Top 100 TOUR Players to Watch in 2010: No. 38

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Dec. 16, 2009

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Regular Season Rank	34
Playoff Rank	34
Bonus Money	145,000

Returning home to Texas will be even sweeter in May when Sabbatini gets to defend his title at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. The transplanted South African lives in Fort Worth and completed the Dallas double when he added that title to the Crowne Plaza Invitational presented by Colonial crown that he won in 2007. Sabbatini closed with a 64 in Dallas, which was the lowest final-round score by a winner at the HP Byron Nelson Championship since Peter Thomson shot 63 in 1956. He made a quantum leap in his final-round scoring average for the year, too, moving to 18th at 69.75 which was more than two strokes better and up from 160th in 2008. Sabbatini, who also tied for second in New Orleans, now has five PGA TOUR victories and more than $20 million in the bank but with the exception of a tie for second at the 2007 Masters, he has yet to really contend in the majors. The 2010 season offers another chance to step his game up to the next level.


As much a puzzle now as he was a decade ago. He could win four times in 2010 or he could be a non-factor, but we will hear from him.

The South African's final-round scoring average was much lower than his average for the other three rounds in 2009. He ranked 24th on TOUR in Round 4 with a 69.75 average.

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