Brendan Steele continued on track last week in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. He shot a 10-under-par 70-66-68-70 — 274 in the official PGA tournament, grabbing a tie for 16th place and earning more than $84,000 in prize money.
More importantly, Steele earned 52 FedExCup points, which shot him from 93rd to 52nd on the all-important FedExCup points list.
This new 2013-14 season is the first time that money earnings will play no part in determining a player’s eligibility for the following season. If a player is not otherwise exempt, he will have to finish in the top 125 on the FedExCup points list to earn his playing ticket for the 2014-2015 season.
After having played in only four tournaments this season, Steele has two top-25 finishes, including his 16th-place result last week. He already has earned more than a quarter of the points that history indicates likely would place him in the top 125 on the FedExCup points list by the end of this season.
If you’d like to be part of the Idyllwild contingent to see Steele play in person, start making plans to follow him at the Humana Challenge in La Quinta or the Farmers Insurance Open in La Jolla, both in mid- to late-January. He likely also will play at the PGA Tournaments in Phoenix and Los Angeles in early February.