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What makes Vijay Singh 10 Million Dollars better than McKinney 's Hank Kuehne?
By Rick Adams
The answer’s not accuracy off the tee, despite Hank’s weak 49.9% fairways in regulation – 196th on Tour. Vijay was only 149th at 60.4%. Close-range putting is a virtual wash too. Singh’s 86.4% from inside 10 feet (139th) was barely better than Kuehne’s 86.2% (150th). The critical difference between their games is the accuracy of their approach shots. Vijay hit almost 3 of every 4 greens (73%) – 2nd best on Tour in 2004 behind Joe Durant – over 10% better than Hank’s 62.9% (152nd). That translates to a more than 7 greens per tournament advantage for the Fijian. And when they arrived at the green, Singh’s ball was about 5 feet closer on average than Kuehne’s (27 feet 11 inches compared with 32 feet 6 inches). Singh was in the Top 10 in an astounding 47 of the 102 statistical categories which the PGA Tour tracks. He was 1st in official money, scoring average, birdie average, going for the green (in two shots on par-5s and one shot on reachable par-4s), proximity to the hole on approach shots, proximity of approaches from the fairway, total birdies, total eagles, par breakers (birdies and eagles), Round 1 scoring average, Front 9 scoring average, Back 9 scoring average, early tee time scoring average, late tee time scoring average, par-4 scoring average, par-4 birdies, consecutive par-4 birdies, par-5 scoring average, and consecutive holes below par. Other than driving distance, Kuehne ranked in the Top 10 in only three other areas – total eagles, which you’d expect with his length, and two somewhat surprising aspects: sand saves and one-putt percentage. You may not have heard about many of these statistics, except perhaps a casual reference by a TV golf analyst. But the Tour players know them well. Through the ShotLink™ system, the PGA captures detailed data on every shot struck by every player at every tournament during the season, and regularly reports the results to the individual golfers. Many of the professionals use the ShotLink™ information to evaluate their strengths and shortcomings, and plan their practice efforts accordingly. Using exclusive ShotLink™ data provided to Scratch-Golfer.com, we’ve analyzed which components of their games separate the “Big 5” from the rest of the pack and where Kuehne and four other native Texas stars – Justin Leonard, Harrison Frazar, Todd Hamilton, and Chad Campbell – might be focusing their attention to challenge the game’s elite. THE BIG 5 Tiger Woods This year Woods has dramatically improved his Greens in Regulation (GIR) percentage – from a dismal 56.1% in 2004 (182nd) to 4th this year with 71.1%. His putting has even improved slightly to 1.714 per GIR. Tiger’s 2005 birdie average is an amazing 5.03 per round – better than 1 for every 4 holes. By the way, with a victory this week at the EDS Byron Nelson (worth $1.116 million), the 29-year-old Woods would surpass $50 million in career earnings. Vijay has been the most aggressive player on reachable par 4s and 5s, “going for it” 264 times last year. He only landed on the putting surface about a third of the time, but was close enough on most attempts for a net 174-under-par in those calculated gambles. With his victories in Houston and North Carolina, Vijay jumped past Phil Mickelson for the 2005 money lead with nearly $5 million already, and he’s exceeded $41 million in career earnings (about half of that just in the past 2 1/3 seasons). Ernie Els Like many players, Els has lost a little driver distance in this spring’s uncommonly wet conditions, but his greens in regulation are a personal-best 71.1% (5th) in the five Tour events he’s played. Thanks to a final round 62 at the Sony Open, Ernie is 2nd in final-round scoring average. Els won twice in America last year, including a Sony Open playoff victory over Frazar. He also copped the World Golf Championship in Ireland, two European Tour events, and the Order of Merit, though the year may be remembered more for near-misses at The Masters and British Open. He’s been on a world tear this year, winning in Dubai, Qatar, and China. Curiously, Mickelson was 14th in putting average in 2003, one of his poorest years generally, and slipped to 43rd in 2004 -- yet won The Masters and finished 3rd on the money list. This year he’s surged to 3rd in putting with 1.7 putts per GIR. He’s 1st in birdies (5.19 per round) and owns the lowest scoring average with 69.15. Phil allegedly is not as bold now, hitting more 3-woods off the tee for example. Nonetheless, he was 120th in fairways hit last year and 154th this year, a statistic based on all par-4/par-5 tee shots regardless of club selection. Despite the waywardness, Mickelson is better than most at approach proximity – 30th overall, including 33rd from the rough. Retief Goosen Can he handle weekend pressure? Retief had the best 3rd-round scoring average and the 2nd-best final round average. Like countryman Els, Goosen is solid on approaches from more than 200 yards (16th), and he’s zoned in at 150 to175 (1st at 24 feet 1 inch). Sufficiently long with his TaylorMade r7quad driver, Retief led in par-5 birdies last year with 55.3% (the Tour average is 39%), and he’s 1st thus far this year at a slightly higher clip. Weaknesses? Like most bombers, accuracy off the tee (125th in ’04), though somewhat improved this season (60th at 66%). Goosen is one of only two players to win each of the past four years; the other is Tiger. Retief also captured two titles in Europe. THE TEXAS 5 Todd Hamilton Todd is not long (283.5 / 128th), nor straight (58.7% / 167th), and hits relatively few greens in regulation (11 of 18 per round). His saving grace has been putting inside 10 feet, where he ranks 5th, sinking almost 9 of every 10 attempts. Hamilton is also consistently good at avoiding three-putt greens (11th) and approach putting (16th). Steady if unspectacular this year, Todd has managed to make 11 of 14 cuts for an average check of about $34,000. That’s a sufficient pace to keep his Tour card but not to get his name on the weekend leader boards. Chad Campbell The best “ball striker” in 2003 (a combination of total driving and greens in regulation), Campbell fell to 52nd last year. His driving distance, accuracy, and GIR all slumped. And his putting couldn’t redeem him – Chad was 160th on the greens. His approach putting especially needs work; he’s 101st overall, 175th from 10-15 and 20-15 feet, and 155th between 15 and 20 feet. Following solid off-season event finishes, the Lewisville resident had a mini-streak going earlier this year, losing in a playoff to Adam Scott at the Nissan Open and a tie for 8th at Bay Hill. Chad’s putting average, though not great, is at least back near 2003 levels. And he’s 4th in par-3 performance. Justin Leonard Justin’s other strength is scrambling. He’s 1st from 10-20 yards out, saving par 119 times in 154 attempts, and 11th from the greenside rough. He struggles some on approach shots from the rough, giving up 15 feet of proximity to the hole compared with approaches from the fairway. Perceived as a steady grinder, Leonard actually views himself as streaky, performing well “maybe four weeks out of the year.” Last year, his poorest since 1996, he failed to win and had only three Top 10s. But switching to Nike equipment this spring, Justin swept from eight shots behind on the weekend to win the Bob Hope shootout. He’s now passed $18 million in career earnings, 9th on the all-time list. Harrison Frazar Frazar had his best year yet in 2004, about doubling his average earnings for the three previous years. His improved performance was largely due to putting -- .022 strokes per GIR, which translates to a stroke per tournament. One stroke can mean a huge difference in the size of the check some Sundays. Harrison was 7th in the “All Around” ranking, which factors scoring, putting, eagles and birdies, sand saves, greens in regulation, driving distance, and driving accuracy. That’s better than Woods, Els, Davis Love III, Sergio Garcia, and most other players. To break into the winner’s circle (which he just missed last year at the Sony), Frazar needs to hone his iron approaches, especially from 125 yards in, and spruce up his scrambling abilities. Hank Kuehne Kuehne is a decent putter, 31st between 4 and 8 feet and 22nd from 15-20. He’s a good scrambler, 17th best from 20-30 yards. And he’s superb out of the sand, 2nd in hole proximity (7 feet 4 inches) and 7th in bunker saves with almost 60%. Hank’s weakness is that he just doesn’t get his approaches close enough – he’s 126th from under 125 yards, 112th from 125-150 (still wedge range for him), 138th from 150-175 (maybe still wedge range!), 94th from 175-200, and 118th from beyond 200. Par-3’s are his nemesis; with no opportunity to blast driver, he’s 156th in scoring average on short holes. This year Hank has made only four cuts in 13 events, missing eight in a row (averaging 74.5 strokes per round). But the New Orleans tournament two weeks ago was encouraging; Kuehne opened with a pair of 69s and finished tied for 21st. He followed with a T28th in North Carolina. Compare yourself to the Big 5 and the Texas 5
Cumulative Statistic Comparison - Big 5 vs. Texas 5
ShotLink™ data is provided through license from the PGA TOUR, Inc., and may not be used without their written permission. ™ – ShotLink is a trademark of the PGA TOUR, Inc.
Copyright 2005 Rick Adams. All Rights Reserved.
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PGA ShotLink ™ statistics reveal where the game's best excel and what the Metroplex's favorite sons need to improve to challenge them. 
He’s longer than John Daly. Blasts it past Davis Love III. Overwhelms numbers 4, 5 and 6 current money leaders David Toms, Chris DiMarco and Fred Funk. He even outdrives each of golf’s newly christened “Big 5” – Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, and Retief Goosen. So why was Hank Kuehne only 99th on the 2004 money list with a little over $800,000 while Singh banked nearly $11 million for a new PGA Tour record?
The world’s No. 1 player is usually thought of for his power game – ripped drives, 250-yard 3-irons, muscled shots from impossibly thick rough. But in 2004 it was finesse and feel that kept Tiger close to the top. He was the best at shots under 125 yards (from where he had struggled with distance control early in his career), 2nd best in putting average, 3rd at scrambling from the fringe, and 4th at putting from inside 10 feet. He was also pretty good at other length putts – 16th between 10 and 15 feet, 11th from 20-25, and 22nd over 25 feet.
If there’s a weakness in Vijay’s game, it’s putting from less than 15 feet; he’s only 139th from inside 10 feet (86.4% made) and 135th from the 10- to 15-foot range (29.2%). Yet he’s 7th from 3 feet with a near-perfect 99.8%. Overall, Singh is 37th in putting average for greens hit in regulation.
The Big Easy’s strengths include long approach shots (1st from more than 200 yards, 6th from 175-200), scrambling (7th), and putting (9th). This combination contributed to a 2nd-best scoring average of 69.98. He’s gotten off-kilter off the tee, however – 185th, hitting only 55.5 fairways – a stat which has steadily dropped since 2000 when he steered 71.4% into the short grass. This is a dangerous trend for Ernie; when he’s in the fairway his approaches finish 10th in proximity to the hole, but from the rough he struggles at 122nd, averaging more than 16 feet further away.
Phil’s comfort zones are mid-range approach shots and mid-range putts. From 125-150 yards he leaves the ball an average 21 feet 4 inches from the hole, about a 5% margin of error. (Compare this with good amateurs at 10-12%.) From 175-200 yards he’s accurate to within 30 feet. Both are in the Top 20. Lefty is 10th in holing putts from 10-15 feet (37.9%). He’s also 3rd in overall scrambling, saving par 64.7% of the time when he misses a green. Such shots led to the PGA Tour’s best par-4 scoring average, 7th on par-5s, and 3rd in birdies in 2004.
The quiet South African is a pure putter – we know that from his sterling performance on the shimmering Shinnecock Hills greens in last year’s US Open. He ranked 5th in approach putting for the season, 9th in holing putts inside 10 feet, 11th in putting average, and 1st in 3-putt avoidance (only 14 all year). Goosen was also the best scrambler, getting it up-and-down 2 of every 3 times.
The pride of Stonebridge Ranch Country Club and JC’s Burger House, Hamilton is often viewed as a one-event wonder, outlasting Els in the 2004 British Open. Most people forget he also won the Honda Classic earlier in the year. Those two tournaments account for three-quarters of Hamilton’s $3 million earnings.
Chad can go low – 61 in the 3rd round of last year’s Colonial National Invitation tournament, and plenty of 64’s, 65’s, and 66’s sprinkled throughout the season. In 2004, however, he didn’t enjoy quite as many streaks as the year before when he cashed nearly $4 million. He posted four Top 10s from late February through May (including 1st at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Classic and 2nd in Fort Worth). 
JL is laser-accurate on approach shots from 175 yards in: 7th from 150-175, 5th from 150-175, and 9th from 125 and under. If he could boost his driver distance a little more he’d be in the hunt more frequently. Justin gives up about 20 yards off the tee to Tiger, Vijay and Ernie; and since he hits an extra club on irons, that’s a difference of three clubs on approach shots. Leonard has been working with former Tiger teacher Butch Harmon and Dallas strength coach Bob MacDonald, and has managed to add 10 yards the past two years, but he’s still only 135th on Tour.
Justin’s University of Texas buddy Harrison is up there with the big boppers in driving distance, averaging a blade of grass under 300 yards. And like Singh, Els, and Kuehne, he has trouble finding the fairway (64.3% for 96th).
There’s no denying the potential of the 1998 US Amateur champion. And cut him some slack – this is only Hank’s third full season on the PGA Tour. It often takes awhile to adjust to the travel, courses, and competition before a player achieves some consistency.)
