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A22 SPORTS
Thursday 15 November 2018
Dufner does the math in determining success rate

By DOUG FERGUSON Another measure is who
AP Golf Writer ended long droughts.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. The most famous is Tiger
(AP) — Jason Dufner Woods, an exception in
scanned down both sides many cases. His victory at
of the crowded practice the Tour Championship
range Tuesday at Sea Is- was his first since 2013, and
land as he tried to find a it followed four surgeries
spot to practice. on his back. Phil Mickel-
So many players, even if son in Mexico City won for
he doesn't know all their the first time since 2013.
names. Matt Kuchar won last week
And so few trophies. at Mayakoba, his first on
It was another reminder to the PGA Tour since 2014.
Dufner that golf has a fail- Keegan Bradley, whose
ure rate unlike most other two victories as a rookie
sports. included the PGA Cham-
The PGA Tour had 648 play- pionship, won the BMW
ers tee it up in at least one Championship for his first
tournament last year, and PGA Tour title since 2012.
only 37 players went home Former U.S. Open champi-
with a trophy. Consider the on Webb Simpson crushed
winners-only start to the the field at The Players
calendar year at Kapalua. Championship for his first
From the 34-man field in victory since 2013.
January, 25 players have In this Wednesday July 18, 2018 file photo, Tiger Woods plays a shot on the 12th fairway as The key ingredient in Duf-
not made it back. Jason Dufner looks on during a practice round ahead of the British Open Golf Championship in ner's model, of course, is
Carnoustie, Scotland.
It doesn't take an econom- Associated Press playing long enough so
ics degree from Auburn to that winning 2 percent
figure out that winning isn't his career starts on the PGA fore voting who should get Dufner won twice in one of tournaments actually
easy. Tour, along with the 1992 in. season in 2012, the year means something.
Dufner, who has such a Masters. He was inducted But the standard isn't what before he won the PGA And those who last that
degree, came up with his into the Hall of Fame five it once was, nor should it Championship. He now has long usually build up scar
own version of success on years ago. O'Meara won be with a talent pool that is five victories in 314 starts. tissue from all the times
the PGA Tour that at first 2.4 percent of his PGA Tour getting deeper with every That equates to winning they failed to win.
glance seems outrageous. events, plus two majors in year. 1.6 percent of his PGA Tour Losing happens a lot.
"You win 2 percent of your 1998. It's getting harder to win. starts with one major. So Justin Rose and Johnson
tournaments, you prob- He was inducted two years That didn't stop nine players the Hall of Fame is not in are among those who
ably have a Hall of Fame later. Another example is from winning at least twice the picture. have made winning a hab-
career," Dufner said. "You Davis Love III, who has won last season on the PGA Tour "I better get going," Dufner it. Johnson has won every
throw in a major and win 2.6 percent of his tourna- — Brooks Koepka, Dustin said with a laugh. calendar year since 2008
2 percent of your tourna- ments with one major and Johnson, Justin Thomas and One measure of difficulty on the PGA Tour except for
ments, and you're certainly was inducted last year. Bryson DeChambeau each is who didn't win this year, 2014.
in the Hall of Fame." Hall of Fame standards are won three times — but in a list that includes Jordan Rose has won every year
Maybe he had Fred Cou- hard to determine now be- Dufner's eyes, those are ei- Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama since 2010 except for 2016,
ples or Mark O'Meara in cause a 16-person panel of ther exceptional players or and Henrik Stenson, who all though he won Olympic
mind. mostly golf administrators exceptional years, some- started the year among the gold in Rio de Janiero that
Couples won 2.4 percent of talk among themselves be- times both. top 10 players in the world. summer.q
LPGA announces changes to points race, purse for 2019 finale

By TIM REYNOLDS and purse on the LPGA There are 12 players out event — will win the Globe. Whan said the credit for
AP Sports Writer Tour this season were both of 72 in the field at Tiburon Players are applauding the change goes to CME
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — The at the U.S. Women's Open, Golf Club this week with a bigger purses. The format Group chairman and CEO
Race to the CME Globe where Ariya Jutanugarn chance to win the Globe, change isn't exactly get- Terry Duffy, who was the
will be more frantic starting won $900,000 of the $5 mil- and five of those 12 are as- ting unanimous approval. one who came up with the
next year, and the winner lion total purse. sured to hoist the trophy if "I was a little disappointed, idea to double the purse
of the LPGA Tour's season- "To think that the best play- they win Sunday. The other just that they were get- and change the format for
ending tournament is go- ers in the world won't be seven players can win the ting rid of the season-long the Globe finale.
ing to get considerably paying more attention Globe through various sce- race," said Brooke Hender- "I want anybody to be
richer. to the CME Group Tour narios, many of which are son of Canada, one of the able to win this," Duffy said.
Tour and event officials Championship next year complex. five women who would "That's what really makes it
announced Tuesday night would be wrong," LPGA Next year, it's very simple: clinch the Globe automati- exciting for the fans."
that the CME Group Tour Tour Commissioner Mike The top 60 players in the cally with a win this week. "I This year's tournament
Championship's purse in Whan said. points race, including ties, think that was a good mo- starts Thursday. Henderson,
2019 will double to $5 mil- There's another key will qualify for the finale. tivation for a lot of players Ariya Jutanugarn, Minjee
lion, with the winner get- change for next season, Points then get thrown out to win a lot of events. ... But Lee, Nasa Hataoka and
ting $1.5 million — the in that all the points in the entirely, and the tourna- at the same time, it's really Sung Hyun Park are the five
largest first-place share in season-long Race to the ment winner — whether exciting to know that we who are assured of winning
women's golf history. CME Globe will be thrown she was ranked No. 1 or have a ginormous purse in the Globe if they win the
The biggest winner's check out before the finale. No. 60 coming into the one tournament." tournament.q