Despite finishing in the top 12 in three of four majors in 2018, Jordan Spieth is still outside the top 40 in FedEx Cup points. Part of the reason for that is that he doesn't play very much. And while Spieth's season has been a bit disappointing (especially for him), we need to take into account what percentage of the time he is (and others are) finishing in the top 10.
This time of year, I always like to take a look at those numbers because, while top-10 percentage is not the ultimate dictator of success or a successful season, it does provide a clearer picture of who might perform well in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
And this year's crop has some unsurprising names near the top of the list. Let's take a look (min. five top 10s on the season).
| Golfer | Top 10s | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Dustin Johnson | 10 | 63 |
Justin Rose | 8 | 57 |
Justin Thomas | 8 | 42 |
Brooks Koepka | 5 | 38 |
Brian Harman | 8 | 36 |
Henrik Stenson | 5 | 36 |
Tiger Woods | 5 | 36 |
Tony Finau | 8 | 33 |
Tommy Fleetwood | 5 | 33 |
Rory McIlroy | 5 | 33 |
It's a pretty clear top two with Johnson (10 top 10s in 16 events!) and Rose (eight in 14!) before you get to everyone else. I should note that when you limit the numbers to top-3 finishes, Johnson still leads the way at 44 percent, followed by Koepka at 31 percent, Rose at 29 percent and Thomas at 21 percent. By pretty much any measure, those have been the top four guys on the PGA Tour this season.
They're also the top four going into the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and I would actually be surprised if somebody from outside of that crew -- even Jason Day or Bubba Watson or Tiger Woods -- ended up eventually winning first and the $10 million that goes with it.
Spieth, by the way, ranks No. 24 in top-10 percentage and No. 17 in top-3 percentage.
