Kevin

Stadler

Stadler started the season with 22 starts on a Major Medical Extension but he earned just 15.8 FedExCup Points in two cuts made. The 41-year-old hasn’t posted a top 10 since a T8 at the 2014 Masters, with injuries being the culprit for his decline. Gamers can safely keep him off their radars until he flashes any sign of a return to form.

Stadler entered the week with missed cuts or WDs in 26 of his last 27 starts but he’s flipping the script in San Antonio. On 16-of-28 fairways and 23 GIR, he’s traded nine birdies with four bogeys to put himself in contention. “Just kind of kept it in play, which I’ve really struggled to do for a long time now. But I drove it decent. Didn’t hit a ton of fairways, but didn’t miss wide, so I was kind of always in play out there. And honestly, this kind of course is more my favorite where you’re really just pretty much playing defensively.” Stadler has dealt with injuries since 2015 but feels better physically now which he says is a Catch-22. His expectations are now higher that he is not dealing with injuries so it’s more mentally taxing when the good results don’t show up. This will be the first time he’s posted inside of the top 10 thru 36 holes since the 2014 Masters.

This is the first time the 41-year-old is in the top 10 after 18 holes since the 2014 Masters, where he was T5 before finishing T8 (70-73-72-73). Inclusive of this week, he has 12 starts remaining (of 22) on the medical to earn 452.170 FedExCup points and meet the terms. The Southern Cal alum is making his sixth Valero appearance, first since a missed cut in 2012 (77-80), with a best of T32 in 2009 (67-68-68-70) at La Cantera GC, the last edition before moving to The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio in 2010. His lone TOUR victory in 287 prior events came at the 2014 WM Phoenix Open, where he came from two back (2nd) with 3-under 68 to win by one over Graham DeLaet and 54-hole leader Bubba Watson. On eight (of 14) fairways and 10 greens in regulation, the Reno native offset two bogeys with five birdies (one hole-out), gaining 3.887 strokes tee-to-green and 0.481 on-the-green with 25 total putts.

Stadler opened his week with a 2-over 72 at the Seaside Course on Thursday but he backpedaled on day two at the Plantation Course. Stadler eased into his second round with two bogeys and seven pars on the front nine before going bogey-bogey-double-bogey-double-bogey on the next six holes. He ended up with four ‘drops’ on his scoresheet which could cause some confusion when adding up the scores. Or, he may have just tossed his clubs in the trunk without visiting the scorer’s tent. Either way, Stadler is now 0-for-5 on the season as he plays on a Major Medical Extension with 17 starts now remaining.

Stadler has 22 starts on a Major Medical Exemption, needing 454 FedExCup Points to fulfill the terms. He played 10 events last season, missing the cut in all 10 tries. That was his first time reaching double digits in events played since 2014 when he finished 38th in the FedExCup standings. His career got derailed in 2015 due to injury and we’re still waiting for the results to snap back into place. Gamers should be ready to pounce if the stats are pointing up but there are no indicators to suggest that is anywhere close to happening just yet.

Stadler has been trying to play his way back into form but the results haven’t been there since returning from his long injury layoff. Stadler is 0-for-3 to start the new season, losing 32.9 strokes to the field across those events. The game isn’t close right now so gamers can take the wait-and-see approach before putting him back on their radar. He is playing on a Major Medical Extension with 20 starts to earn 454 FedExCup Points.

Stadler missed three straight seasons due to injury before sneaking in three starts during the 2018-19 campaign. He missed the cut in all three of those events. The 39-year-old is playing on a Major Medical Extension with 22 starts remaining and he’ll need 454 FedExCup Points or $717,890 to fulfill those terms. Stadler is 3-for-10 across the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour since returning from injury. Only one of those finishes landed inside the top 60 so gamers can keep him off their radar until he shows any signs of a return to form.

Stadler has been out of action with a hand injury since the 2015 John Deere Classic. He’s made five prep starts over the last 15 months (4 on Web.com Tour and 1 on Euro Tour). He is 3-for-5 in those events including a T68 at the KLM Open, his most recent start. A healthy, in-form Stadler would have been a top-tier option in this week’s field but he’s a big wildcard after a long injury layoff. The USC product has 26 starts remaining on a Major Medical, needing 454.420 FedExCup Points to meet the terms.

He missed the 36-hole cut of last week’s Frys.com by two strokes, but sits a safe 106th on the money list. Although he always shows flashes, Stadler hasn’t done anything this year to change his fantasy owners’ approach to ride him long-term.