer tops Jimenez in playoff to win 7th PGA Tour Champions title of season

Corey Conners … Can’t be ruled out as one of the many who probably didn’t mind the hiatus when it occurred. After a T19 in his debut at Kapalua and a T12 the week after at Waialae, he went just 2-for-5 with no better than a T45 at TPC Scottsdale. Ready to go again at Colonial where he placed T8 in his debut in 2018 and T31 last year. Because his title defense at the Valero Texas Open was canceled this year, the 28-year-old Canuck also might have a chip on his shoulder to represent in the Lone Star State this week. Russell Knox … Think he also could’ve used a break when the pandemic shut things down? After connecting 11 paydays worldwide from September through the first weekend in February, he missed four straight cuts immediately before the hiatus. It’s a disappointment he’s never experienced at Colonial where he’s finished in the top 25 in all four tries with a personal-best T8 last year. The Scot will turn 35 on June 21. Emiliano Grillo … Like Conners and Knox, Grillo is among the TOUR leaders in setting up scoring opportunities and tee-to-green mastery. While that data is three months old, it’s the kind of formula that’s worked at Colonial for all three. The 27-year-old from Argentina hasn’t missed a cut in four trips, the last three of which yielding a top 25. He bookended a solo third in 2018 with 64s. Brian Harman … Since that torrid pace before and through the holiday break late in 2017, he’s descended back to terra firma, but he’s also a beneficiary of a consistently strong first half of this season. En route to slotting 20th in adjusted scoring, the 33-year-old lefty logged a T3 and another four top 25s to shore up a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs. His record at Colonial since 2014 is similar with a T7 among four top 25s contributing to a 6-for-6 burst. Vaughn Taylor … That he’s 44 years of age is a bonus at Colonial where he’s making his 12th appearance. In fact, since turning 40, he’s 4-for-4 here with a pair of top 20s. Profiles better as a sharpshooter off the tee and putter than he does with the irons, but the totality of his results over time overshadow a deep dive into his bag. This season alone he’s gone for four top 15s, including a co-runner-up at Mayakoba. It also can’t be overstated how much he’s capitalized on his return to glory at Pebble Beach early in 2016. That was a fork in the road, and he took it. 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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Joaquin Niemann … All right, here we go. It doesn’t seem like 10 months ago when he first appeared in this space (for the U.S. Open), but he kept busy in the interim. His whirlwind schedule included redemption at the Latin America Amateur Championship and another victory in a professional event in his native Chile, this time by five strokes four weeks before his first appearance at the Masters that his LAAC victory yielded. Speaking of debuts, the Valero Texas Open marks his first tournament anywhere as a pro. He leaves behind the No. 1 ranking in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at just 19 years of age. Starts at the AT&T Byron Nelson (May 17-20) and Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide (May 31-June 3) are among others to follow. Chris Kirk … A moving target no matter your criteria, he connected for a T8 and T13 at TPC San Antonio in 2015 and 2016, respectively, but bracketed them with a T48 in 2011 and a missed cut last year. The 32-year-old also has registered a trio of top 15s in 2018, the last a 13th-place finish at Bay Hill a month ago, but he finished outside the top 30 in all of his other seven starts. While inconsistency among most touring professionals isn’t unusual, it is surprising that he’s competed the entire season while positioned no better than 150th in the Official World Golf Ranking, especially when you further consider that he’s 41st in strokes gained: tee-to-green, 46th in proximity, 43rd in adjusted scoring and 28th in bogey avoidance. Shawn Stefani … As he has before at the Houston Open, the native Texan delivered in his last start there with a T24. He warmed up the previous week with a T13 in the strong winds at Puntacana. While comfortable in that challenge, he’s also proven to be streaky, so there’s multiple reasons to expect him to sustain form in San Antonio where he’s 3-for-3 since 2015 but still chasing his first top 25. His confidence comes to life on the greens on which he’s 41st in strokes gained: putting this season. Nate Lashley … The 35-year-old has endured the usual challenges facing rookies at this level, but he’s turned it around just enough to warrant some attention in the wind of the Hill Country. After placing T28 at Corales where he prevailed on the Web.com Tour last year, he recorded a career-best T18 in Houston. What’s more, his strength of striping irons matters most in his debut at TPC San Antonio. Currently 49th on the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation and leading the circuit in proximity to the hole. Also T26 in bogey avoidance. Daniel Summerhays … A tournament that has been very, very good to him extended another opportunity in the form of a sponsor exemption this week. Saddled with conditional status this season, playing time has been limited to seven starts. He failed to crack a top 50 in the three cuts he made, but since 2012 at TPC San Antonio, he’s 6-for-6 with three top 10s and a T13.

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