Romero leads European Masters as ‘flat’ McIlroy slips back

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THE OVERVIEW By Ben Everill, PGATOUR.COM Viva Jhonny Vegas … Viva Jhonny Vegas … Viva … Viva … Jhonny Vegas! It was a memorable chant at the Presidents Cup in 2017 as the International Team representative from Venezuela became a crowd favorite. The experience garnered from the event – he bounced back from an 0-4-0 result in the first three days to beat Jordan Spieth in Sunday singles, albeit in an American rout — could prove a catalyst for the three-time PGA TOUR winner to jump ahead another level in class this season. We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule And just what would that level be? It is consistency of performance and stepping up in the bigger events. It is playing like his International teammates Adam Scott, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama – almost always in contention when in a field.  Leading into his defense of the RBC Canadian Open last summer, Vegas had missed five straight cuts. He missed 10 on the year – not good enough for the high standards he wants to meet. He missed the weekend at THE PLAYERS Championship and all four major championships and it has him working harder than ever on his game. Already he has climbed one of his mini mountains by making the cut in all four of his fall starts. While he failed to contend in any of them, it was a step towards his consistency goals. Vegas is the type of player you can’t help but be drawn to. The emotion of his game is there for all to see. He plays with power, and usually precision. For his game to take the ultimate leap, his putter will need to cooperate. His best rank in Strokes Gained: Putting over the last five seasons in 77th; last season, it was 171st. If he can get the flat stick singing like his Presidents Cup fans, he will be a force. BY THE NUMBERS How Jhonattan Vegas ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: 92nd Playoff appearances: 4 TOUR Championship appearances: 2 Best result: 23rd (2017) INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Jhonattan Vegas in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Cameron Morfit Vegas is a superstar when he’s on but continues to search for ever-elusive consistency. Last season, after missing five straight cuts, he successfully defended his title at the RBC Canadian Open. He went 0-4 in team play in his first Presidents Cup at Liberty National, then beat Jordan Spieth in singles. Vegas will likely look to improve his long game in 2018, as he was 134th in driving accuracy and 153rd in greens in regulation last season. FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton The Venezuelan sustained the kind of form to warrant attention here, but he doesn’t sniff a fantasy top 30. He’s too inconsistent amid a busy schedule. His value is in unexpected punches that have proven timely to yield sudden perks, which is one way of endorsing him primarily in longer-term formats. He grants that faith with a knack of lacing it tee to green often enough to wonder how he slumps from such a repeatable approach in the first place. EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Signed an equipment deal with Mizuno in 2017 after Nike exited the equipment industry last year. Was the first player on TOUR to use Mizuno’s MP-18 irons. Won the RBC Canadian Open for the second year in a row with an old set of MP-4 irons that replaced his MP-18’s in Canada. Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter is made from a high-end German Stainless Steel reserved for Tour-only putters.  STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Vegas’ sporty looks are examples of the state of golf apparel as we move into 2018. He is one of the few players who can dial up vibrant hues and pull them off with well-balanced setups. Expect him to be outfitted in the freshest styles and colors from Nike in the New Year.

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Wyndham Clark … After enduring a spring slump, which is common for rookies, the 25-year-old connected top 20s at TPC River Highlands and Detroit Golf Club to position himself for a return to the PGA TOUR in 2019-20. With two top 10s among six top 20s this season, he’s 99th in the FedExCup. At a glance, it’d seem logical that a sketchy tee-to-green game not only would get in the way of success, it’d apply too much pressure on his short game. But, wow, his short game. He’s ninth on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained: putting, first in putts per GIR, fifth in one-putt percentage, second in conversion percentage inside 10 feet, third in putting: birdies-or-better and first in three-putt avoidance. Yet, he’s hardly a one-trick thoroughbred at sixth in par-5 scoring. Denny McCarthy … No sophomore slump for this guy. Besides, when you’re exempt from the reshuffle and lead the PGA TOUR in strokes gained: putting, expectations are higher and there are no excuses. Save a week off in early March, he’s been positioned inside the top 125 of the FedExCup standings since a T7 at the Sanderson Farms Championship in his second start. Thrills and spills ensued, but a rock-steady T21 in Detroit last week lifted the 26-year-old to 110th. One more decent showing and he’s a lock to keep his card. Tom Hoge … Regional flavor. The 30-year-old from Fargo, North Dakota, could use a injection of the kind of confidence that guided him to state amateur titles in Minnesota in 2009 and 2010. He arrives with consistent form, albeit lackluster. Since late April, he’s 7-for-8 but without a top-30 finish. However, he did place T43 at the U.S. Open, so that demands some respect. Currently 170th in the FedExCup standings. Tyrone Van Aswegen … Buried in the same category out of which Nate Lashley emerged with victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the South African is no stranger to playing for his job, it’s just that the deck is stacked against him this deep into this season. He’s just 3-for-11 with only one top 40 in 2018-19, and that was but a T29 at Colonial near his residence in late May. So, the bad news is that he’s 217th in the FedExCup standings. The good news is that he needs only 32 points to crack the current top 200 and qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to begin anew in 2019-20. He’s also gliding in on a T14 at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank where he led outright after 36 holes. Collin Morikawa … It’ll take some time before the Class of 2019 can be compared fairly to the Class of 2011 that includes Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Daniel Berger, Emiliano Grillo and others, but it has the makings. With Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff and Justin Suh all having turned pro in recent weeks, the clock has started. The very early leader as the most impressive is the 22-year-old who logged a decorated career at Cal. Morikawa already is 3-for-3 with a T14 at the RBC Canadian Open. His equivalent of 88.833 FedExCup points as a non-member would slot him 192nd among members and inside the bubble to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. 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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