Ranking the Players with the Best Short Games on the PGA Tour
Remember the jingle from years past that said "Chicks dig the long ball"?
Truth be told, just about everybody enjoys seeing professional golfers launch golf balls long distances.
But there's also a great deal of excitement involved with well-struck chips, pitches, bunker shots and the occasional spectacular flop shot.
Though all the guys on the PGA Tour have the short-game shots in their toolbox, not all of them can be among the very best.
Following is a subjective list ranking the Top 10 guys in the short-game category.
10. Sergio Garcia
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By the Numbers: In 2014, 26th in sand save percentage; second in scrambling; third in scrambling from more than 30 yards; second in putting from 10-15 feet; and fifth in putting from less than 25 feet.
What They Mean: It's pretty obvious Sergio Garcia spent a lot of time watching and admiring his late hero, Seve Ballesteros, and how he got himself out of jams playing golf around the world.
One thing that's been a constant throughout most of his career has been the beauty and grace of his short game.
Like the rest of his game, his short game went south during a slump that lasted from 2008 into 2011.
He's come back strong and has had four good seasons on the PGA Tour. He finished second in scrambling in 2014, and he's currently putting better than he has before, as evidenced by finishing in the Top Five in a pair of putting statistics in 2014.
9. Aaron Baddeley
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By the Numbers: In 2014, second in strokes gained putting; 40th in sand save percentage; 47th in scrambling; ninth in total putting; first in putting from 10-15 feet; sixth in putting from 15-20 feet; first in putting from 5-15 feet; and 26th in three-putt avoidance.
What They Mean: Looking at Aaron Baddeley's short-game statistics might have you asking, why is he on this list?
But look closer at those stats and you'll see that his putting numbers are good, despite relatively poor numbers in scrambling and sand save percentage.
Baddeley finished in the Top 10 in putting categories and proved that a hot putter can make up for a lot of mistakes in other parts of a player's game.
His short game was great in 2014, but the rest of his game was not, meaning Baddeley failed to earn $1 million.
8. Zach Johnson
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By the Numbers: In 2014, 79th in strokes gained putting; 54th in sand save percentage; 36th in scrambling; ninth in GIR percentage from 75-100 yards; 11th in GIR less than 100 yards; sixth in putting from inside five feet; and fifth in scrambling from the rough.
What They Mean: There's a reason Zach Johnson has played at three Ryder Cups and four Presidents Cups. He's short but accurate off the tee and is deadly accurate when he gets close to the green.
He won the 2007 Masters thanks to that accuracy and precision and has recorded at least one win in each of the last three years on the PGA Tour.
This year he was sixth in putting from inside five feet, which is a real moneymaker for players on the PGA Tour.
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7. Matt Kuchar
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By the Numbers: In 2015, 102 in strokes gained putting; 24th in scrambling; seventh in putting from 20-25 feet; seventh in approaches from 50-75 yards; first in greens in regulation from less than 75 yards; and 22nd in scrambling from the rough.
What They Mean: Matt Kuchar is one of those guys on the PGA Tour who is a very good player and has won a bank vault full of money. However, he's not won a major title and isn't always near the top of the short-game statistics.
But that doesn't mean he can't pull off spectacular shots in the short game. He won the RBC Heritage this year by holing out of a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole and then holed out from the fairway during the Ryder Cup.
His stats in the short game weren't totally sparkling this year, but he did finish in the Top 10 in three categories.
6. Tiger Woods
5 of 10
Tiger Woods has no "by the numbers" because he only teed up in 24 rounds during 2014 and was playing hurt in just about all of those. None of his performance stats were ranked because he didn't have enough rounds to qualify.
But go back to 2013, when Woods won five times and was a much healthier fella.
He was 22nd in strokes gained putting; 14th in sand save percentage; fifth in GIR from 75-100 yards; and eighth in putts from 5-10 feet.
When Woods was good, he was the guy you wanted to have if a putt absolutely had to be made. He also complemented his long balls off the tee with a deft touch around greens. That's the kind of combination that comes in very nicely for a guy winning 14 times.
Assuming Woods comes back healthy in 2015, expect him to regain that short-game wizardry.
5. Jordan Spieth
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By the Numbers: In 2014, Jordan Spieth was 20th in strokes gained putting; 19th in sand save percentage; 13th in scrambling; 15th in putting from 15-20 feet; 13th in putting from 15-25 feet; and ninth in scrambling from the rough.
What They Mean: By now, we should not be surprised by anything Jordan Spieth does. After a spectacular rookie season, during which posted his first victory, Spieth didn't win in 2014, but he made more money.
He finished in the Top 20 in several short-game categories, leading to the scary assumption that he's only going to get better.
If Spieth improves any of those numbers in 2015, then it will be a big help toward him securing that major championship he was expected to have won by now.
4. Brendon Todd
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By the Numbers: In 2014, Brendon Todd finished sixth in strokes gained putting; 15th in sand save percentage; seventh in scrambling; fourth in total putting; sixth in GIR from 75 yards or less; fifth in average distance of putts made; and seventh in scrambling from rough.
What They Mean: Brendon Todd isn't among the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, finishing 153rd in distance off the tee last year. But Todd, another of those University of Georgia products, has one of the best short games in golf today. In the numbers above, you see that he finished in the Top 10 in six of the key short-game categories.
And that short game was the key behind a mid-season surge that made him the hottest golfer on tour for a little over a month. It started with the first victory of his career in the Byron Nelson Championship.
"It was a dream week for me on the golf course," Todd told ESPN.com after the win. "[It] felt like I absolutely scored my pants off. It was just a short-game display. I have a great short game, and even I'll say it was special this week."
He posted Top 10 finishes in six of his next seven starts.
3. Phil Mickelson
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By the Numbers: In 2014, Phil Mickelson was fourth in sand save percentage; 20th in scrambling; fourth in putting from 5-10 feet; and 11th in scrambling from the rough.
What They Mean: Phil Mickelson has earned a reputation of being a go-for-it guy, never meeting a shot he didn't feel he could pull off.
But he's also become one of the great short-game players in the history of the game. Mickelson has a level of creativity that few players could even dream of.
Mickelson has become a master of the flop shot, opening the blade of his 64-degree wedge, taking a full swing and launching high, soft shots that get him out of jams time and time again.
However, one of the weaknesses of his game is also found in his short game; he struggles with short putts, many of which come at critical times in the biggest events.
2. Brian Gay
9 of 10
By the Numbers: In 2014, 10th in sand save percentage, third in scrambling; and fourth in putting less than 25 feet.
What They Mean: Brian Gay has recorded three victories on the PGA Tour since he joined the tour in 1999. He didn't have a great season overall in 2014, but a quick look at the numbers tells you he's still deadly around the greens.
A year ago, he was fifth in sand save percentage, second in scrambling and sixth in strokes gained putting.
Gay is another player who is very short off the tee, playing courses that get longer and longer. He's honed his short game to a point that a conversation can't be had on the subject without his name coming up.
1. Jim Furyk
10 of 10
By the Numbers: In 2014, first in scrambling; sixth in scrambling from more than 30 yards; ninth in putting from inside nine feet; and 11th in putting from 3-5 feet.
What They Mean: Jim Furyk realized early on that he wasn't ever going to be a long hitter, something that has been proven over his long PGA Tour career. He also realized that he was going to be pretty special in other areas, and the numbers above reflect which area that is.
His spectacular short game was a big part of a 2014 season that saw him finish second four times, and record Top 15s in all four majors.
Those numbers prove in black and white that, despite a couple of late-tournament meltdowns, Furyk is very rarely in a position from which he can't get up and down.
All statistics courtesy of PGATour.com.
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