Top 25 players to watch in 2012: No. 1 Tom Lehman

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A fast start rocketed Tom Lehman to a terrific season which ended when he claimed the coveted Charles Schwab Cup. It was just one of many honors garnered by Lehman, including the Arnold Palmer Award (Money List) with $2,081,526, a career best.

Allianz Championship Mississippi Gulf Resort Regions Tradition

Recap: 2011 Schwab Cup Interview after CSCC Wins Regions Tradition

In the dream start, Lehman posted all three victories in his first seven starts of 2011. He completed his early-season run by winning the first major of the season, the Regions Tradition, where he defeated Peter Senior in a two-hole playoff at Shoal Creek.

Lehman's other victories came at the Allianz Championship and the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. He added a pair of runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes among his 10 top 5s, which means Lehman had plenty of chances to add to his win total.

"I had a really good first half of the season," Lehman said. "I putted beautifully."

Lehman discovered early in his Champions Tour career that winning required solid golf, that there were no accidental victories.

"There has been a lot of really good golf being played, I think, even compared to when I first joined the Champions Tour two-and-a-half years go," he said.

"I feel like it's more competitive ... You have to shoot very low to win and you can't make many mistakes. Made one bogey in San Antonio and still didn't win. Typically, when you play that kind of golf where you make two bogeys in three days and you don't beat yourself, you're like, 'I'm going to win a bunch.' No. I won three times. Could have been five or six."

But Lehman isn't complaining. He'll take another season just like it in 2012, and if he has another dream start, there's no telling how much more he can win.

Category Average Rank on Champions Tour Scoring Average 69.22 T2nd Driving Distance 286.7 8th Driving Accuracy Pct. 75.82 17th Greens in Regulation 77.68 1st Putting Average 1.771 T33rd All-Around Ranking 172 10th Money List $2,081,526 1st