Absolutely, solely probably the most ardent follower of males’s skilled golf would recognise this participant, who completed in a profession greatest share of seventh on the RSM Traditional at Sea Island final week.
It was a wonderful efficiency as a result of it was simply his sixth occasion on the PGA Tour. Solely the third time he had made a reduce at this stage.
But, right here he’s shifting to forty seventh within the official world rankings. And if Keefer can keep within the prime 50 by the top of the 12 months he can look ahead to a 2026 schedule affected by wonderful enjoying alternatives together with a primary go to to Augusta in April.
These two wins got here on the Korn Ferry Tour (KFT), the US circuit that feeds into the PGA Tour.
In these previous two years the previous Baylor College scholar has had 25 prime 25 finishes from a mix of the KFT and the much more lowly PGA Americas Tour.
Keefer did play two majors this 12 months; lacking the reduce on the US PGA Championship and ending tied 61st on the US Open.
That such performances at such ranges have yielded such an elevated rating, absolutely poses questions concerning the algorithms at play on the official world golf rankings (OWGR) lately. This appears an anomaly too far.
Because the podcast emailer identified, what should Harry Corridor make of it? The US-based Cornishman – arguably the world’s greatest putter – is ranked 10 locations decrease at 57th, regardless of reaching the season-ending Tour Championship.
Corridor completed seventeenth amongst everybody who performed on the PGA Tour this 12 months. He has not missed a reduce on the hardest circuit in world golf since March, but trails within the rankings behind somebody who has been enjoying within the minor leagues.
Knowledge Golf, who crunch the numbers from all excursions together with the breakaway LIV League, appear nearer to the mark. Corridor is nineteenth of their standings, whereas Keefer is 91st.
American golf, from the PGA Tour downwards, dominates the OWGR.
Of all of the gamers within the prime 50, Marco Penge and Tyrrell Hatton are the one golfers who’ve arrived there enjoying the vast majority of their schedules away from the US.
Penge has risen to 30 on this planet, courtesy of his three victories on the DP World Tour this 12 months. Hatton has supplemented his non-counting LIV schedule with positive performances on the DP World Tour and a good 12 months within the majors.
There’s a rising imbalance in an period when the European organisation’s 10 main gamers are immediately promoted to the PGA Tour on the finish of each season. Penge is amongst these heading stateside for 2026.
However additionally it is price noting that of the 9 who ‘graduated’ final 12 months (Tom McKibbin went to LIV as an alternative) solely two – Rasmus Hojgaard (84) and Thorbjorn Olesen (96) – completed among the many prime 100 who retain full enjoying privileges. It was beforehand 125 earlier than this season.
So the likes of Matteo Manassero, Paul Waring (harm ruined season) and Antoine Rozner might be returning to the DP World Tour subsequent 12 months.
There was heartache for a lot of gamers final Sunday, England’s Matt Wallace included after lacking the highest 100 by simply three spots.
He’ll nonetheless have loads of enjoying alternatives, however much less certainty over which occasions and longer waits earlier than he is aware of for certain the place he might be competing.
Wallace is at the moment 74th on this planet rankings in a 12 months the place he has had two top-three finishes and a significant prime 20 on the US PGA.
OK, he would have needed to be higher, however nonetheless a fairly productive 12 months unfold between the PGA and DP World excursions – the 2 hardest circuits on the planet.
At the very least he might be enjoying a lot in America subsequent 12 months, and as Keefer has confirmed – in case you are enjoying in these elements, there’s loads of scope for a fast ascent of the official rankings.
