Justin Thomas, Patton Kizzire and Bubba Watson are the only two-time winners this season on the PGA Tour, and they comprise the top three spots this week in the FedExCup standings.
The next five positions are occupied by players with one triumph this season, with Phil Mickelson in fourth and followed by Dustin Johnson, Masters champion Patrick Reed, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose. Tony Finau, who dislocated his ankle during the Masters Par 3 contest but rebounded with a top-10 showing at Augusta National, is No. 9 in the FedExCup rankings, and last month's Valspar Championship winner, Paul Casey, rounds out the top 10.
Luke List hits his ball out of the pine straw on the third fairway during the final round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament in Hilton Head Island, S.C., Sunday, April 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)Then there is Luke List.
By tying for third at this past weekend's RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C., the former Baylor School and Vanderbilt University golfer continued the best season of his career by vaulting to No. 11 in the FedExCup rankings. The 33-year-old List also is 13th on the PGA Tour money list with $2,277, 395, having already surpassed the impressive $1,813,219 he earned last season when he finished 59th.
"To be near the top 10 in the FedExCup standings is exciting," List said. "My goal is to compete at the highest level, which is where I believe I belong. Each week I continue to see positive growth in my game and attitude.
"I'm just going to take each week as it comes."
The RBC Heritage marked the third top-five finish of the season for the former Ringgold resident. List led after the midway mark of October's CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges in South Korea before finishing in a tie for fifth, and his best chance yet for his first career PGA Tour win occurred in late February at the Honda Classic, when he lost in a playoff to Thomas.
List missed a 12-foot putt on the 18th hole Sunday that would have placed him in a playoff with Si Woo Kim and Satoshi Kodaira, who ultimately won in just his sixth PGA Tour event.
"This experience was similar to the Honda in the sense I was in contention, and the conditions at both events were challenging," List said. "This was different, unfortunately, because I didn't feel totally in control of my game, but I was able to keep an excellent attitude. Honestly, that's what kept me in it all week.
"I'm excited to see what happens when I match that attitude with my full potential in my game."
List fell two strokes behind four golfers early in the final round of the Honda Classic before rallying and forcing the playoff. On Sunday, he had the lead at 14 under par through 10 holes but then had four bogeys and just one birdie over the next six.
Tying for third at Hilton Head with Bryson DeChambeau also resulted in List moving from 67th to a career-best 53rd in the World Golf Rankings, placing the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder just ahead of major winners Jason Dufner (No. 54), Zach Johnson (No. 58) and Adam Scott (No. 59).
List tops the four Baylor alums on the PGA Tour this season, with rookie Keith Mitchell ranked 179th in the world, Harris English 195th and rookie Stephan Jaeger 303rd. All four are scheduled to compete this week at the Valero Texas Open.
"Honestly, I'm more at ease with this latest outcome, because I know a win is coming soon," List said. "I'm just trying to improve the things that I can control."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.