Jump to content
IGNORED

Strokes Gained Stats at the PGA Championship


billchao
Note: This thread is 3507 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

  • Moderator

http://www.pgatour.com/statsreport/2014/08/11/strokes-gained-at-the-pga.html

More great stats stuff from Mark Broadie. Want to know why Rory won?

Strokes gained per round (ranks in parentheses)

Golfer

Total

Drive

Appr

Short

Putt

Rory McIlroy

4.1 (1)

1.4 (2)

1.4 (5)

0.2 (44)

1.1 (12)

Phil Mickelson

3.9 (2)

0.4 (25)

0.8 (18)

0.9 (10)

1.7 (5)

Rickie Fowler

3.6 (T3)

0.9 (11)

0.9 (17)

0.8 (15)

1.1 (13)

Henrik Stenson

3.6 (T3)

0.6 (21)

0.8 (22)

0.0 (51)

2.3 (1)

Jim Furyk

3.1 (T5)

0.2 (34)

0.7 (25)

1.4 (3)

0.9 (17)

Ryan Palmer

3.1 (T5)

0.5 (22)

0.1 (53)

1.9 (1)

0.6 (29)

Steve Stricker

2.9 (T7)

-0.8 (73)

1.6 (4)

-0.1 (53)

2.2 (2)

Ernie Els

2.9 (T7)

0.7 (17)

0.4 (40)

0.8 (12)

1.0 (16)

Hunter Mahan

2.9 (T7)

0.7 (19)

0.9 (16)

0.5 (23)

0.8 (21)

Mikko Ilonen

2.9 (T7)

0.1 (43)

-0.1 (58)

1.1 (7)

1.8 (4)

Jimmy Walker

2.9 (T7)

-0.6 (68)

1.8 (2)

0.9 (11)

0.9 (18)

Victor Dubuisson

2.9 (T7)

1.5 (1)

0.3 (43)

1.7 (2)

-0.6 (61)

Top 12 average

3.2

0.5

0.8

0.8

1.1

Fraction of total

100%

14%

25%

26%

35%

Hint: it's not his chipping and putting.

  • Upvote 1

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

My Swing Thread

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Not surprising. It is surprising though that he was not ranked 1st in strokes gained driving. Dubuisson must have hit nearly every fairway. Also, McIlroy's putting was better than I imagined - he gained 1.1 strokes on the field per round. That's the difference between 1st and 4th place. So it's not fair to say that putting had no factor in his win.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Moderator
Not surprising. It is surprising though that he was not ranked 1st in strokes gained driving. Dubuisson must have hit nearly every fairway.

The article said that it was basically due to his tee shot on the 4th hole during round 3 that was the difference. Really, 0.4 strokes for the tournament isn't much of a difference.

Also, McIlroy's putting was better than I imagined - he gained 1.1 strokes on the field per round. That's the difference between 1st and 4th place. So it's not fair to say that putting had no factor in his win.

I don't really want to split hairs about this, but yea, I agree that his putting did make a difference; he putt pretty well. But, the biggest factor is the 2.8 strokes per round from his long game, so I'd still confidently say it was his long game that won.

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

My Swing Thread

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

The article said that it was basically due to his tee shot on the 4th hole during round 3 that was the difference. Really, 0.4 strokes for the tournament isn't much of a difference. I don't really want to split hairs about this, but yea, I agree that his putting did make a difference; he putt pretty well. But, the biggest factor is the 2.8 strokes per round from his long game, so I'd still confidently say it was his long game that won.

Yup, if he had the field's average for long game he would have finished at T29th. If he had the field's average short game and putting he would have finished T6th. So yeah, long game definitely played a more important role. But if he putted average relative to the field he would not have won. A combination of good driving, approach, and putting gave him the win.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Moderator

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/08/a-master-statistician-reveals.html

So why did Rory McIlroy walk home with the Wanamaker Trophy? According to Broadie's article, which is definitely worth reading in its entirety , it was because of his long game.

Here's a selection from the piece:

McIlroy led in strokes gained from the long game (shots starting outside of 100 yards from the hole), gaining nearly three strokes per round on the field. That represented 70 percent of his total gain of 4.1 strokes per round against the field. He was second in strokes gained/driving and fifth in stokes gained from approach shots, with each contributing 1.4 strokes per round. (About the only reason McIlroy wasn't first in strokes gained/driving was his tee shot on the fourth hole in the third round that led to a penalty stroke.)

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

You mean he didn't "putt for dough"?! ;-)

Great article.

Good to see evidence of Phil's putting coming back too, but his long game really cost him in the end.

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

http://thesandtrap.com/t/76488/strokes-gained-stats-at-the-pga-championship#post_1039272 Related thread earlier. Combine? Good chart in it showing where top players gained strokes on field.

My Swing


Driver: :ping: G30, Irons: :tmade: Burner 2.0, Putter: :cleveland:, Balls: :snell:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Moderator

Merged.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

The Top 12 at the PGA scored 3.2 shots better than the field per round on average with 1.1 strokes of the out performance coming on the greens, 0.8 each from short game and approach shots and 0.5 from Driving according to http://www.pgatour.com/statsreport/2014/08/11/strokes-gained-at-the-pga.html

Rory drove the ball almost as well as he has all year gaining 1.4 strokes on the field for the PGA (2nd best) compared to 1.5 (1st) for the season.  His approaches and putting was better than during the season as a whole.  Good ball striking (best combined driving and approaches) along with good putting is what won him the tournament as his short game (non-putting) only gained him 0.2 strokes.

Dubuisson gained the most driving, but was the only other player in the Top 12 who was in the Top 10 driving.  Tiger and Jimmy Walker both drove the ball poorly with Walker being much better than Tiger in approach shots and putting (and both being good with their non-putting short game)

Fowler was good in all areas, while Mickelson, Stricker and Stenson's strongest area was putting.

Here's a strokes gained breakdown of the top 12 finishers at the PGA Championship:

Strokes gained per round (ranks in parentheses)

Golfer

Total

Drive

Appr

Short

Putt

Rory McIlroy

4.1 (1)

1.4 (2)

1.4 (5)

0.2 (44)

1.1 (12)

Phil Mickelson

3.9 (2)

0.4 (25)

0.8 (18)

0.9 (10)

1.7 (5)

Rickie Fowler

3.6 (T3)

0.9 (11)

0.9 (17)

0.8 (15)

1.1 (13)

Henrik Stenson

3.6 (T3)

0.6 (21)

0.8 (22)

0.0 (51)

2.3 (1)

Jim Furyk

3.1 (T5)

0.2 (34)

0.7 (25)

1.4 (3)

0.9 (17)

Ryan Palmer

3.1 (T5)

0.5 (22)

0.1 (53)

1.9 (1)

0.6 (29)

Steve Stricker

2.9 (T7)

-0.8 (73)

1.6 (4)

-0.1 (53)

2.2 (2)

Ernie Els

2.9 (T7)

0.7 (17)

0.4 (40)

0.8 (12)

1.0 (16)

Hunter Mahan

2.9 (T7)

0.7 (19)

0.9 (16)

0.5 (23)

0.8 (21)

Mikko Ilonen

2.9 (T7)

0.1 (43)

-0.1 (58)

1.1 (7)

1.8 (4)

Jimmy Walker

2.9 (T7)

-0.6 (68)

1.8 (2)

0.9 (11)

0.9 (18)

Victor Dubuisson

2.9 (T7)

1.5 (1)

0.3 (43)

1.7 (2)

-0.6 (61)

Top 12 average

3.2

0.5

0.8

0.8

1.1

Fraction of total

100%

14%

25%

26%

35%

Here's how McIlroy's play in the PGA Championship compares to his play throughout the season:

Strokes gained per round (ranks in parentheses)

Total

Drive

Appr

Short

Putt

Rory McIlroy during win

4.1 (1)

1.4 (2)

1.4 (5)

0.2 (44)

1.1 (12)

Rory McIlroy during season

2.9 (1)

1.5 (1)

0.7 (11)

0.2 (60)

0.5 (19)

Difference

1.3

0.0

0.7

0.0

0.6

Mark Broadie Bobby Donnelly 16 hours ago

Tiger Woods: Total -1.7 (73), Drive -0.6 (68), Approach -0.9 (72), Short 0.9 (12), Putt -1.1 (74). Ranks relative to 74 players who made the cut.

:mizuno: MP-52 5-PW, :cobra: King Snake 4 i 
:tmade: R11 Driver, 3 W & 5 W, :vokey: 52, 56 & 60 wedges
:seemore: putter

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Interesting, thanks for posting!

One thing that struck me as odd was furyk not losing strokes on the field due to driving, given he is know for being a shorter hitter than most. Was his FIR % really high?

Henry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Interesting, thanks for posting!

One thing that struck me as odd was furyk not losing strokes on the field due to driving, given he is know for being a shorter hitter than most. Was his FIR % really high?

Looks like he was 3rd in driving accuracy at 82% and 70th in distance at 276.  His driving did cost him 0.3 per round vs the top 12 (and 1.2 to Rory), but better than the field overall.  http://www.pgatour.com/content/pgatour/players/player.10809.html/scorecards/r033

:mizuno: MP-52 5-PW, :cobra: King Snake 4 i 
:tmade: R11 Driver, 3 W & 5 W, :vokey: 52, 56 & 60 wedges
:seemore: putter

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Wow great post.

Stenson a better putter at PGA than I realized.

I agree about Stenson. Talking heads at the GC like to say how he is such a great ball striker, but his putting is what brought him to the top this week.

I also agree this is great information.

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

The talking heads were just baffled by his 3 foot birdie lip-out that could have put him in the driver's seat squarely and make more out of it than what his entire body of work truly said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Does anyone know if the PGA Tour is posting strokes gained driving, approach and short online like they are with strokes gained putting?  Broadie gives season long stats for Rory

Yup, if he had the field's average for long game he would have finished at T29th. If he had the field's average short game and putting he would have finished T6th. So yeah, long game definitely played a more important role. But if he putted average relative to the field he would not have won. A combination of good driving, approach, and putting gave him the win.

True.

Mark Broadie Pete 20 hours ago

Thanks for the comments. The top finishers in a tournament usually get most of their strokes gained from approach shots and putting, and 14% from driving is fairly typical.

MEfree- Guys who win tournaments usually putt pretty well for that week even if they are not great putters overall.  However, I think there is more of a streaky or luck element to putting with good driving being the least dependent on luck of all the categories.  Overall, I think accuracy tends to be more streaky than distance, so it is good to be a long hitter.

:mizuno: MP-52 5-PW, :cobra: King Snake 4 i 
:tmade: R11 Driver, 3 W & 5 W, :vokey: 52, 56 & 60 wedges
:seemore: putter

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Note: This thread is 3507 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Popular Now

  • Posts

    • Day 76 - Pretty sore today, so I opted for putting over my Stack session. Primary focus was on starting line, as my putting has been pretty poor this year. 
    • Been a bit of delay in updates but I needed to come back east as my mom's health has taken a serious turn for the worse. In a 3 day span we learned she had a tumor to she has stage 4 cancer and stopped eating and drinking for the most part. She has had a rough 3 months but certainly didn't think we'd be at the point of setting up hospice for her. My mom was never into any sports really other than following the Red Sox because my dad was a big fan. She always cared about what we were involved in including asking about how golf went.  I have kept up with my 5 minutes of daily practice and will go to the gym here in NH tomorrow morning. Despite the somber nature of this trip my family has commented more than a few times about my weight loss so it's important to me to keep it up. I know my mom always wanted us happy in whatever we did so I'll continue with my fitness journey keeping that in mind. 
    • Day 109- Putting drills on a putting green for 20 minutes. 
    • Day 252: did a stack session. Did some slow rehearsal swings during breaks. 
    • Day 82: 3/18/24 Tried a Stack session but could not certify my warmup. Finished with indoor chips and putting. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...