Two weeks ago at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico, Tony Finau gathered with his team around the practice putting green to work on the one thing that has kept him from winning golf tournaments. It’s no grave secret that Finau has ranked outside the top 100 in strokes gained putting in four of the past five seasons, but deeper dive into the stats shows precisely why the flat stick has held him back at key times.
Tony Finau at the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic Photo: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images
When Finau putts from 10-25 feet, he is well above the PGA Tour average for make percentage. Even when you go beyond that and address his overall lag-putting skills, Finau ranked No. 4 on tour last season in approach putt performance. It’s not a distance control issue. The struggle comes when you put him 4-10 feet from the hole, the critical zone where momentum-saving pars and clutch birdies are converted into victories. Finau made only 28 percent of his putts from 9 feet last season, which ranked No. 187 on tour. Golf can be a complicated ...
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