By The Numbers: Who is Playing the PGA Tour and How are They Doing?

We are well into the PGA Tour season, having played for 11 consecutive weeks. That means 13 tournaments have been contested, including the two opposite the WGCs. A total of 1,613 player starts have occurred in those 11 tournaments.

Cuts are made, cuts are missed. We have the numbers and now is a good time to analyze them to reveal some interesting facts about the 2009 season.

One thousand six hundred thirteen times a player (could be the same one) has teed it up in hopes of winning one of those 13 tournaments so far this year.

Of course, there were 13 champions who have hosted the coveted trophy come Sunday afternoon. But wait a minute there really have been only 11 champions so far this year because Geoff Ogilvy (Mercedes-Benz and WGC—Accenture Match Play) and Phil Mickelson (Northern Trust and WGC— CA) have won twice.

Other champions so far this year include Zach Johnson (Sony Open), Pat Perez (Bob Hope Chrysler), Kenny Perry (FBR Open), Nick Watney (Buick Invitational), Dustin Johnson (AT&T Pebble Beach), Mark Wilson (Mayakoba), Y.E. Yang (Honda), Michael Bradley (Puerto Rico) and Retief Goosen (Transitions).

The average size of the field for the 13 tournaments to date this year is 124 professional golfers. The largest field was 180 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-AM, which is played on three golf courses.

Next largest was 156 at the Buick Invitational followed by 144 at four other tournaments. The smallest field of 33 was the Mercedes-Benz Championship where only the champions from the prior year are invited. The next smallest fields were the WGCs with 64 at the Match Play and 80 at the WGC-CA.

How many different players have played in those 13 tournaments? Exactly 360.

Who has played in the most tournaments? Remember the maximum number here is 11. Nobody has played all 11 weeks, but the Iron Horse of the PGA Tour so far this year has been Alex Cejka who has played 10 times.

The only tournament week Cejka did not play in? The very first week of the season at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Why? Likely because he was not eligible since he did not win a tournament last year.

Note that he also did not compete in either of the WGCs, but did travel to Mexico and Puerto Rico to keep his streak going. Cejka’s streak ends this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational where evidently he did not receive an invitation.

How many have played nine tournaments? Ten golfers— Briny Baird, Jeff Klauk, Brendon De Jonge, Jarrod Lyle, John Mallinger, Cliff Kresge, Nicholas Thompson, Eric Axley, Tim Petrovic, and Johnson Wagner. Jeff Klauk is the only rookie among them.

What is the most common number of tournaments to play in so far on the PGA Tour this year? That is if you are eligible to play?

Answer— the lonely number of one. A total of 97 golfers have teed it up only one time on the PGA Tour this year. Most of these occurred in the opposite-WGC events or are local qualifiers at the other PGA Tour stops.

Tiger has only played in two events— both WGCs. There were 32 other golfers like him. Well not exactly like him but like him with regard to the number of events played so far this year.

There is a critical mass of players on the PGA Tour namely the ones who have played seven (59) and eight (52) times so far this year.

Okay so much for the numbers regarding the players. How did they do as far as making cuts?

Well Cejka made five cuts so it’s a 50-50 proposition for him whether he plays the weekend when he enters a tournament.

Who has made the most cuts?

There are five golfers who made eight cuts led by three golfers who have not missed one cut yet this year in eight events— Michael Letzig, Kenny Perry, and D.J. Trahan. Briny Baird and Jeff Klauk have only missed one so they are 8-for-9.

There are three golfers who made the cut in all seven events they have played— Cameron Beckman, Charley Hoffman, and Nick Watney.

Seven golfers have not missed a cut in all six events they have played—Woody Austin, Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Hunter Mahan, Geoff Ogilivy and Boo Weekley.

Jim Furyk and Rocco Mediate have not missed a cut in their five tournaments so far this year.

On the flip side, the darker side Brad Faxon is 0-for-7 so far this year when it comes to making cuts. Todd Hamilton also missed seven cuts and is 1-for-8. Billy Andrade, Martin Laird, and James Oh are 1-for-7. Robert Gamez and Darron Stiles have missed the cut in all five tournaments they entered.

Interestingly enough, Michael Bradley has played in only one tournament this year—the Puerto Rico Open. He won it so it goes to show you all you need is that one opportunity to put a tee in the ground and you might just win the darn thing. Unless Tiger is playing.      

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel. He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]