7 out of the last 8 players to lead (#1) the Total Driving category on the PGA Tour........have lost their tour cards!!!

---from Brandle Chamblee

US Open champion Lucas Glover is currently #1 in Total Driving.


Just doesn't seem right to me, as in it shouldn't be this way? Has it always been this way?

Has anybody won the US Open, then lost their tour card within say 5 years?

Doesn't the winner get a 5 year exemption on tour?

That's an interesting stat on the total driving leaders. Can someone pull up the names of those people?

Is Bubba Watson the only one of 8??

Michael Campbell won the US Open in 05. He can't even get a top 25 on any tour, yet alone win anything.

Found it:

Total Driving Leaders:

09 (YTD) Lucas Glover
08 Jason Gore
07 Charles Warren
06 Scott Gutschewski
05 David Hearn
04 Jeff Brehaut
03 Mike Heinen
02 Charles Howell III
01 Sergio Garcia


I didn't hear the original quote, but I don't think 7 of 8 lost their cards.

Great question. I have bee wondering about that too, since I heard it. I have a couple of theories.

1) A player that is long and straight with the driver, may be inadequate in other areas. For example, maybe they're 150th in putting and 98th in scrambling.

2) Similarly, maybe the saying of "driving for show and putting for dough" is more correct than any of us thought.

3) The penalty for hitting it in the rough isn't as great as we may think.

4) If you're not playing the majors and the WGC events, you're typically playing the easier courses. So, your stats are skewed. Well, your stats may get pounded playing in those tougher events, but that's where the $$$ is that helps you keep your card.

Anyway, just some theories. I was surprised to hear that stat as well. I'll be interested to hear what others think.

Bubba Watson has not even been in the top 5 in any year for Total Driving. You have to be somewhat accurate to get up there. Keyword somewhat.

It's kind of a lame stat and looking at the last eight years, Chamblee seems to have it wrong unless Sergio never had a tour card to lose. But I guess he was referring to CH III as being the only guy not to lose his card.

I asked my question about US Open winners losing their card without even looking at the past stats first because my point was how stats can be manipulated to show whatever, and I assumed Chamblee was referring to guys who lost their card that year. Does anyone think Glover is going to lose his card this year? Does any US Open winner lose their card quickly? I know many have eventually, but it took awhile.

2008 Jason Gore
2007 Charles Warren
2006 Scott Gutschewski
2005 David Hearn
2004 Jeff Brehaut
2003 Mike Heinen
2002 Charles Howell III
2001 Sergio Garcia

actually this would make sense since most people agree that iron play is sufficient overall for better scoring than just focusing primarly driving distance/accuracy. ok ok I admit I use to be a driving nut.

In 2000 I threw all the major statistical numbers in an Excel spreadsheet, event by event, for reference point to bet on the weekly head-to-head matchups. I didn't pay any attention for a few months, then I calculated everything.

Total driving was an immediate reject. It had very little correlation to success. Driving distance was markedly more vital. Unfortunately, the oddsmakers eventually caught onto that and started making better matchups.

A good idea to keep in mind is cumulative categories are typically forced and overblown. Like in football when they try to claim "best all around running back" or similar garbage. Invariably that's a guy is who isn't special at anything yet fans of that team want to pretend he's better than he is so they invent descriptions like "top 5 all around back." I'm a Dolphins fan. Ronnie Brown is the current example, overhyped on Miami message boards. Give me brilliance in a key category, like golf putting or running back instincts, not pretty good here and there.

The comment/stat wasn't pointed at Lucas, per se......I just wanted to note who was #1 in T.D.

And by the looks of the leaders you guys posted above it seems Brandle was off the mark?

Your qoute makes it seem like they're saying 7 out of the last 8 guys who were the number one in the catagory have lost their cards. So I'm saying that would be 7 out of the last 8 years, whoever was number 1 has eventually lost their card.