Ten years ago, some golf analysts believed that “drive for show and putt for dough” may no longer be true on the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour. Scholars analyzed data from 1991 to 2002 and found that the old adage was still true since putting remained the number one skill determining earnings. We updated their models with data from 2006 to 2013 and found that driving replaced putting as the number one skill determining earnings starting in 2011. The most likely reasons for this return to skill are the lengthening of the courses and the shortening of the rough.
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