Angel Cabrera dominated TrackMan™ stats at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
As in the two previous seasons, TrackMan™ will in 2008 capture and deliver club and ball data from virtually every event on the PGA TOUR. Moreover, TrackMan™ data will become much more available to viewers all over the world as the networks increasingly integrate the data into their broadcasting.
The Golf Channel used TrackMan™ data from the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii extensively in their broadcasting. From live commentary to shot analysis from competitors, to in studio discussions, to “clinic clips” with Nick Faldo on the range with TrackMan™, golf fans were able to benefit from TrackMan™ data in many ways.
More than 250 tee shots were recorded by TrackMan™ at the limited field Mercedes-Benz Championship on Holes 12 and 18 during the championship rounds (1-4). Generally, each player recorded eight (8) tee shots. Key findings are presented below.
Smash Factor
All players had a relatively high smash factor (Ball speed /Club speed), indicating good centeredness of impact.
Club Speed
Angel Cabrera was the fastest swinger in The Mercedes-Benz Championship field delivering the top 5 club speeds.
Three players (Angel Cabrera, Henrik Stenson and Nick Watney) delivered 17 of the top 18 club speeds.
Charles Howell III had 8 club speeds in the top 32 (13, 22, 23, 26, 27, 29, 31, 32)
Mercedes-Benz Champion Daniel Chopra recorded 7 club speeds in the top 37 (19, 20, 25, 28, 30, 34, 37)
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A short video for you to better undertand the TrackMan System.
Ball Speed
Angel Cabrera recorded the highest ball speed and demonstrated Driver efficiency
Cabrera delivered 5 of the 8 highest ball speeds
Three players (Angel Cabrera, Henrik Stenson and Nick Watney) delivered the top 18 ball speeds
Charles Howell III delivered the 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 29 and 32 fastest ball speeds, hence no. 4 in the field when it comes to ball speed. However, Charles Howell III was not able to convert this speed efficiently into carry distance. On the other hand, Charles Howell III achieved a good total distance on his drives as his drives roll a lot. This is because Charles Howell III had 3 of the 6 lowest landing angles (17.3, 22.2, 23.3).
Charles Howell III had the 5 lowest launch angles (3.9, 4.9, 5.1, 5.5, and 5.6 degrees).
Carry Distance
Angel Cabrera was not surprizingly the longest hitter: he hit the drives with the two longest carries
Of all the shots captured by TrackMan™, Angel Cabrera hit the drive with the longest carry – 331 yards, recorded on the 12th hole during the last round.
Cabrera’s longest drive had his lowest recorded spin rate, 2014 rpm, and his highest launch angle of 13.3 degrees.
Charley Hoffman had the 3rd longest drive – 319 yards on the 12th hole during the 3 round.
Charles Howell III had no drives in the top 48 carry distances, even though all his club speeds rank in the top 32!
Vijay Singh had only the 45th highest club head speed recorded (118 mph), but still had 4 shots among the 18 longest carries (8,13,14,18). He was extremely effective in converting club head speed to carry distance!
Source: TrackMan™