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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