Tim Clark

It's been a long road back from injury for Clark, but the problem now is, he's nearly 40 and it's hard to tell how many really good years he has left. Clark set the bar for himself in 2010 when he earned over $3.5 million, but back then he was healthy and youthful, well, relatively youthful. It's not like 40 is old, but you do see most golfers start to show the signs of again around 40. Clark is not going to fall off the map any time soon, but his upside is limited, which makes him a 50/50 proposition at best in salary cap leagues. In draft leagues he should go in the 5th round.

Clark is a guy who's always had the talent to be one of the best players on the PGA Tour, but for one reason or another, he's never quite lived up to his billing. Some years it was an inability to close, others it was an injury problem. Clark missed most of the 2011 season due to injury and he played well during his comeback season in 2012, but more was expected of him last year being a full year removed from injury. Perhaps this will be the season where he gets back to his top form. He's already grabbed a runner-up finish during the 2013-2014 portion of the season, so perhaps he'll get back atop the $2 million mark again. Clark is worth a look in salary cap formats and he should go in the 40-50 range in drafts.

It took Clark a little while to get going last season as he recovered from elbow surgery, but by season's end, he regained his old form. Back to full health, Clark should again reach $2 million with relative ease, which makes him a solid pick in salary cap leagues. If he can regain his form from three years ago, he becomes a must at this price. Either way, the upside is high and the risk is low. In draft leagues, Clark should go in the fourth round.

Clark was ready to take his game to the next level last season, but an elbow injury derailed his season from which he spent the majority of the year recovering. He did manage to get a few starts in early, and it looked like the momentum from his first PGA Tour victory in 2010 had carried over as he almost earned enough in just two full events to crack the Top 125. Clark will be fully exempt when he returns, though, because of that victory in 2010. If he's anywhere near the player he was before the injury, he's a must in salary leagues.

Clark finally removed the monkey from his back when he won The Players Championship last season. Clark had long been regarded as the best player without a PGA TOUR victory, but he no longer carries that burden. Clark didn't exactly take off after his May victory but played well enough to nearly crack the top 10 in earnings, though, of course, a $1.7 million payday from The Players helped the cause. Clark likely will continue to improve as there's nothing holding him back anymore, and he has the confidence of a PGA TOUR winner now. The problem when considering Clark in a salary cap league is the win at The Players. It was a hefty payday, one that will be hard to match. In fact, it's almost worth two wins as far as earnings are concerned. While his play will likely improve, his earnings might not. Clark ranks among the best on the PGA TOUR in driving accuracy as well as putting, but he lacks distance off the tee.

Clark's winless streak on the PGA TOUR is getting a little ridiculous. It's reaching Phil Mickelson-at-the-majors level. Everyone knows he's the best player on the PGA TOUR without a win, and every time he gets close to a victory, it's all anyone can talk about. The pressure hasn't ruined him yet as he continues to play well year-in and year-out, but he needs to get that monkey off his back soon or it could become detrimental. On the positive side, if he does get that first win, the sky could be the limit. Clark, who ranked 28th at the end of 2008, finished 2009 in 37th place in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Tim Clark is either at the top or near the top of the "best player yet to win on the PGA Tour" list. Clark will breakthrough at some point and there's a good chance it happens this year.

There are two ways to look at Clark's 2007 season. The pessimist would say that he only played well for two stretches during the season and made over 500k during the fall season after the Fed Ex Cup. The optimist would say that he earned over $2.5 million after having missed the first two months of the year. It's hard to ignore the optimistic argument in this case. Golfers rarely play well throughout an entire year, and two or three stretches of good play within a season can produce some great numbers. If healthy, Clark should continue to improve in 2008.

Clark entered 2006 as a popular sleeper pick. He did not disappoint early on. He finished runner-up at the Masters and soon everyone knew who he was. From that point on however, his season was pretty much a bust. Once the bar was set higher, he had a hard time living up to the expectations. After April he earned only one top-10 finish. Clark is always accurate off the tee and usually hits a good percentage of greens. That combination will usually prevent a huge drop. He won't reach his potential until the putter comes around. He's a decent putter, but there's room for improvement.

Tim Clark earned $2.3 million in 2005 without the benefit of a victory and only two top-3s. If you are looking for a consistent player who might still be under the radar, look at Clark. He won't be under the radar after this season, so this might be the best chance to grab him. Clark has had success on the South African circuit for many years, but it really didn't translate to the PGA Tour until last season. Clark had some shining moments before 2005, but never demonstrated the consistency. Now the consistency is in place which should lead to more top-3s and hopefully some wins.

The 2002 South African Tour money leader has made some nice strides since turning to the PGA Tour full time. After earning $632K in 2002 on the PGA Tour he continued to move forward by pulling in $1.25 million last year. We like Clark's game and I think he has a large upside. He played well enough in 2003 to warrant taking a chance on him this year.