This article is part of our PGA Tour Stats Review series.
Happy New Year! This week is the first event of the 2015 portion of the 2014-15 PGA Tour season, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the winners-only event from Maui. Here's this week's stats column:
But First, A Caveat
Almost all of these players have had a layoff, some more than others. Additionally, some actively worked on their games during the offseason while some are slowly working their way back into shape. So for the next several weeks, take into account that some players' games will be sharper than others. That's what makes this time of year for fantasy so difficult -- there's almost no past performance to go on -- but it can also make it extremely fun because you can take risks and see big payoffs.
History Lesson
The best part about the Hyundai Tournament of Champions is that if you win, you can immediately book your ticket for next year. That honor went to Zach Johnson in 2014, who won by one over Jordan Spieth. Spieth is not here, as his two wins late in 2014 were not in official PGA Tour events. The 2013 winner and runner-up, Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker, respectively, are also not here, nor are the 2011 or 2012 ones either. So basically it's Zach Johnson or no one from this category.
Zach hit nearly 78 percent of his greens in his win last year, ranking 31st for the season. He ranked 24th in strokes gained-tee to green and 26th in strokes gained-total
Happy New Year! This week is the first event of the 2015 portion of the 2014-15 PGA Tour season, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the winners-only event from Maui. Here's this week's stats column:
But First, A Caveat
Almost all of these players have had a layoff, some more than others. Additionally, some actively worked on their games during the offseason while some are slowly working their way back into shape. So for the next several weeks, take into account that some players' games will be sharper than others. That's what makes this time of year for fantasy so difficult -- there's almost no past performance to go on -- but it can also make it extremely fun because you can take risks and see big payoffs.
History Lesson
The best part about the Hyundai Tournament of Champions is that if you win, you can immediately book your ticket for next year. That honor went to Zach Johnson in 2014, who won by one over Jordan Spieth. Spieth is not here, as his two wins late in 2014 were not in official PGA Tour events. The 2013 winner and runner-up, Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker, respectively, are also not here, nor are the 2011 or 2012 ones either. So basically it's Zach Johnson or no one from this category.
Zach hit nearly 78 percent of his greens in his win last year, ranking 31st for the season. He ranked 24th in strokes gained-tee to green and 26th in strokes gained-total for the 2013-14 season.
Who is NOT Playing
Four big names who qualified for the event are not participating this week and will begin their 2015 slates at a later date. They are: Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer. But some big names did make the trip ...
Who Is Playing
They are led by Billy Horschel, the FedEx Cup champion who struggled during fall last year but played well at Tiger's event to close the season (finishing T8). He was T8 in greens in regulation at the aforementioned Hero World Challenge.
Matt Kuchar is in the field, off his solid 2014 that included the win at the RBC Heritage. Jason Day, who battled injuries most of last season following his win at the Match Play is also in the field. He says he's 100 percent, but you never really know until you tee it up for real.
Also participating is Bubba Watson, who won the Masters, the Northern Trust Open and the World Golf Champions-HSBC Champions event last fall. Other notables include Jimmy Walker, Hunter Mahan and Russell Henley.
All are strong recommendations, with Watson showing the most recent success (his win came in the middle of the fall slate) and ranked first in driving distance and seventh in strokes gained-tee to green for the 2013-14 PGA Tour season. With Kapalua being one of the longer layouts on the PGA Tour where wind is always a factor, Bubba's length is a big help.
One sleeper is Sang Moon-Bae. His travel visa expires at the end of this month, and he may have to return to South Korea for mandatory military service. A winner in October at the Frys.com Open, he is second in strokes gained-tee to green and 12th in strokes gained-total this season, and may look to end January on a winning note.
