In honor of the #WMPO @WasteManagement Phoenix Open this week, I did a statistical dive on what Strokes Gained category influences winning the most. I used the tournament results from 2016-2020 for this analysis. THREAD/

Here is a reference to what Strokes Gained is and how it can be interpreted: https://www.pgatour.com/news/2016/05/31/strokes-gained-defined.html

The most influential category seems to be Strokes Gained Approaching the Green. Players finishing in the Top-5 over the past 5 years ranked on average 12.88 in SG: APP over the course of the tournament. Winners ranked on average 6th in SG: APP in the #WMPO.

It appears TPC Scottsdale places a premium in the long game of players, prioritizing their approaches to the green, followed by their driving performance (SG: Off The Tee).

Of the past 5 winners of the tournament, 4 were in the top 4 SG: APP for the week. The only exception to this was Rickie Fowler, who ranked 22nd in his 2019 win.

Russel Henley, Will Zalatoris, Keegan Bradley, Bubba Watson, and Justin Thomas are the 5 highest ranked SG: APP players this season in the #WMPO field this week.

These will be a few players to watch out for to see if they can use their quality approach play to their advantage this week. /END

@GolfChannel just feautured this graphic during their coverage of the @WMPhoenixOpen, affirming SG: APP is instrumental in the success of players at this tournament

Final Takeaway: Brooks Koepka won the #WMPO this past weekend. He ranked 2nd in the field in SG: APP this week. If you want to be successful at TPC Scottsdale, work on your approach game.