With Tom Hoge's win at Pebble Beach, he became the sixth PGA Tour winner in a row to rank in the top 25 in SG: Approach.
Getty Images
While last week’s Saudi International featured a star-studded field — and a pretty epic finish — the Pebble Beach Pro-Am still provided some theatrics of its own. Jordan Spieth did Jordan Spieth things over the weekend as he came up just shy of his 13th PGA Tour victory, Patrick Cantlay put himself in the mix (again), and Tom Hoge put together a sublime Sunday back nine for his first victory.
Hoge’s performance was notable not only because he got the first-win monkey off his back, but also because he continued an interesting trend of Tour winners this season. Let’s dive into the week’s statistical nuggets below.
1. The importance of iron play.Tom Hoge was a force on Pebble’s back nine on Sunday. His inward charge featured four birdies as he hit seven of his nine approach shots inside 20 feet. That deadeye accuracy with his irons was good for second in SG: Approach for the day, and improved his standing on the season in the same category to fifth.
Hoge’s appearance near the top of the charts in SG: Approach continues an interesting trend over the past six events on Tour. With Hoge’s win, the last six Tour winners rank inside the top 25 in SG: Approach for this season. Going back to the beginning of the season, nine of 14 winners on Tour this season currently rank inside the top 25 in SG: Approach.
Want to win? Get yourself an elite irons game.
Practice your ball striking, kids.
2. A well-rounded game.Sungjae Im only has one victory this season, but based on his well-rounded stats, you could argue he should have more. Im ranks inside the top five in five key statistical categories this season, including top 10s, in which he ranks No. 1 on Tour with four this season. The 23-year-old has been among the most consistent players on Tour this season, and another victory shouldn’t come as a surprise.
3. Still No. 1. Hideki Matsuyama didn’t tee it up last week at Pebble Beach, but he still holds onto the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings. The defending Masters champ already has two wins this season, and his game appears to be in form with the Masters looming. Could a repeat at Augusta be in the cards?
Here is the rundown of the PGA Tour’s stats leaders in 10 key categories.
