With the 2016 season soon to kick back into action we have hand picked some players we believe could make a big impact this season. Coming in at number five in our countdown is...
Lucas Bjerregaard
Player Profile
Lucas Bjerregaard had been tipped as a real talent in the making for quite some time before justifying that praise in 2015 with a number of impressive performances in some big events. The Dane, who like many modern golferspossesses plenty of athleticism and power, finished a career-high 34th in the 2015 Race to Dubai, largely thanks to five top ten finishes. The 24 year old showed some fine end of season form, which saw him total 56 under par for his last five events of the season on the way tofinishing just a shot behind both Justin Rose at the UBS Hong Kong Open, and Kristoffer Broberg at the BMW Masters in China.
Bjerregaard’s 2015 season was all the more impressive considering he had to bounce back from a frustrating final round 89 when in contention at his first event of the campaign - the Alfred Dunhill Championship. With memories of that day firmly in the past, do not be too surprised if the very talented Qualifying School graduate picks up his maiden European Tour win this season.
Jaco Van Zyl
Player Profile
The 13-time Sunshine Tour winner made a big impression on The European Tour in the 2015 season, finishing in the top three four times on the way to a career-best standing of 21st in the Race to Dubai. His results were very good, as was his overall game and temperament, with Van Zyl appearing at ease under the spotlight. The highlight of the South African’s season came at the first event of the Final Series, the Turkish Airlines Open, where he started his week with aspectacular 11 under par 61 on the way to finishing second.
Van Zyl, who finished in the top 35 in the season’s driving accuracy and distance stats, as well as 23rd in the scrambling standings, will be looking to push on and notch his first European Tour win in 2016. With more experience of being in contention heading into final rounds on the European Tour, Jaco’s name will be one to keep an eye out for on leaderboards throughout the year.
Max Kieffer
Player Profile
With22 consecutive cuts made, the most birdies made by any player on The European Tour (437) and five top ten finishes – 2015 was quite the year for Max Kieffer. The German also more than doubled his 2014 Race to Dubai earnings this year on the way to finishing a steady 55th in the overall standings, with the only thing missing from his memorable season being that maiden European Tour win. The 25 year old, with the charismatic pre-putting routine, improved on his 2014 stroke average by more than a shot in 2015 to finish 17th in that category for the campaign. 2015 was a big season for Max, but 2016 could be his breakthrough year.
Russell Knox
Player Profile
He might have taken a slightly different path to the European Tour’s winners’ circle than many of his contemporaries, but 2015 saw Russell Knox arrive in style. The Scotsman, who has played most of his golf on the US PGA Tour, where he has finished in the top ten 10 times, put in a masterful display at the WGC – HSBC Champions in Chinato win his maiden European Tour title. The 30 year old has since taken up European Tour membership, stating his desire to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team, so do not be surprised if we see this world golfer in contention for more titles on this side of the pond in 2016.
Bernd Wiesberger
Player Profile
The talented Austrian has not exactly gone under the radar so far in his career, having won on The European Tour three times, but the feeling is that Wiesberger is ready to kick on further still. An impressive 2015 season,which saw Bernd register the lowest score to par on The European Tour(142 under par), included victory atthe Alstom Open de France and runner-up finishes in both Ireland and Malaysia and showed just what the powerful 30 year old is capable of. Wiesberger only missed four cuts all season in 25 starts, on the way to posting a season stroke average of 69.95 (the seventh best in this category). At home on the big stage, full of ambition to further his career and chasing a spot in Darren Clarke’s 2016 European Ryder Cup team for Hazeltine, Wiesberger could be in for a big 2016.
So there you have it - five players we think could make a big impact in 2016. Make sure you tune in throughout the season to see if Bjerregaard, Van Zyl, Kieffer, Knox and Wiesberger can kick on in their respective careers.
