This article is part of our PGA Tour Stats Review series.
This week on the PGA Tour is at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, which features 43 of the top 50 players in the world. Here's our stats column:
Rory and his New Driver
This image went viral (in the golf world) over the weekend – and it appears @NoLayingUp got it right. There are TaylorMade woods in Rory's bag this week as gears up for the HSBC Champions. The M2 driver and fairway woods have become increasingly popular among Nike converts (Brooks Koepka switched a couple weeks back) and average amateurs, and for Rory, who has always been a fantastic driver of the golf ball, the mere threat of that becoming an even bigger part of his game is lethal.
McIlroy ranked first last year in SG-off-the-tee, ninth in driving distance at 306.8 yards and sixth in total driving. If that improves, watch out.
The Field
Before we get to this week's stat let's just highlight who's here this week: McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Jimmy Walker, Bubba Watson, Rickie, Patrick Reed, defending champion Russell Knox and more.
Here's something to note: some golfers have differing agendas here. Some, like a McIlroy or a Reed, are playing in the Race to Dubai on the European Tour, and this is the start of that stretch. Some are playing and then have time off until Tiger's event the first week of December. Some have been playing a bunch. Some have not. So taking a peek at someone's recent
This week on the PGA Tour is at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, which features 43 of the top 50 players in the world. Here's our stats column:
Rory and his New Driver
This image went viral (in the golf world) over the weekend – and it appears @NoLayingUp got it right. There are TaylorMade woods in Rory's bag this week as gears up for the HSBC Champions. The M2 driver and fairway woods have become increasingly popular among Nike converts (Brooks Koepka switched a couple weeks back) and average amateurs, and for Rory, who has always been a fantastic driver of the golf ball, the mere threat of that becoming an even bigger part of his game is lethal.
McIlroy ranked first last year in SG-off-the-tee, ninth in driving distance at 306.8 yards and sixth in total driving. If that improves, watch out.
The Field
Before we get to this week's stat let's just highlight who's here this week: McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Jimmy Walker, Bubba Watson, Rickie, Patrick Reed, defending champion Russell Knox and more.
Here's something to note: some golfers have differing agendas here. Some, like a McIlroy or a Reed, are playing in the Race to Dubai on the European Tour, and this is the start of that stretch. Some are playing and then have time off until Tiger's event the first week of December. Some have been playing a bunch. Some have not. So taking a peek at someone's recent and future schedule might be helpful this week when picking golfers.
This Week's Stat
Three out of the last four years 20-under or more won this tournament. Golfers have to go low and make a lot of birdies to win.
Here are the birdie average leaders from 2015-16 in the field this week:
Dustin Johnson – 4.45 birdies per round
Rory McIlroy — 4.42
Hideki Matsuyama - 4.19
Brooks Koepka - 4.11
J.B. Holmes - 4.05
I absolutely recommend Matsuyama and also Rory, while I'd be wary of Dustin coming off a layoff and making a cameo appearance.
Matsuyama finished second in the CIMB Classic, finishing three shots behind Justin Thomas and capping off a week when he made 23 birdies, T5 in the field, and was T8 in greens in regulation, giving himself numerous chances for birdies.
Rory, meanwhile, played so well at the Tour Championship, especially with the putter, and was second in birdie average last year. He played well at the Ryder Cup too (see: singles vs. Patrick Reed and his group matches with Thomas Pieters where their aggressiveness paid off) and while he made the aforementioned driver change, the good news is that the old one is probably with him in Shanghai in case the new one goes awry early. If the rest of the game is sharp, watch out.
Sanderson Farms Championship
The opposite-field event this week is the Sanderson Farms Championship where Peter Malnati won last year in a Monday finish. The field includes Ian Poulter, making his U.S. return after surgery, David Toms, Chris Kirk, Angel Cabrera, David Toms, Lucas Glover and more.
Let's be frank: this field is super, super weak. It's a prime opportunity for someone young and fresh – like Malnati last year – to break out and get a win. So, if your league covers this event, here's who fits that bill in an event where the winning score is usually somewhere around 20-under:
Patton Kizzire – He came up just short at the Safeway, made a series of huge par putts down the stretch – he ranked first in SG-putting for the week – and was T4 in birdies.
Grayson Murray – The leader in birdie average last season on the Web.com Tour, he won in the Web.com Tour Finals several weeks back in the final event of the year in Columbus, ranked 27th in ballstriking for the week.
The Weather
In Shanghai it will be rainy on Thursday and Friday before sunny and in the 60s on Saturday and Sunday with breezy conditions.
In Jackson, Miss., at the Sanderson, it will be warm with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-high 80s with light winds.
