Former USC All-American Matt NeSmith leads state’s group of PGA Tour golfers this season

The PGA Tour’s 2022-23 season has turned into the home stretch, and only Matt NeSmith from the Palmetto State contingent can look ahead with confidence at earning a berth in the playoffs that lead to the FedEx Cup Championship.

NeSmith, a former USC All-American who lives in Aiken, headed into the Travelers Championship that ends Sunday at No. 54 in the season-long standings. Only the top 70 advance to the Tour’s version of the postseason under revised qualifications.

Andrew Novak (Mount Pleasant/Wofford) at No. 93, Ben Martin (Greenville/Clemson) at No. 96 and rookie Carson Young (Pendleton/Clemson) at 103 could jump into the playoff picture with strong performances in their remaining five or six starts.

Indeed, the standings point to a changing of the guard at the top of South Carolinians on the PGA Tour. Dustin Johnson (Columbia/Coastal Carolina), long the state’s player who has been ranked No. 1 in the world, moved to the LIV Tour in 2022, and Kevin Kisner (Aiken), a fixture in the world ranking’s top 50 for several years, is experiencing his worst professional season.

NeSmith got off to a sizzling start in the fall portion of the 2022-23 campaign with a tie for second in Las Vegas and a pair of ties for ninth in his first four starts. Overall, he has made 12 cuts in 21 events, has five top-25 finishes and has climbed to 101 in the world.

Kisner has used his deadly putting to offset his lack of distance off the tee to maintain a place in the top 50, but his driving has taken a toll this season.

His driving problems “bleed into other part of my game,” he said at the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island in April. “I’ve got to get that straightened out before anything else.”

He went to the Travelers with four missed cuts and a withdrawal in his final five starts and has dropped from 37th to 74th in the world rankings. His best finish on the year is a tie for 29th and he is 192nd in FedEx points.

Young won the South Carolina Amateur twice and Novak took the state’s top amateur prize once, and both are showing signs of making an impact on the PGA Tour. Novak has a pair of top-10s — including a tie for ninth in his last start, the RBC Canadian Open. Young has posted three top-10s and qualified for the U.S. Open.

Martin has collected three top-10s, including a tie for fifth in Houston.

Richy Werenski (Aiken) has made only seven of 24 cuts, but he has posted four top-25s and is 132 on the FedEx list. Two former Clemson All-Americans — Jonathan Byrd (Columbia) and Lucas Glover (Greenville) — are 166 and 167, respectively, with another former Tiger star, Doc Redman, at 171.

Other Palmetto State players: Kisner, 192; Bill Haas (Greenville), 196; Wesley Bryan (Columbia/USC), 197; William McGirt (Bluffton/Wofford), 199; Scott Brown (Aiken/USC Aiken), 216; Tommy Gainey (Hartsville), 219; Kyle Stanley (Clemson), 224; and D.J. Trahan (Mount Pleasant/Clemson), 230.

Players in the top 50 after the playoffs will qualify for the 2024 designated events that will have limited fields and larger purses. The top 70 after the playoffs will be eligible for all full-field events. Players also will have an opportunity in the FedEx Fall tournaments to improve their status and the top 125 after the fall events will be exempt into 2024 full-field tournaments.

Chip shots. Drew Jeffords (Florence) captured the SCGA’s Junior Championship by three strokes with a 54-hole total of 6-under-par 210 at the CC of Lexington. He will enroll at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point later this summer. ... The Greenvile-area duo of Rob and Austin Reeves shot a 4-under-par 69 to claim the SCGA’s Dudley-Sullivan Father-Son Championship at Greenville CC. ... USC sophomore Hannah Darling (first team) and senior Mathilde Claisse (honorable mention) earned spots on Golfweek’s women’s All-America teams. ... The Midlands Chevy Dealers Columbia City Men’s Championship will be played July 20-22 at Spring Valley CC. Go online to www.columbiacitytournament.com for information. ... Entries are open for the South Carolina Women’s Open, set for Aug. 11-13 at Cobblestone Park GC. The Aug. 10 pro-am includes live entertainment by Keith Burns. Register online at www.southcarolinawomensopen.com.