This article is part of our PGA Tour Stats Review series.
This week the PGA Tour's run-up to the first major of 2016, the Masters, finishes with the Houston Open, on a course setup to mimic as close to possible Augusta National Golf Club. It's also the last opportunity for players to get into the Masters. There's only one way to punch that ticket: win.
... And the leading candidate to do that ...
... is last week's winner whom few noticed. Tony Finau won the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open on the third playoff hole against Steve Marino, displaying a short game (find his pitch shot from short of the green and the two bunker shots from both right and behind the green from down the stretch on YouTube ... sensational stuff) to go along with his well-documented long game. For the week, Finau ranked 14th in driving accuracy, fourth in driving distance, T3 in sand saves and T13 in greens in regulation. Do that again this week and Finau has a chance to be in contention Sunday with a trip down Magnolia Lane on the line.
The Stat
En route to victory in 2015 in a playoff, J.B. Holmes used his long hitting prowess, finishing first in driving distance and second in longest drive, and sharp game -- 10th in greens in regulation, fourth in strokes gained-tee to green and 11th in strokes gained-putting -- to get the job done. We'll focus on greens in regulation as that's an important part of the game plan both this week and next.
This week the PGA Tour's run-up to the first major of 2016, the Masters, finishes with the Houston Open, on a course setup to mimic as close to possible Augusta National Golf Club. It's also the last opportunity for players to get into the Masters. There's only one way to punch that ticket: win.
... And the leading candidate to do that ...
... is last week's winner whom few noticed. Tony Finau won the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open on the third playoff hole against Steve Marino, displaying a short game (find his pitch shot from short of the green and the two bunker shots from both right and behind the green from down the stretch on YouTube ... sensational stuff) to go along with his well-documented long game. For the week, Finau ranked 14th in driving accuracy, fourth in driving distance, T3 in sand saves and T13 in greens in regulation. Do that again this week and Finau has a chance to be in contention Sunday with a trip down Magnolia Lane on the line.
The Stat
En route to victory in 2015 in a playoff, J.B. Holmes used his long hitting prowess, finishing first in driving distance and second in longest drive, and sharp game -- 10th in greens in regulation, fourth in strokes gained-tee to green and 11th in strokes gained-putting -- to get the job done. We'll focus on greens in regulation as that's an important part of the game plan both this week and next. Those who rank highest in GIR for the 2015-16 PGA Tour season who are in the field this week are:
Bernd Wiesberger - 73.15 percent (15 rounds)
Lucas Glover - 73.10 percent
Rickie Fowler - 72.86 percent
Johnson Wagner - 72.61 percent
Kevin Streelman - 72.55 percent
Out of that group I really like Fowler. He hit a couple loose shots last week in failing to emerge from his group at the WGC-Dell Match Play, but comes in on strong form, with his T6 at Honda and T8 at Doral. A good finish here on a course setup similar to Augusta could bode well for Fowler next week, with a lack of a major championship still the one knock on his resume.
(By the way, Kevin Streelman has a knack for making birdies -- see the birdie binge that led to his win in Hartford. In the field next week at Augusta as well as this week, that's a characteristic that could be very handy once he drives down Magnolia Lane.)
The Field
The field also includes Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Rafa Cabrera Bello (who played so well last week), Graham DeLaet, Ernie Els, Harris English, Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka, Steve Marino, Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood and more.
The Weather
This week's weather forecast is choppy, with the chance of thunderstorms and temperatures up into the 80s early in the week followed by a tad cooler (70s) and calmer (sunny, less wind) weather from Friday on. It could get breezy on Friday and Saturday, however, so keep an eye on that.
