PGA Tour Stats Review: Entering the British Open

PGA Tour Stats entering this week's British Open

NOTICE: The results grid was reduced for easier reading, starting with the Masters. However, the AVERAGE statistics at the bottom of the grid will continue to reflect the data from completed 2011 tournaments. For results from earlier events, go here.

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

Last year, Steve Stricker had difficulty putting away Paul Goydos in the closing round as he did again this year with Kyle Stanley. Both Goydos and Stanley were surprise contenders, as often happens.

Nevertheless, Stricker's win can be seen in GIR and the putting stats, birdies and bogeys.

Stricker hit 13.25 of 18 greens while Stanley hit 12.15.

Stricker putted 1.547 times per GIR while Stanley putted 1.630.

Stricker putted 100 times for the week while Stanley putted 111.

Stricker had one eagle and 25 birdies, three bogeys and one double. Stanley had one eagle and 24 birdies, five bogeys and no doubles.

This week Stanley out-played his season statistics – but this isn't rare with high finishers.

BRITISH OPEN

Royal St. George Golf Club has a quirky course sometimes dubbed, "The landscape of the moon." There are links, strange bounces and extreme roll-offs that get in the players' minds.

In 2003, the last time St. George hosted the Open, Ben Curtis was ranked 300-plus in the world, and here he was entered in his first major. Four days later he had an early 72-hole lead of 1-over par and was sweating it out as experienced veterans such as Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Tiger Woods and the ilk were grinding away to their finishes. Here's the way it ended:

We can expect scoring similar to the above. The course is tough, unyielding and, as you can see, deep excursions below par-71 are hard to find. Europeans accustomed to links venues have an edge. The course is on the North Sea and winds can be expected.