PGA Tour Pros Face Tougher Putting Conditions as Day Progresses

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A new data analysis reveals that PGA Tour players face more challenging putting conditions as the day goes on at tournaments played on courses with Poa annua grass greens. The study looked at over 9,000 rounds on three West Coast courses - Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach, and Riviera - and found that putting make rates from 5-10 feet drop by as much as 3.4% for players teeing off in the afternoon compared to the morning. The Poa annua grass is known to become bumpier and more unpredictable later in the day, creating tougher putting conditions for the pros.

Why it matters

This data provides quantifiable evidence for a common talking point on the PGA Tour - that the greens get tougher as the day goes on, especially on courses with Poa annua grass. It highlights how small margins can make a big difference at the highest level of professional golf, where even a 3-4% drop in putting performance can be the difference between success and failure. Understanding these course conditions is crucial for players, caddies, and fans to properly evaluate player performance.

The details

The analysis looked at over 9,000 rounds played on Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach, and Riviera over the last 10 seasons. It found that on putts from 5-10 feet, players teeing off before 9am had a 52.3% make rate, compared to 50% for players teeing off between 12-2pm. For rounds 1 and 2 specifically, the drop was even more pronounced - a 3.4% decrease in make rate from 64.9% for early starters to 61.5% for late starters. The impact was most significant at Riviera, where early starters had a 3.4% higher make rate than late starters from 4-8 feet.

• The data analyzed covered the last 10 seasons of PGA Tour events at Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach, and Riviera.
• The putting performance statistics were broken down into three tee time blocks: before 9am, 9am-11am, and 12pm-2pm local time.

What’s next

The PGA Tour will continue to monitor putting performance data at upcoming West Coast events to better understand the impact of Poa annua grass on player scores as the day progresses.