The Players Championship might be the toughest tournament all year to predict, but JustinRayGolf assures you that one statistic will stay intact. The top notes and numbers to know as the tournament gets underway Thursday at TPC Sawgrass.
Rory McIlroy’s missed birdie putt on the 72nd green last week at Bay Hill was emblematic of his PGA Tour season to date from a statistical perspective. A year ago, McIlroy ranked second on the Tour in putting from 10 to 20 feet away, rolling them in at a clip of 33.9 percent. This season, he’s making just 17.9 percent of his attempts from that range, 182nd among qualified players.
That he still ranks second on Tour for the season in scoring average is a testament to how brilliant his ball striking has been. McIlroy is gaining 2.28 strokes tee-to-green per round in 2022-23, far and away the best of any player. Oh, and no player has averaged more strokes gained tee-to-green per round at TPC Sawgrass over the last decade than McIlroy. An improvement simply to the PGA Tour average make percentage from that range and Rory could be a tough man to beat this week in Florida.
Scheffler’s growth in his approach game has been an enormous factor in his move upward in the sport. In 2020-21, Scheffler was below Tour average in proximity to the hole on shots from 50-125 yards, 150-175 yards and 175-200 yards away. Since the beginning of last season, he’s up more than 100 spots in each statistic. He led the Tour in greens in regulation in 2022, and is leading that traditional metric again this season.
Scrambling is one element, though, that seems to always play a role in determining a champion. The last 12 winners here have ranked around 12th, on average, for the week in getting it up and down. That’s a bit stronger than the PGA Tour average over the last five years . Even the top players will miss some greens this week – especially if the wind plays a significant role.In most years, the perception of the 17th is more shaped by visual intimidation than actual difficulty.
After not seeing a hole-in-one at 17 from 2003 through 2015, the crowds at The Stadium Course have enjoyed four since 2016. That includes Shane Lowry’s ace a year ago, the 10th all-time in tournament play.
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