Wichita’s Sam Stevens cashes another big check with top-20 PGA Tour finish
Sam Stevens keeps stacking proof that his rise from Wichita to the PGA Tour wasn’t a one-season flash. It was just the beginning.
The 29-year-old Kapaun Mt. Carmel graduate continued a strong start to the 2026 season this past weekend by finishing tied for 16th at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, posting a 72-hole total of 10-under 274. The finish came with a $319,000 paycheck and marked his second top-20 result in his first six starts of the year, pushing his season earnings past the $800,000 mark.
And he didn’t back into it.
Stevens climbed 11 spots on Sunday with a closing 6-under 65. Riviera has a way of swallowing good golf with one bad swing, especially on the demanding back nine, yet Stevens finished with three birdies after the turn to keep moving up the board.
What stood out this week was Stevens’ putter. According to PGA Tour advanced data from the tournament, Stevens ranked ninth in the field in strokes gained with his putter.
Stevens sits 27th in the FedExCup standings and currently is ranked 44th in the Official World Golf Ranking. For a player who earned his Tour card in 2022 and has steadily improved, it’s the profile of someone building a season that could once again end in the playoffs.
Last year proved he could handle that grind. Stevens turned 2025 into his best season as a pro, collecting four top-10 finishes — including runner-up showings at the Farmers Insurance Open and the 3M Open — while making 25 cuts in 31 starts. He qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs for the second time in three years, advanced to the BMW Championship and ended the year 38th in the final standings.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 2:51 PM.
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