Josh Teater hanging onto No. 25 spot on Web.com money list
Three hundred fifty-seven dollars is amount that could help Josh Teater potentially make more money than ever.
Teater is 25th on the Web.com Tour’s money list, narrowly hanging onto that spot with $80,452 earned this season, just ahead of Adam Schenk’s $80,095. The top 25 players earn PGA Tour cards for next season, and this week’s Air Capital Classic at Crestview Country Club represents the season’s halfway point.
Teater’s first half was filled with unpredictability and inconsistency, so he’s not looking to repeat the method that got him into the top 25 – just the results.
“Every dollar counts,” Teater said. “Whether you’re fighting for making the cut or fighting for finishing 40th on Sunday, at the end of the year that’s going to matter. I’m not looking at the money list each day or each week and seeing how much of a difference there is, I’m just thinking about my plan on the golf course.”
The 37-year-old Teater turned professional in 2001 and earned a PGA card for the first time in 2010, one year after his first full season on the Web.com Tour, then called the Nationwide Tour.
Teater earned more than $1 million in 2010, ’12 and ’13, the latter of which was his most fruitful season. He finished tied for second behind Tiger Woods at the Farmers Insurance Open, the first tournament of 2013, and he made the cut in 19 of 24 tournaments with three top-10 finishes.
“I had two really good finishes early in the year on the West coast that really set me up,” Teater said. “I qualified for the British and the U.S. Open that year, got to see my first majors. You can get off to a good start and it kind of opens up for you the rest of the year, and that year it did.”
Teater earned more than $4 million but lost full PGA status last year, playing 11 tournaments through either qualifying or sponsors’ exemptions. He also played nine time on the Web.com tour, and splitting time and focus hurt his performance.
Teater missed five cuts on the PGA Tour, earning just above $80,000, and missed the cut eight times in nine Web.com tournaments. He hasn’t played on the PGA Tour this season and has played in every Web.com event.
“Last year my focus was the PGA Tour, even though I only had 11 starts,” Teater said. “When I came out here (on Web.com), I probably wasn’t mentally where I needed to be in order to play the way I could, and it showed. This year is different, knowing that this is my home and this is my road back. I’m all in.”
Teater has barely been a threat to crack the top 25 for most of the season, but his recent performance has showed how quickly that earnings list can change.
He first appeared after finishing second at the Rust-Oleum Championship two weeks ago, debuting at No. 22. The previous week, Teater finished 11th and seemed to be riding momentum.
A third-round 66 at a tournament last month didn’t help Teater make the cut to play Sunday in that event, but it started a streak of seven of eight rounds in the 60s. Momentum seems to be going the other way now. After surrendering a seven-shot lead to finish second two weeks ago, Teater was cut in Nashville last week.
“Once you start seeing some good numbers it starts rolling and snowballs a little bit,” Teater said.
Teater probably doesn’t need low rounds to snowball, though. One more high finish could help him secure a spot on the PGA Tour, where he won’t have to worry about how to split his time and the checks could be life-changing.
“That’s where we all want to be, that’s where I feel like I belong,” Teater said. “I’ve had success out there. The last couple years were a little tough, but I know my game can still compete out there and win.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Josh Teater hanging onto No. 25 spot on Web.com money list."