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2015-2016 Rookie Ranking
Rob Bolton October 03, 2016
By Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM
http://www.pgatour.com/fantasy/rookie-rankings.html


Emiliano Grillo qualified for the TOUR Championship as a rookie. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
There were 21 rookies on the PGA TOUR in 2015-16. This feature provides a subjective ranking updated weekly. The Rookie of the Year is voted by PGA TOUR members who make at least 15 starts.

Not long after Emiliano Grillo and Si Woo Kim shared 10th place at the TOUR Championship, they were joined by Smylie Kaufman as finalists for the Rookie of the Year award. Voting concludes on Friday, Oct. 7. The winner will be announced next week.

In the meantime, three rookies kept busy during the first of the two weeks separating seasons. In his debut at the Ryder Cup, Rafa Cabrera-Bello went an impressive 2-0-1 that included a 3-and-2 victory over Jimmy Walker in Sunday singles, albeit in the losing cause for Europe. The Spaniard partnered only with fellow countryman Sergio Garcia prior to that, first in four-ball on Friday (beating J.B. Holmes and Ryan Moore, 3 and 2), and then in foursomes on Saturday (halving their match with Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth).

Byeong-Hun An opened his title defense of the Shinhan Donghae Open in his native South Korea with a 6-under 65 to stake sole possession of the lead. However, with respective rounds of 67, 70 and 75 to post 7-under 277, he drifted into a five-way T15, eight strokes back of champion Gaganjeet Bhullar.

Hiroshi Iwata has been one of the planet’s busiest and most-traveled golfers of late. He hasn’t taken a week off since the Travelers Championship in early August. Since missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship to conclude the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season, he’s traveled to his homeland of Japan twice to compete in three tournaments. After a MC-T20 spurt, he returned to the U.S. and went 1-for-3 in the Web.com Tour Finals. Back in Japan last week, he placed T19 at the Top Cup Tokai Classic in what was his ninth consecutive week on the road.

But there’s no time for rest yet. Iwata is one of seven 2015-16 PGA TOUR rookies slated to peg it at this week’s Web.com Tour Championship. He’s currently 36th in earnings among those in pursuit of 25 PGA TOUR cards. The others, in order of ranking on the Finals’ money list: Rob Oppenheim (26th), Thomas Aiken (41st), Rhein Gibson (45th), Andrew Landry (T54), Abraham Ancer (T69), Dawie van der Walt (n/a). Bronson Burgoon, who withdrew during the first event (his only start of the series), did not commit to the finale.

All four internationals who achieved rookie eligibility during the 2015-16 season have accepted PGA TOUR membership for 2016-17. An, Cabrera-Bello, Søren Kjeldsen and Jon Rahm will be fully exempt via the non-member top 125 in either FedExCup points or earnings.

Through the Ryder Cup

Rank Name FedExCup Rank Best Finish Starts Cuts Made Top 10s
1 Si Woo Kim 17 1st 34 23 5
2 Emiliano Grillo 11 P1 25 22 3
3 Smylie Kaufman 43 1st 28 18 4
4 Patton Kizzire 82 T2 27 20 5
5 ^Rafa Cabrera-Bello (79) 3rd 10 9 3
6 Harold Varner III 75 T5 28 18 4
7 Brett Stegmaier 108 T2 29 16 3
8 ^Byeong-Hun An (101) P2 14 10 2
9 ^Jon Rahm (122) T2 7 6 2
10 ^Søren Kjeldsen (139) T7 12 10 2
11 Michael Kim 118 T11 29 22 -
12 Bronson Burgoon 131 T14 27 16 -
13 *Hiroshi Iwata 146 T4 29 14 1
14 *Rob Oppenheim 158 T10 21 13 1
15 *Andrew Landry 178 T8 18 9 1
16 *Thomas Aiken 166 T15 23 12 -
17 *Dawie van Der Walt 171 T17 25 11 -
18 *Abraham Ancer 190 T18 19 6 -
19 *Rhein Gibson 199 T25 20 9 -
20 Lucas Lee 203 T36 16 6 -
21 Patrick Cantlay n/a -
- - -
NOTE: A player’s rookie season ("Rookie Year") is defined as the season in which he becomes a PGA TOUR member (including Special Temporary Members) and plays in 10 or more events as a member or finishes in the Top 125 on the Official FedExCup Points List, the Top 125 on the Official PGA TOUR Money List or qualifies as a Top 125 - Nonmember, whichever occurs first. Further, for purposes of this definition, a new member (including Special Temporary Members) shall not be eligible for the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year if he has previously played in more than seven (7) Official PGA TOUR Money events as a professional in any prior season.