Golf is a game with a simple objective: get the ball in the hole in the fewest strokes possible. But several different skills must be mastered to accomplish that task. There's driving, iron play, short game and putting. Players must attain, and maintain, a certain level of proficiency in each aspect of the game to have success. That's why Stewart Cink compares golf to another game, one that's often found in an arcade or at a carnival. The six-time winner says it's like Whack-A-Mole because once a player fixes one fault in his game, another one is quick to pop up. "You correct one thing, and something else flares up, and it’s just constantly you’re searching for where you’re going to put the next fire out." he said. "We’re not robots. We’re human beings. "It’s just the way golf is, and it’s part of what makes it such a great game." Players can only practice for so long, though. Daylight presents a natural limit. Some players have parental commitments to schedule around. Then there's the law of diminishing returns, and the increased risk of injury that comes from excessive work. Swinging a golf club more than 100 mph can be hard on the body. That's why players turn to data and technology to make their practice time more efficient. Rory McIlroy, the reigning FedExCup champion, is among the players who relies on stats to show him what to work on. For example, a report he received after the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship showed him that his sand shots weren't up to his standards. "I got a stats report after the three weeks that I had at Torrey Pines, at Riviera, and Mexico, and that’s what I based my practice off going into the next few weeks," McIlroy said at this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational. "My bunker play wasn’t up to the same standards it needed to be. I needed to get better (with putts) from 6 to 12 feet. It’s stuff that you sort of know anyway, but it’s nice when you have that objective data in front of you." PGA TOUR players are finely-tuned athletes but they aren't always attuned to the true state of their game. They hit thousands of shots in a season but often remember the outliers the most vividly. This can make it difficult to produce a true assessment of their game. "What happens to athletes, because they're always in the thick of it, they start telling themselves stories,” instructor Sean Foley said at the 2014 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, an annual meeting of the best minds in sports statistics. These stories aren't always accurate. Foley tells the story of former pupil Justin Rose, who considered himself a poor wedge player. The statistics actually showed that he was No. 1 in strokes gained from 100 yards and in. "It’s nice to look at some numbers to back it up, because you can get a little blinded out there thinking I’m not putting well, when in actual fact you’re hitting a lot of great iron shots and you’re giving yourself a lot of 15-, 20-foot looks that you’re not going to make a lot of, and therefore you think you’re putting badly," said four-time PGA TOUR winner Graeme McDowell. Charles Howell III hired data analyst Richie Hunt to help him prioritize his practice. "I've always been a guy who really likes to practice, but there have been some times when I'm practicing really hard and not getting any better. Richie would come in and say that's because you're practicing the wrong things," Howell said. "Every part of the game matters, but certain things matter more to certain people." Technology like force plates and 3-D motion capture also help players get more out of their training, especially when they are struggling. This technology helps players more quickly find a solution to their swing problems. Some players use such high-tech training aids when they are playing well, in order to capture data on their swing when it is working its best. This data serves as a benchmark against which players can compare when things go awry. "If someone is playing really well, you collect that data and put it in a vault and save it for a rainy day," said instructor Chris Como, who works with Bryson DeChambeau, Emiliano Grillo, Jamie Lovemark and Trevor Immelman. "And if they get in a funk, you can compare their current swing to when they were playing well." Brooks Koepka credited force plates for his recent success at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. They showed him that he wasn't getting enough weight on his left side through impact. "Usually at impact, I'm at 70% (of my weight) on the left side. I had 70% on the right side," Koepka said. After struggling for most of the season, he finished second at TPC Southwind to lock up his spot in the FedExCup Playoffs. Injuries, travel and different weather and course conditions can all lead to small changes in a player's swing over the course of a season. Hard data can diagnose problems more quickly than the naked eye. As Bobby Jones once wrote, "Golf is a difficult game to play consistently well because the correct swing is not a thing the human body can accomplish entirely naturally." Technology and data can help players when they get off-kilter, however.
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Final Round 2-Balls - J. Day / S. Valimaki | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Jason Day | -165 |
Sami Valimaki | +140 |
Final Round 2-Balls - C. Kirk / T. Detry | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Thomas Detry | -120 |
Chris Kirk | +100 |
Final Round 2-Balls - A. Scott / S. Burns | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Sam Burns | -125 |
Adam Scott | +105 |
Final Round Match-Ups - J. Rose vs S. Burns | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Justin Rose | -115 |
Sam Burns | -105 |
Final Round 2-Balls - S. Straka / J. Rose | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Sepp Straka | -135 |
Justin Rose | +115 |
Final Round Six-Shooter - Group D - D. Berger / W. Clark / J. Spieth / J.T. Poston / S. Straka / M. Greyserman | |
Type: Final Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN | |
Daniel Berger | +350 |
Jordan Spieth | +375 |
Sepp Straka | +375 |
J.T. Poston | +450 |
Wyndham Clark | +450 |
Max Greyserman | +650 |
Final Round Match-Ups - S. Straka vs M. Greyserman | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Sepp Straka | -180 |
Max Greyserman | +150 |
Final Round 2-Balls - J.T. Poston / E. Cole | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
J.T. Poston | -145 |
Eric Cole | +120 |
Final Round Match-Ups - J.T. Poston vs J. Spieth | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | -115 |
J.T. Poston | -105 |
Final Round 2-Balls - B. Horschel / S. Jaeger | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Billy Horschel | -115 |
Stephan Jaeger | -105 |
Final Round 2-Balls - J. Spieth / M. Greyserman | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | -155 |
Max Greyserman | +130 |
Final Round 2-Balls - A. Tosti / D. Wu | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Alejandro Tosti | -135 |
Dylan Wu | +145 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - S. Im / R. Hisatsune | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Sungjae Im | -155 |
Ryo Hisatsune | +130 |
Final Round Six-Shooter - Group B - S. Lowry / B. Harman / V. Hovland / K. Bradley / S. Im / S.W. Kim | |
Type: Final Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN | |
Shane Lowry | +350 |
Viktor Hovland | +350 |
Sungjae Im | +375 |
Brian Harman | +500 |
Keegan Bradley | +500 |
Si Woo Kim | +550 |
Final Round Six-Shooter - Group C - M. Fitzpatrick / R. Hisatsune / A. Novak / B. Campbell / M. Hughes / C. Davis | |
Type: Final Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN | |
Matt Fitzpatrick | +320 |
Andrew Novak | +400 |
Mackenzie Hughes | +400 |
Ryo Hisatsune | +425 |
Brian Campbell | +500 |
Cam Davis | +550 |
Final Round Match-Ups - S. Lowry vs S. Im | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Shane Lowry | -110 |
Sungjae Im | -110 |
Final Round 2-Balls - A. Putnam / R. Hoey | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Rico Hoey | -120 |
Andrew Putnam | +130 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - V. Hovland / T. Hoge | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Viktor Hovland | -150 |
Tom Hoge | +125 |
Final Round Score - Viktor Hovland | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -155 |
Under 68.5 | +120 |
Final Round Match-Ups - D. Berger vs V. Hovland | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Daniel Berger | -115 |
Viktor Hovland | -105 |
Final Round Match-Ups - C. Davis vs T. Hoge | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Tom Hoge | -145 |
Cam Davis | +120 |
Final Round 2-Balls - S. Choi / T. Rosenmuller | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Thomas Rosenmuller | -160 |
Sam Choi | +175 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - S. Lowry / D. Berger | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Shane Lowry | -115 |
Daniel Berger | -105 |
Final Round Score - Daniel Berger | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -155 |
Under 68.5 | +120 |
Final Round Score - Shane Lowry | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -155 |
Under 68.5 | +120 |
Final Round 2-Balls - Z. Blair / C. Hoffman | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Charley Hoffman | -125 |
Zac Blair | +135 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - W. Clark / B. Hun An | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Wyndham Clark | -115 |
Byeong Hun An | -105 |
Final Round Score - Byeong Hun An | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | +115 |
Under 69.5 | -150 |
Final Round Score - Wyndham Clark | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | +125 |
Under 69.5 | -165 |
Final Round Match-Ups - K. Bradley vs W. Clark | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Keegan Bradley | -110 |
Wyndham Clark | -110 |
Final Round Match-Ups - M. Fitzpatrick vs B. Hun An | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Byeong Hun An | -110 |
Matt Fitzpatrick | -110 |
Final Round 2-Balls - A. Baddeley / S. Power | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Seamus Power | -190 |
Aaron Baddeley | +210 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - M. Fitzpatrick / B. Campbell | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Matt Fitzpatrick | -135 |
Brian Campbell | +115 |
Final Round Score - Matt Fitzpatrick | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | +115 |
Under 69.5 | -150 |
Final Round 2-Balls - M. Wallace / M. NeSmith | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Matt Wallace | -150 |
Matt NeSmith | +165 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - C. Davis / M. Hughes | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Mackenzie Hughes | -135 |
Cam Davis | +115 |
Final Round Match-Ups - A. Novak vs M. Hughes | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Andrew Novak | -115 |
Mackenzie Hughes | -105 |
Final Round 2-Balls - B. Martin / K. Mitchell | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Keith Mitchell | -150 |
Ben Martin | +165 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - P. Cantlay / K. Bradley | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Patrick Cantlay | -155 |
Keegan Bradley | +130 |
Final Round Six-Shooter - Group A - S. Scheffler / R. Henley / P. Cantlay / T. Fleetwood / J. Thomas / M. McNealy | |
Type: Final Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +225 |
Patrick Cantlay | +425 |
Justin Thomas | +450 |
Russell Henley | +475 |
Tommy Fleetwood | +550 |
Maverick McNealy | +600 |
Final Round Score - Keegan Bradley | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | +125 |
Under 69.5 | -165 |
Final Round Score - Patrick Cantlay | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -120 |
Under 68.5 | -110 |
Final Round Match-Ups - S. Scheffler vs P. Cantlay | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | -165 |
Patrick Cantlay | +140 |
Final Round 2-Balls - V. Whaley / J. Paul | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Vince Whaley | +100 |
Jeremy Paul | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - S. Scheffler / R. Henley | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | -185 |
Russell Henley | +150 |
Final Round Score - Russell Henley | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -155 |
Under 68.5 | +120 |
Final Round Score - Scottie Scheffler | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 67.5 | -105 |
Under 67.5 | -125 |
Final Round Match-Ups - R. Henley vs B. Harman | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Russell Henley | -155 |
Brian Harman | +130 |
Final Round 2-Balls - M. Thorbjornsen / G. Higgo | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Michael Thorbjornsen | +100 |
Garrick Higgo | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - B. Harman / T. Fleetwood | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Tommy Fleetwood | -135 |
Brian Harman | +115 |
Final Round Score - Brian Harman | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | +125 |
Under 69.5 | -165 |
Final Round Score - Tommy Fleetwood | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -130 |
Under 68.5 | +100 |
Final Round Match-Ups - J. Thomas vs T. Fleetwood | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Justin Thomas | -115 |
Tommy Fleetwood | -105 |
Final Round 2-Balls - J. Dahmen / C. Kim | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Chan Kim | +100 |
Joel Dahmen | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2-Balls - J. Thomas / M. McNealy | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Justin Thomas | -145 |
Maverick McNealy | +120 |
Final Round Score - Justin Thomas | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -120 |
Under 68.5 | -110 |
Final Round Score - Maverick McNealy | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -145 |
Under 68.5 | +110 |
Final Round Match-Ups - S.W. Kim vs M. McNealy | |
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Maverick McNealy | -125 |
Si Woo Kim | +105 |
Final Round 2-Balls - S.W. Kim / A. Novak | |
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Si Woo Kim | -115 |
Andrew Novak | -105 |
Final Round Score - Si Woo Kim | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | +115 |
Under 69.5 | -150 |
Final Round Score - Andrew Novak | |
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | -130 |
Under 69.5 | +100 |
JM Eagle LA Championship | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
Akie Iwai | +275 |
Lauren Coughlin | +275 |
Ingrid Lindblad | +375 |
Nelly Korda | +900 |
Ina Yoon | +1000 |
Jeeno Thitikul | +1600 |
Minjee Lee | +1600 |
Rio Takeda | +1800 |
Miyu Yamashita | +4000 |
Chisato Iwai | +17500 |
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Final Round 2 Balls - E. Pedersen v M. Yamashita | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Miyu Yamashita | -170 |
Emily Pedersen | +185 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls - J. Thitikul v M. Lee | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Jeeno Thitikul | -145 |
Minjee Lee | +160 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls - N. Korda v R. Takeda | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Nelly Korda | -145 |
Rio Takeda | +160 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls - I. Yoon v I. Lindblad | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Ina Yoon | -115 |
Ingrid Lindblad | +125 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls - A. Iwai v L. Coughlin | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Lauren Coughlin | +100 |
Akie Iwai | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
Major Specials 2025 | |
Type: To Win A Major 2025 - Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +160 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +350 |
Xander Schauffele | +350 |
Ludvig Aberg | +400 |
Collin Morikawa | +450 |
Jon Rahm | +450 |
Brooks Koepka | +700 |
Justin Thomas | +700 |
Viktor Hovland | +700 |
Hideki Matsuyama | +800 |
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PGA Championship 2025 | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy | +500 |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +1400 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1400 |
Xander Schauffele | +1400 |
Jon Rahm | +1800 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Justin Thomas | +2500 |
Viktor Hovland | +2500 |
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US Open 2025 | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy | +500 |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +1200 |
Xander Schauffele | +1200 |
Jon Rahm | +1400 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1400 |
Collin Morikawa | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +1800 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Justin Thomas | +2500 |
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The Open 2025 | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy | +500 |
Scottie Scheffler | +550 |
Xander Schauffele | +1100 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1400 |
Collin Morikawa | +1600 |
Jon Rahm | +1600 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2000 |
Shane Lowry | +2500 |
Tommy Fleetwood | +2500 |
Tyrrell Hatton | +2500 |
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Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
USA | -150 |
Europe | +140 |
Tie | +1200 |