Brendan Steele fired a 4-under-par 33-35 — 68 Sunday to tie for sixth at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. His 72-hole score was 69-71-75-68 — 283 to finish 5-under-par, five strokes behind the winner, but only two shots out of second place.

The Idyllwild native found more than 69 percent of the fairways with drives averaging 288 yards, and he hit 68 percent of the greens in regulation. He gained more than a stroke and a half against the field with his putter.

This was Brendan’s seventh top-20 finish in 15 starts this season, including four top-10s and a win, and he’s made the cut in every singles tournament he entered. His performance at The Players boosted him into ninth place on the FedExCup points list. He now stands 52nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. Brendan will take this week off. 

Jack Clark can be reached at jack@towncrier.com.