Brendan Steele collected his second top-10 finish in three tournament weeks Sunday in the Northern Trust Open at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. He carded a 9-under-par 68-71-67-69 — 275, finishing tied for 10th and earning $174,200 in prize money and 72.5 FedExCup points.
Steele has four top-25s this year and has made the cut in six of nine tournaments.
More importantly, the native Idyllwilder now has 311 FedExCup points on the season, jumping him from 50th to 40th place on the current points list. With only about one-third of this season behind him, he already has about two-thirds of the points he likely will need to make the FedExCup playoffs at season’s end and earn his playing card for 2014-15.
Steele’s stats suggest that his irons were working especially well last week. On Sunday, for example, he hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation, and his proximity-to-hole of 31 feet, 6 inches was better than the tournament winner’s.
After five straight tournament weeks, Steele will take this week off for rest.