It's certainly not unheard of, but nonetheless rare to see a 3rd-year pro end the season inside the Top 10. Michael Bennett did just that this season when he edged out Jacob Powroznik by 0.3 points to end the year ranked 10th.
Bennett was able to offset some comparatively weak finishes over the past two seasons (109th, 116th, 183rd, 107th) by winning twice this season – the Lewis Smith FLW Tour and the Forrest Wood Cup. Wins are rewarded heavily in the World Rankings methodology, evidenced by Bennett's 45-spot improvement over the course of the year.