Brian

Davis

Trahan is just 3-for-6 this season while also dropping down recently to miss the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour. In the fall, he failed to meet the terms of his medical extension, which means his lack of play will not impact his long-term status. He is stuck in the Past Champions category until he plays his way out. With nothing better than a T50 this season, gamers can leave him off the fantasy radar for the foreseeable future.

A two-time DP World Tour winner, Davis most recently finished T-61 earlier this month at the Puerto Rico Open. The 47-year-old, whose T-6 at the 2003 Open Championship was among his career best, will make his 374th PGA Tour start this week in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where he’ll make his fourth appearance. In three previous starts at Corales Golf Course, he’s never made the cut. Davis has five career runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, including at the 2010 Heritage where he called a two-stroke penalty on himself on the first playoff hole against Jim Furyk after hitting a loose impediment in a hazard. He got into the playoff by making an 18-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole. Through 2018, Davis had made more than $13 million on the PGA Tour, the most of any player without a victory.

The Englishman was clean and tidy on his way around El Camino Country Club today. As a result, he will get his fourth try at the Farmers Insurance Open. He’s missed two of his cuts at this event and T44 in the other (2011). About 10 years ago, Davis was on the top of most list of best golfers to never win a PGA TOUR event. He’s racked up $13 million in career earnings but starts are tough to come by out of the Beyond 150 category. Joining the 44-year-old at Torrey Pines will be Bruce Doucett (-5), Joey Garber (-5), and David Pastore (-4). Pastore survived a 5-for-1 playoff with George Cunningham, D.J. Trahan, Andres Gonzales, and Martin Trainer.

Davis is coming off a T4 at Bay Hill, easily his best effort of the year. He brought that mojo with him to Redstone where he’s missed just one fairway on 28 holes. More importantly, he’s hit 29 greens and buried 12 birdies. Today’s bogey-free loop included seven birdies, most notably a 19'3" conversion at the first hole. He’s needed only 53 putts thus far.

Davis had each of his three birdies offset by bogeys on the strength of 14 GIR. He struggled with the putter, needing 32 putts to the tune of a 1.857 average to navigate the TPC Sawgrass. For the week, it’s been the irons that have carried him with a 72.2 GIR percentage.

Most golf fans will remember the Englishman was in a playoff with Jim Furyk and hit his approach shot on the 18th onto the beach. He lightly brushed a loose reed in his back-swing and called a penalty on himself, costing himself a shot at his first PGA TOUR victory. He enters this seasons edition on the heels of back to back top four finishes.

The Brit has been a solid resource over the last few weeks, posting top 15s in four of his last five starts. He’s cashed in his last eight. At TPC Sawgrass today, he hit 14 greens en route to an eagle and four birdies. Davis started his round with a 41-footer that disappeared for birdie at the 10th hole. His eagle dropped in from 17'6" at the par-5 16th. On his second nine, he converted three birdies, the longest of which from 19'1" at the fifth hole. He signed his card three strokes back of the clubhouse co-leaders.

Davis hit three fewer greens in regulation (11) today but held it together with a quartet of mid- to long-range conversions. After a zero-putt birdie from 14 yards off the green at the third hole, he poured in a birdie putt from 14'10" at the fourth. The Englishman later rolled in birdies of 33'2" and 20'9" at the eighth and 14th holes, respectively.

Davis ended his week at 12-under-par 276 and in a tie for fourth. He had only made one bogey through 54 holes, but had to deal with six bogeys and a double bogey in the final round. He will likely be thinking about what could have been as his six birdes were all erased. The Englishman was fourth in putting average (1.673) and was first with 27.3 putts per round. He is not eligible for the Masters.

Amazingly, the Brit has navigated 54 holes at Redstone with only one bogey to 15 birdies en route to a 14-under 202. He is tied for second in putts per round, averaging 26.7, and has split 83.3 percent of his fairways for the week. Davis will be trying to get the monkey off his back on Sunday, as he is in his 230th tournament on the PGA TOUR without a victory. He does have five second-place finshes on his resume.