By the Numbers: Who Is Playing the PGA Tour and How Are They Doing?

This is an update of an article published on 3/24/09. At that time we were 11 weeks into the 2009 PGA TOUR season.

We are two-thirds of the way through the 2009 PGA Tour season having played for 22 consecutive weeks. That means 24 tournaments have been contested including the two opposite the WGCs. A total of 3,118 player starts have occurred in those 22 tournaments. Cuts are made, cuts are missed. We have updated the numbers and now is a good time to analyze them to reveal some interesting facts about the 2009 season.

3,118 times a player (could be the same one) has teed it up in hopes of winning one of those 24 tournaments so far this year. Of course there were 24 champions who have hosted the coveted trophy come Sunday afternoon.

But wait a minute, there really have been only 20 champions so far this year because Geoff Ogilvy (Mercedes-Benz and WGC- Accenture Match Play), Phil Mickelson (Northern Trust and WGC- CA), Zach Johnson (SONY Open and Valero Texas Open), and Tiger Woods (Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Memorial Tournament) have won twice.

Other champions so far this year include 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), Retief Goosen (Transitions), Paul Casey (Shell Houston Open), Angel Cabrera (The Masters), Brian Gay (Verizon Heritage), Jerry Kelly (Zurich Classic of New Orleans), Sean O'Hair (Quail Hollow), Henrik Stenson (THE PLAYERS), Rory Sabbatini (HP Byron Nelson), and Steve Stricker (Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial).

The average size of the field for the 13 tournaments to date this year is 130 professional golfers. The largest field was 180 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-AM which is played on three golf courses. As the daylight hours have increased, the most common field size has increased from 144 to 156.

To date there have been five tournaments each with a field size of 144 and 156. 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. The Masters' field size was 96.

How many different players have played in those 13 tournaments? Exactly 417—only 57 more than at the 11-week mark when the number was 360.

Who has played in the most tournaments? Remember the maximum number here is 22. Alex Cejka was the early season Iron Horse playing in 10 of the first 11 weeks. To date he has played in 18 of 22 weeks and is tied at that level by Brian Davis.

However the new Iron Horse of the season is Nicholas Thompson who has played in 19 of 22 weeks on tour this season.

Interestingly Thompson has made nine cuts (47.4%), is No. 212 in the OWGR and is No. 116 on the money list ($348,305). Cejka has made 10 cuts (55.6%), is No. 204 OWGR and is No. 75 on the money list ($630,505). Davis has made 11 cuts (61.1%), is No. 108 OWGR and is No. 19 on the money list ($1,609,951) with three top 10s.

How many have played in 17 tournaments? 13 golfers—Matt Bettencourt, Todd Hamilton, Jeff Klauk, Peter Lonard, Steve Marino, Troy Matteson, James Nitties, Greg Owen, Tim Petrovic, Ted Purdy, Chez Reavie, D.J. Trahan, and Marc Turnesa. Matt Bettencourt and Jeff Klauk are the only rookies among them.

Of the players who have played 17 times, Klauk and Purdy have made the most cuts—14 (82.4%). Turnesa has made the least with four (23.5%).

Marino has three top 10s while Nitties, Petrovic, and Trahan each have two.

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 127 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.

For the 127 "one-timers," only 30 have made the cut. There were no top 10s. The highest finish was 13th by Jose Manuel Lara at the Mayakoba. Sandy Lyle finished T20 at The Masters in his only PGA TOUR start this year.

Tiger has only played in seven events to date this season. There were 10 other golfers like him. Well not exactly like him, but like him with regard to the number of events played so far this year. Tiger has won two of the seven and finished no lower than T9 in four others. His worse finish came in his first tournament back after reconstructive knee surgery—T17 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Other than the "one-timers," there is a critical mass of 113 players on the PGA Tour who have played between 13 and 16 tournaments so far this year. The 113 with positional power being challenged by the 127 with a chance to realize their dream vocation.

Who has made the most cuts? Well Charley Hoffman has played in 15 events and made the cut in every one of them.

Six golfers made 14 cuts. Kenny Perry and Hunter Mahan like Hoffman have been perfect in their 14 events.

The other four golfers to make 14 cuts are Michael Letzig who missed one cut in 15 events, Kevin Sutherland who missed two cuts in 16 events, and Klauk and Purdy who missed three cuts in 17 events.

Geoff Ogilvy and Rocco Mediate have not missed a cut in the 12 events they have competed in.

On the flip side, the darker side past champion Robert Gamez is 0-for-7 so far this year when it comes to making cuts. On the slightly brighter side, everyone playing in four or more events except Gamez has made at least one cut.

Marc Turnesa has missed the most cuts—13 while making four cuts. Those missing 12 cuts include Lonard, Billy Mayfair, and Brad Faxon.

By the numbers, a totally backwards look at the PGA Tour so far this year.

Looking forward by the heart, it is good to see both Phil Mickelson and John Daly back on the PGA Tour competing in Memphis.

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]