Drive for Show and Putt for Dough?

Abstract

This article examines the determinants of the earnings of PGA Tour golfers from the period 1992-2001. Our goal is to determine whether the returns to various golf skills have changed over time. In recent years, golf analysts have claimed that driving distance has become the preeminent skill in professional golf, and thus they believe that the old adage “drive for show and putt for dough” no longer holds true in professional golf. Our results lend some limited support for this view because we find that the return to driving distance has increased relative to that of putting ability. Nonetheless, it still remains true that putting ability is still by far the single most important determinant of earnings.

Keywords

sports economics earnings determination time allocation

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