The Official World Golf Ranking system was introduced in 1986 and is a system for ranking the level of professional golfers around the world. It is not referred to as the PGA Tour Ranking system because it is used by many more golfing tours around the world. Other tours that use this system include the European Tour, Asian Tour, and the Japan Golf Tour.
The calculation for ranking players is rather simple. Each event on the PGA Tour will be worth a certain number of points. The winner of the tournament obviously receives the most points, but you do not have to win the tournament to earn points. A golfer's work ranking then is obtained by dividing their point total by the number of events they have competed in, giving that player an average. Players are then ranked; a higher point average means a higher rank. These ranks are important because many of the PGA tournaments require "qualifications", if you will. If you wish to compete in a major tournament you have to qualify with a certain number of points. Its much like meeting prerequisite requirements in order to take a more difficult class.
Player rankings are important for the players, but player statistics are also important for the fans who follow these world-class golfers. The PGA Tour is now recording very specific statistics obtained by players. Some of these stats include "Strokes Gained." Strokes gained means certain players are better at certain aspects of the game. Data analysts are keeping track of what players save the most strokes hitting tee shots, approach shots, shots from the sand, shots from the fairways, and shots on the putting green. It is a great way for players to know what they are good at and where they need improvement. As a fan of watching the PGA Tour, it is a great way for me to understand difference in the way each player thinks before hitting a shot.
By: Matt Gilreath
Comments
Post a Comment