Furyk's Short Game Tames Copperhead

Certainly not the most difficult golf course played on the PGA Tour, the Copperhead at Innisbrook is at least in the top third. I have had the pleasure, but not quite from 7,340. I found it difficult overall and the greenside complexes and short game shots interesting, to say the least. Mr. Furyk may have benefited slightly from the soaking that the course took during the event but I am still impressed with his short game performance which, by my analysis, was the difference between winning and NOT.

I compared every facet of Jim Furyk's game to my PGA Winner's Profile and he was comparable across the board but four strokes better around the greens. No, it was not better putting. He simply hit the ball consistently closer to the hole. With 18 Chip/Pitch and 5 Sand shots, here are Jim's average putting distances and % saved vs. my 2009 Winners Profile:

• Chip/Pitch Shots - Avg. putting distance 4.6 feet vs. Winners @ 5.6 feet. That is a very important foot! Furyk saved: 15 (83%) vs. Winners: 71% (call it 13).
• Sand Shots - Avg. putting distance 5.2 feet vs. Winners 9.6 feet. Jim saved 4 (80%) vs. Winners: 56% (call it 3).

That is where I came up with the 4 shot difference. For perspective, here is how the average 15 - 19 handicap golfer would have fared, and forget about the relative difficulty of the course or the pressure of an event:

Chip/Pitch Shots:

• Avg. putting distance: 14 feet
• % Saved: 25%
• % Errors: 19%

Sand Shots:

• Avg. putting distance: 14 feet
• % Saved: 13%
• % Errors: 33%