Max Greyserman has five runner-up finishes and is drawing some parallels to Cam Young

Max Greyserman is up to No. 31 in the world ranking and can count on a return trip to the Masters next year if he stays in the top 50 over the next few months.

But this runner-up business is getting old.

Greyserman now has five runner-up finishes in his 53 starts over two years, the most recent when Xander Schauffele outlasted him at the Baycurrent Classic. Schauffele birdied the 17th hole for a two-shot lead, and Greyserman went down swinging — a 7-iron from 187 yards that stopped about 6 inches away from the cup.

“Kind of more of the same,” Greyserman said. “Feel like I executed. I did well, just didn’t play good enough.”

The PGA Tour is off this week, and the 30-year-old Greyserman might do well check in with south Florida neighbor Cameron Young.

Young, had seven runner-up finishes in three years — five of them as a rookie, when he nearly won two majors — before breaking through at the Wyndham Championship this year.

There are similarities, mainly the fact someone else has played better. Young had a Sunday scoring average of 67.5 in his six runner-up finishes (the other was in match play). Greyserman, who closed with a 65 in Japan, has a 65.8 scoring average in his five runner-up finishes.

Greyserman has earned $4,210,400 — more than half his career earnings — from those second-place finishes. That’s a mere consolation.

“I could take this a few different ways,” he said. “Another second would be one thought. Disappointed would be another thought. But on the flip side, I could say I played really well. I shot 65 on Sunday when I was tied for the lead and in the last group, so a lot of good.

“I don’t really know how to feel because I’m obviously very disappointed. But it’s the PGA Tour. You need to play exceptional on a Sunday to win a golf tournament. I played great, but I just didn’t play good enough.”

Rahm’s winless year

Jon Rahm heads into the longest break he’s ever had at the end of the year with plenty to digest. He was part of another winning Ryder Cup team. He won the LIV Golf individual title for the second straight year.

But it also was his first full season since he turned pro that the Spaniard didn’t win.

Rahm was runner-up four times on LIV Golf. He didn’t finish better than a tie for seventh in the three European Tour events and four majors he played. The only chance he had to win outside LIV was the PGA Championship, where he was briefly tied with Scottie Scheffler on Sunday before fading on the back nine, compounded by a bogey-double bogey-double bogey finish.

He told reporters in Spain, where he tied for ninth in the Spanish Open, he would not play again until the LIV Golf season opener in Saudi Arabia next year that starts Feb. 5.

“I’ve never had three months off, but I’m looking forward to it,” Rahm said. “Other athletes have it, and we’ll see. I’m lucky to be able to go home now, have a preseason, be a father, be with my family. And well, if I see that it’s too much, then maybe I won’t do it next year.”

Thitikul rises

For all the talk about parity on the LPGA Tour this year — different winners the first 25 tournaments of the year — all it took was an amazing rally by Jeeno Thitikul for her to truly stand out over everyone else.

Thitikul came from four shots behind with five holes to play to win a playoff in Shanghai over Minami Katsu to become the first multiple winner this season. Her 63 on Sunday was the lowest final round by a winner.

And now the 22-year-old Thai — who already had taken over No. 1 in the world from Nelly Korda — has a chance to become the third player in the last seven years to sweep all the important titles on the LPGA.

She has a big lead in the points-based Player of the Year award over Minjee Lee. She also has a commanding lead in the Vare Trophy for lowest adjusted scoring average. Thitikul still trails Lee — who won a major at the KPMG Women’s PGA — on the LPGA money list by $306,013.

Lydia Ko in 2022 and Jin Young Ko in 2019 also swept the player of the year, money title and the Vare Trophy.

Penge Plans

Marco Penge of England had been looked upon as a rising player whom LIV Golf might want. Penge won the Spanish Open for his third European Tour title of the year and was asked about the LIV speculation.

His heart is set on the PGA Tour. Penge will have a card next year from being among the top 10 in the Race to Dubai who aren’t already on the PGA Tour.

“I’m going to America tomorrow with my wife to find a place for when we move in January,” Penge told Spanish website Ten-Golf on Sunday. “So as far as I’m aware, I’m playing the PGA Tour next year and hopefully I’ll have a great season and finish in the playoffs there and then come back to the DP World Tour and play the rest of the season here.”

Penge said his goal was to compete against the best players and win big titles.

“I want to be playing national opens like this,” he said. “When you win a couple of national opens, that’s something that I’ll never forget and something that my family will never forget. So, that’s my plan.”

Squeaking in

Kirk Triplett has been playing long enough to know that every shot matters at the end of the year. This was another reminder.

He is headed to the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Virginia to start the PGA Tour Champions postseason. The top 72 advance to the playoffs. Triplett, even a double bogey on his final hole Sunday, finished at No. 72 by a mere $201 over Brandt Jobe.

It didn’t have to be that close.

Triplett thought back to the American Family Insurance Classic, a team event he played with Paul Broadhurst. They were out of contention in the final round when the tournament was hit with a weather delay. They wound up withdrawing.

“I decide to withdraw because it’s just inconvenient. I don’t want to miss my flight,” Triplett said at the SAS Championship. “There’s a couple grand right there that would throw me up three places. … And if you’re a Monday morning quarterback in this game, man, man.

“I tell all these young players, ’You want to really, really see something interesting? Take one shot off every day’s score and see how much money, what a difference that makes at the end of the year. One stinking shot.”

Divots

Dean Robertson of Scotland has been selected to return as Walker Cup captain for Great Britain & Ireland next year at Lahinch. Robertson’s squad fell 17-9 to the Americans this year at Cypress Point. … Twelve of the 20 players on the Korn Ferry Tour who earned PGA Tour cards for 2026 will be rookies. … Johnny Keefer tied for 12th in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, leaving him at No. 51 in the world with just over two months left in the year. The top 50 get into the Masters at the end of the year. Keefer already is in the U.S. Open from winning the Korn Ferry Tour points title.

Stat of the week

Scottie Scheffler has had more points deducted from his world ranking this year (455.871) than Rory McIlroy has earned (422.369).

Final word

“I’m so lucky that I have the best team ever. When I’m on the top they’re not going to compliment. But when I’m not having a good time, they will keep pushing me up.” — Jeeno Thitikul.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf