5 Things You Didn't Know: Buick Invitational
GOLF.com goes inside the numbers to reveal interesting facts about the key players at the 2008 Buick Invitational.
Woods, So young and So Good
As you have likely heard and read, Tiger Woods's win at Torrey Pines on Sunday gave him a career total of 62 PGA Tour victories, tying him with Arnold Palmer. To put the speed of Woods's accomplishment into perspective, think about this: Tiger turned 32 on Dec. 30, 2007; Palmer won his final event — the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic — at age 43.
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Driving Accuracy is Meaningless
Hitting the fairways at Torrey Pines will be very important when the pros return to the South Course for the U.S. Open. However, driving accuracy was pretty meaningless at the Buick Invitational. Mark O'Meara led the field in driving accuracy last week (78.57%), but he finished in last place among players who competed on the weekend (66th). Tiger Woods hit 48.2% of the fairways and won by eight shots.
Cink's short game is getting it done
Stewart Cink, who finished tied for third at the Buick Invitational, is leading the PGA Tour in scrambling. The former Georgia Tech star has saved par or better after missing the green in regulation 31 of 41 times in 2008 (75.61%). Last year Cink ranked 107th in the category (56.90%).
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The Biggest Hitter on Tour
John Daly and Bubba Watson had better get out of Ryuji Imada's way the next time they cross paths. On Sunday, the Japanese star, who came in second at the Buick Invitational, hit the longest drive of the 2008 PGA Tour season — a 414-yard blast on the 435-yard, par-4, 14th hole.
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Mickelson depends on his short game magic
Phil Mickelson made his PGA Tour debut this weekend, and his swing appeared to be a bit rusty. He hit only 61.1% of the greens in regulation at Torrey Pines, but thanks to a scrambling percentage that ranked third for the week (75%), he was still able to snare a tie for sixth place.
