6 Golfers Significantly Better Than Their 2012 Earnings

Sometimes it's just not your year.

On the pro golf tour, you are getting tested every season.

In some years, you may get some breaks where you are not playing great but your shots may end up in the right spot and your putter is working sensationally. You may end up with greater earnings and better finishes than you thought you deserved.

But in other years, it goes the other way. You just didn't keep it together and you had a series of disappointing finishes. That doesn't mean it will continue next year.

Here's a look at six golfers who are much better than their 2012 earnings and performance.

David Toms

David Toms struggled to find his form in 2012.

He won $1,226,428 in 2012, well below the $3.8 million he won in 2011.

Toms played in 18 events in 2012 and had seven top-25 finishes.

In 2011, he had 13 top-25 finishes and also had a first-place finish, a second-place finish and a third-place finish.

Toms ranked 139th in strokes gained while putting in 2012. Look for that ranking to improve quite a bit in 2013.

Padraig Harrington

Padraig Harrington has not been on top of his game in either of the last two years. He won slightly over $800,000 in 2011 and increased that total to $1.5 million in 2012.

However, Harrington has not had a top-three finish in either of those seasons. Throughout his career, he has won five PGA tournaments, he has finished second six times and he has two third-place finishes.

Harrington is normally quite accurate tee to green. However, he only hit 62.17 percent of his greens in regulation. That ranked 152nd on the tour.

Harrington should be able improve off that figure next year.

Charles Howell III

Charles Howell III wants to get back on track in 2013.

Howell struggled on the PGA tour in 2012, finishing 86th on the money-winning list with slightly more than $1.08 million won in competition.

In 2011, Howell had a much better season, winning slightly more than $2.5 million.

Howell had two third-place finishes in 2012 and also finished in the top 10 seven times. However, Howell did not have any first- or second-place finishes.

Howell has only had two wins in his career, but he has 13 second-place finishes.

K.J. Choi

K.J. Choi had a disastrous year by his own standards.

He earned $969,057 in 2012. The year before, Choi earned a whopping $4.4 million.

Choi had two top-10 finishes in 2012 and six top-25 finishes. However, he did not have one top-three finish.

Choi was on top of his game the year before. He won the Players Championship, had a second-place finish in the AT&T National and a third-place finish in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Choi's putting stroke escaped him in 2012, as he ranked 169th in strokes gained on the green. If he can improve that figure, he should be in much better shape in 2013.

Y.E. Yang

Y.E. Yang had a disastrous 2012 golf season. He had one top-25 finish throughout the year, and he won a bit more than $450,000 in prize money.

The poor showing in 2012 came on the heels of a strong 2011 season. Yang had a second-place finish, a third-place finish and five top-10 finishes in 2011 in which he won more than $2.3 million.

Yang, of course, is best known for his 2009 PGA Championship in which he got the best of Tiger Woods during the final round of the competition to earn the major.

Look for Yang to improve his ability to hit greens in regulation. He ranked 137th in that category in 2012.

Charl Schwartzel

Charl Schwartzel struggled on the tour in 2012 after making a big splash the year before.

Schwartzel was victorious in the 2011 Masters, one of the most shocking winners in the tournament's history. In addition to winning the Masters, he had three top-10 finishes and won slightly more than $2.6 million.

He was not able to follow up on that performance in 2012. He won slightly more than $1.1 million and had just two top-10 finishes last year.

Schwartzel ranked 87th in driving accuracy last season. If he can improve that a bit, he should be on track for a solid season in 2013.