This article is part of our The Reshuffle List series.
Believe it or not, the conclusion of the Phoenix Opens means we are just past halfway in the march to the season's second reshuffle, following the Northern Trust Open. No one has graduated off the Reshuffle List yet in 2015, but several players are making moves. Here's a look at the biggest gainers and losers if the reshuffle took place today:
Biggest Gainers
Steve Wheatcroft, +29 spots - Wheatcroft's major rise from 38th place comes on the back of his tie for second at the Humana Challenge. It was a crucial finish, as he missed the cut at the Sony Open and didn't play at last week's Phoenix Open. He's 132nd in strokes gained-total, showing the importance of how one start can completely change one's fortune.
Sung Joon Park, +24 spots - Park also played well in the desert, finishing second as well before backing it up with a T30 last week in Scottsdale. Park's 65 at the Humana, including a five-birdie back nine, out ahead of the leaders was impressive stuff from someone who knows he has to get big finishes ASAP. At 27th in the Reshuffle List standings entering this period, a major rise would increase his playing opportunities during the southern swing. He's 52nd in strokes gained-tee to green on the PGA Tour.
Scott Pickney, +14 spots - Pickney has finishes of T60-T20 at the Sony and Humana in this reshuffle period, and at 36th on the list, any solid finish will lead to a pretty sizeable
Believe it or not, the conclusion of the Phoenix Opens means we are just past halfway in the march to the season's second reshuffle, following the Northern Trust Open. No one has graduated off the Reshuffle List yet in 2015, but several players are making moves. Here's a look at the biggest gainers and losers if the reshuffle took place today:
Biggest Gainers
Steve Wheatcroft, +29 spots - Wheatcroft's major rise from 38th place comes on the back of his tie for second at the Humana Challenge. It was a crucial finish, as he missed the cut at the Sony Open and didn't play at last week's Phoenix Open. He's 132nd in strokes gained-total, showing the importance of how one start can completely change one's fortune.
Sung Joon Park, +24 spots - Park also played well in the desert, finishing second as well before backing it up with a T30 last week in Scottsdale. Park's 65 at the Humana, including a five-birdie back nine, out ahead of the leaders was impressive stuff from someone who knows he has to get big finishes ASAP. At 27th in the Reshuffle List standings entering this period, a major rise would increase his playing opportunities during the southern swing. He's 52nd in strokes gained-tee to green on the PGA Tour.
Scott Pickney, +14 spots - Pickney has finishes of T60-T20 at the Sony and Humana in this reshuffle period, and at 36th on the list, any solid finish will lead to a pretty sizeable rise. What's not helping his cause is the three missed cuts from fall, a 140th-place ranking in strokes gained-tee to green, 100th in strokes gained-putting and 133rd in strokes gained-total. Those amounts have to improve if Pickney wants to contend on a week-to-week basis.
J.J. Henry, +12 spots - Henry is a veteran on the PGA Tour and knows that every season is a marathon, not a sprint. He entered the second reshuffle period 33rd on the list, and has made a nice 12-place jump thus far with finishes of T30 in Hawaii and T48 in Palm Springs. He's 44th in greens in regulation and 53rd in total driving this season.
Justin Thomas, +10 spots - Don't be fooled by Thomas being the fifth biggest gainer as he's been one of the biggest bright spots on the PGA Tour in 2015. He's had chances to win both the Sony Open (T6 finish) and Humana Challenge (T7), the latter ending with a water ball on the 16th hole of the final round, and has opened eyes with his acceleration through impact. He added to his hot start with a T17 last week at the Phoenix Open. He's 16th in driving distance at 303 yards, 35th in strokes gained total and first in total driving efficiency. This kid is for real and continues to be a fantastic fantasy recommendation.
Biggest Losers
Jon Curran, -9 spots - Curran, who entered this reshuffle period in 15th, would fall nine spots if the Reshuffle happened today. His issues come from two missed cuts at the Sony Open and the Humana Challenge, events where he shot no better than 69. Hurting his game is a 159th ranking in driving distance and a 195th ranking in strokes gained-putting. Curran will have to turn it around in his remaining starts during this period to keep his decent Reshuffle List spot alive.
Kyle Reifers, -8 spots - Reifers was 10th entering the Reshuffle List period, so an eight-spot drop would not be too drastic. Still, no one likes a streak of MC-MC to open the year, which is how he's started 2015. Reifers is only hitting 59 percent of his fairways, 133rd overall. Couple that with a 137th ranking in strokes gained-putting and one can see how Reifers has racked up his results thus far.
Andrew Putnam, -8 spots - Next in line is Putnam in 11th, who has also not gotten his 2015 off to a good start. The rookie out of Pepperdine missed his first two cuts of the year, with only one round in the 60s. His concern has to be his tee-to-green play, where he ranks 168th in driving distance, 107th in driving accuracy and 155th in greens in regulation. That is not a winning combination to say the least.
Tom Hoge, -8 spots - Hoge is 17th with nearly 83 FedEx Cup points. He finished 71st at the Sony Open - a week that included a 64 but was bookended by rounds of 71 and 73 to miss the 54-hole cut -- and then missed the cut at the Humana Challenge with rounds of 73-72-72 in an event where you have to go low to make Sunday. One hundred-and-sixth in strokes gained-tee to green and 130th in strokes gained-putting add to a 104th-place scoring average, further proving his inability to go low to give himself a chance on Sundays.
Oscar Fraustro, -8 spots - Fraustro follows Hoge at 18th on the Reshuffle List. He's missed the cut in both events he's played in 2015, shooting only one round in the 60s, a first-round 69 at the Sony Open. Fraustro's key statistical ranks are horrible -- he's better than 100 in just one category, birdie average where he's 83rd -- and if he doesn't start playing better fast, his drop will become more precipitous and the opportunity for Florida starts will tail off as well. That's Fraustro's biggest risk: losing spring starts as the PGA Tour season heats up.
Nothing Men Update - Non-Medical
These Reshuffle List players have still earned zero FedEx Cup points for the 2014-2015 season: Bud Cauley, Richard Sterne, and Zack Sucher. Cauley has been out with a torn labrum in his shoulder, and at 47th in the standings, he will struggle to find numerous playing opportunities whenever his return does occur.