
The PGA Tour regular season is over (yes, I know the FedEx Cup isn’t exactly the NCAA Tournament or Stanley Cup Finals as far as playoffs go, but here we are nonetheless).I thought this would be a good time to see how San Diego County locals fared this year on the PGA Tour. I’ll use the final regular season FedEx Cup standings and go on down the list. #4 Xander SchauffeleNo longer a rising star, Schauffele is widely acknowledged as one of the best players in the world, and it’s only a matter of time before he wins a major. Two early wins in Asia and Hawaii kept Schauffele at or near the top of the FedEx Cup standings all year long. He finished tied for 2nd behind Tiger Woods at the Masters and tied for 3rd at the U.S. Open. If not for a rough Sunday at Royal Portrush (a 78 led to a tie for 41st), Schauffele might have finished in the top 20 in all four majors. Already a winner at the Tour Championship in 2017, Xander will be a favorite once again this year.#26 Scott Piercy The 40-year-old from San Diego State didn’t notch a win like he did in 2018, but made plenty of money and is set up to advance to the Tour Championship if he can play well over the next two weeks. Piercy finished in the top 10 six different times, including a tie for 2nd at the Byron Nelson and a tie for 3rd at the RBC Heritage. #34 Phil MickelsonLefty got to the winner’s circle again in 2019, capturing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. That’s no small feat for a guy who will turn 50 next June. After that though, Phil couldn’t get his swing locked in, and never finished better than his 18th place tie at The Masters. It will be curious to see if Tiger Woods uses a captain’s pick on Phil for the President’s Cup. He would bring plenty of team play experience, but his current golf game doesn’t warrant a selection. #73 Charley HoffmanThe Poway native hasn’t won since 2016 at the Valero Texas Open, and had a down 2019, outside of one great weekend when he shot 64-67 to claim a solo second place at that same event. #93 J.J. Spaun The 2012 SDSU grad was poised for a breakout year early on, posting a 3rd place finish at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He struggled during the spring, but made six straight cuts at the end of the year to finish comfortably inside the top 100. #125 Pat PerezWe finish with a run on Torrey Pines High School alums. An altogether forgettable year for 3-time PGA Tour winner Pat Perez, who notched only three top 10 finishes. The highlight came at the end, when he snuck in at #125 on the FedEx Cup list to just barely keep his full Tour status for next season. #211 Jamie LovemarkOne of the biggest “what if” guys in golf, Jamie Lovemark has the game to be a top player if he can stay healthy. Unfortunately, that never seems to happen for the Torrey Pines alum, who had to shut down another season after the Desert Classic in January. #227 Michael KimGolf is a cruel game. Another Torrey Pines High alum, Kim was on top of the world in 2018 after his first career win at the John Deere Classic, where he set a tournament record at -27. This year, Kim’s game disappeared, and he failed to make a single cut after the Hawaii swing in January. Luckily, the win comes with a 2-year exemption, but he’ll need to find his game again to keep his card for 2021.