Brian Davis

Once upon a time, Brian Davis was the next guy up. The guy who'd yet to win, but it seemed inevitable that he would at some point. Davis had his share of close calls, most notably when he called a penalty on himself during a playoff, but he never did find that elusive win. Davis will turn 40 this year and that's rarely good for guys trying to improve on the previous season. He may yet find a win on the PGA Tour, but a block buster year seems unlikely at this point. Davis is a no-go in salary cap leagues and should go in the 70-80 range in drafts.

Davis is known more for his failures than his triumphs at this point in his career. Who can forget the penalty he called on himself at the Verizon Heritage in 2012 while in the midst of a playoff? Davis went on to lose that playoff, but it didn't break him. He captured another runner-up finish later that season. Since then, however, the high-end finishes have been absent from his resume. He's been stuck between $1-1.5 million for two years now, and it looks like he'll again end up somewhere in that range. If that's the case, then he's certainly not worth a selection in salary cap leagues. In draft leagues, he should go in the seventh or eighth round.

Davis is another PGA Tour journeyman who just can't seem to catch a break. He's earned more than $1 million in each of the last five seasons, but he's never cracked $2 million. He's also come oh-so-close to a couple PGA Tour wins, but each time something went wrong. The same could have been said for Tim Clark, who much like Davis, grinded on the PGA Tour for years before finally breaking through for his first win, so there is hope. One concerning stat from last year, though, was his lack of high-end finishes. In 2010, he finished runner-up twice. Last season, he didn't collect a single Top-3 finish.

Davis was the unfortunate victim of the rules of the game last season when he called a penalty on himself during a playoff at the Verizon Heritage Classic. While that could have sent him into a tailspin, Davis remained grounded as little more than a month later he earned another runner-up at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. After that finish, however, there wasn't much to show, leaving us to wonder if the weight of not winning on the PGA TOUR yet is starting to catch up with him. The main reason behind his sporadic play last season was his putter. Davis is generally a strong putter, but last season he ranked 101st.

Davis has made steady improvement over the last four years, but his nearly $2 million in earnings in 2009 may be the top of the mountain for him. The former Q-School medalist toiled on the PGA Tour for years before finally cracking the $1-million mark in 2007. He inched close to $2 million last season, but at the pace he's set the last five years, it's doubtful we'll see a huge jump in 2010.

Brian Davis did little more than hang onto his card for the first two years on the PGA Tour. Last year however, he started to find his game. His run started at the Stanford St. Jude Championship where he finished runner-up. From there he made 15 consecutive cuts. He'll have a streak of 16 heading into the 2008 season. If it's possible to carry momentum over from one season to another, Davis should get off to a good start in 2008, which should result in overall improvement in his numbers.

Davis was the Q-School medalist in 2004. He didn't accomplish much in 2005, but he did enough to retain his card. He did less in 2006, but again retained his card. While his upside remains high, you can't ignore two years of mediocre results. Look for a slight improvement in 2007. Enough to keep his card for 2008.