This article is part of our PGA Tour Stats Review series.
This week the PGA Tour wraps up the Florida portion of the Southern Swing with the Arnold Palmer Invitational from Bay Hill. One major name is absent, while another makes his debut at the event. Here's our stats preview.
History Lesson
The defending champion is Matt Every, who beat Keegan Bradley by one. In 2013, Tiger Woods -- not here this week as he continues to work on his game -- beat Justin Rose by two, and in 2012 Woods beat Graeme McDowell by five.
None of these players are really on top form but if we had to choose one, it would probably be Bradley, who tied for fourth -- and just missed a playoff -- at the Northern Trust Open and backed that up with a T38 at Doral two weeks later. Bradley is 12th in strokes gained–tee to green and 27th in strokes gained–total.
Who is Playing
The top five in the world -- Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and Jason Day -- are all in the field, along with past champion Graeme McDowell, Erik Compton, Harris English, Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter, Sam Saunders, Webb Simpson and Justin Thomas.
McIlroy is making his debut appearance at the API, saying he owed it to Palmer.
Our recommendations are Watson, Stenson, English and Saunders.
Watson has gone 1-10-T2-T14-3 to start the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season, with the third-place finish coming two weeks ago at Doral. There, he had the sporty
This week the PGA Tour wraps up the Florida portion of the Southern Swing with the Arnold Palmer Invitational from Bay Hill. One major name is absent, while another makes his debut at the event. Here's our stats preview.
History Lesson
The defending champion is Matt Every, who beat Keegan Bradley by one. In 2013, Tiger Woods -- not here this week as he continues to work on his game -- beat Justin Rose by two, and in 2012 Woods beat Graeme McDowell by five.
None of these players are really on top form but if we had to choose one, it would probably be Bradley, who tied for fourth -- and just missed a playoff -- at the Northern Trust Open and backed that up with a T38 at Doral two weeks later. Bradley is 12th in strokes gained–tee to green and 27th in strokes gained–total.
Who is Playing
The top five in the world -- Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and Jason Day -- are all in the field, along with past champion Graeme McDowell, Erik Compton, Harris English, Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter, Sam Saunders, Webb Simpson and Justin Thomas.
McIlroy is making his debut appearance at the API, saying he owed it to Palmer.
Our recommendations are Watson, Stenson, English and Saunders.
Watson has gone 1-10-T2-T14-3 to start the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season, with the third-place finish coming two weeks ago at Doral. There, he had the sporty combination of being third in strokes gained–tee to green, 11th in strokes gained–putting and third in strokes gained–total.
Stenson started off his 2015 PGA Tour run with back-to-back finishes of fourth, the latter coming last week at the Valspar Championship where he was T8 in greens in regulation and fifth in strokes gained–putting.
English, meanwhile, shot one of the best rounds of the week Sunday at Valspar when he closed in 65 to finish T10, a round where he gained nearly six strokes on the field, with more than four coming from tee-to-green. Strong playing, indeed. English lost in the playoff earlier this season at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Finally, Saunders lost in the five-man playoff in Puerto Rico two weeks ago and bounced back nicely last week in Tampa with a T24 finish. Arnold Palmer's grandson who grew up playing and working at Bay Hill, Saunders should have some inside knowledge that could help put him over the top if his game is on form this week.
One More Thing
If it seems like PGA Tour players have been finding trouble more often than usual this season, you're right. Courtesy of our friends from the PGA Tour:
.@ShotLink has recorded 1,259 water balls this season. 651 (52%) of them have come in the last 3 weeks. #Floridapic.twitter.com/K0cZt4DWue
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 16, 2015Bay Hill, aka Arnie's place, has plenty of water hazards in play, especially down the stretch. So as you consider who to pick or not pick this week, remember that there's been a penchant for players finding the water this season. And especially if your pick has a tendency to go wayward -- see someone like Thomas who's seemingly been feast or famine -- it could be a factor.
