Kapalua: These 10 have the hybrid game to win there
By Bill Felber
6. Brooks Koepka
The strength of Koepka’s game always has been, and remains, off the tee. Last season his advantage over the field in that area amounted to better than six-tenths of a stroke per round, making him the seventh most productive driver of the golf ball on Tour.
His approach game, while not at that elite level, is good enough. It added nearly an additional half stroke per round to his advantage, meaning Koepka picked up better than 1.1 strokes per round on the field before his ball ever got to the area of the green.
The downside, for Koepka, is that his irons have been off form so far this season. He’s played in three measured events, and has yet to produce a positive result with those same irons. He will, then, require a return to his prior approach game form at Kapalua if he is to challenge.
5. Justin Thomas
Thomas completed the 2020-21 season with the Tour’s second best approach game. His average advantage over the field in that skill set approached nine-tenths of a stroke per round.
In the only measured event he played during the recently concluded fall season – the CJ Cup – Thomas’ approach game showed no letup, averaging 1.14 strokes gained per round. He only tied for 18th because his putter failed to perform at a professional standard.
At a modest +0.235 Strokes Gained Off The Tee, Thomas finished the 2020-21 season outside the Tour’s top 50 in driver productivity. That’s sub-standard for Thomas, who the prior two seasons could at least count on being top 25 off the tee.
Still, the combination of his assets off the tee and approaching the green gave Thomas better than a 1.2 stroke advantage on the field per round last season. That should stand him well at Kapalua.