Posted by Jason Sobel
OK, trivia time: There are currently 11 American-born players on the PGA Tour who are in the top-100 career money earners, own multiple victories, have finished inside the top 150 on the money list in each of the past 10 years and have never made a Ryder or Presidents Cup team. How many can you name?
I'll divulge the answers in a minute (so feel free to stop reading and start pondering now, if you're so inclined), but this is a pretty interesting group of guys, the nuts and bolts of the PGA Tour, the ones who are out there competing week in, week out. They are players who don't receive the accolades, who can still walk through a mall without being hounded for autographs. And yet, these aren't guys struggling to keep their card every year, either. They've all carved out very nice careers for themselves.
Just call 'em the Efficient Eleven.
They are are all longtime tour members, have all had their fair share of successes and failures and are never much of a surprise when we find them atop a leaderboard during the year.
Quite obviously, you won't find any Tigers or Phils amongst the group, as the international team guideline limits players of that ilk, but there are several other top players who haven't reached these imposed guidelines, either. John Daly? Nope, finished 192nd on the money list last season. Kevin Sutherland? Sorry, only one career win. Kirk Triplett? Presidents Cup team member in 2000 (believe it or not). Steve Flesch? Oh, so close, but only nine years in the top 150.
Other guys I wasn't so sure about: Scott McCarron, John Huston, Jerry Kelly, Duffy Waldorf, Rocco Mediate, J.L Lewis, Steve Stricker and Bob Tway. For one reason or another, none of them make the cut.
Ready for the answers? Here we go ... and if you get more than half of 'em without using resources, I commend you:
Frank Lickliter, Steve Lowery, Billy Mayfair, Tom Pernice Jr., Jeff Sluman, Billy Andrade, Olin Browne, Tim Herron, Joey Sindelar, Bob Estes and Dudley Hart.
Pretty interesting list, huh? The reason I bring it up today? Well, first of all, I just thought of it, did some research, found the answers and thought it was pretty cool. Secondly, and more importantly, is because eight of the 11 players are competing in this week's FBR Open -- and with solid results so far.
Hart leads the way following an opening-round 7-under 64, and he's joined in the top-30 by Pernice (65), Mayfair (66), and Lowery (69). Estes, Sluman, Herron and Lickliter are all farther down the leaderboard.
Looks like it could be a better-than-decent weekend for some members of the Efficient Eleven.
