November 21 2012
4:37 PM
2012 biggest movers: Putting
Which players improved their putting the most in 2012? And which players suffered the biggest decreases?
The PGA TOUR’s Alex Turnbull compared the TOUR’s primary putting statistic, strokes gained-putting, along with the TOUR ranking of 136 players who played the minimum number of rounds in both 2011 and 2012 (thus, qualifying statistically in the category). Here are the five players at the top of the list and the five at the bottom, based on their change in ranking from one season to the next.
BIGGEST IMPROVEMENTS
| Player | 2011 rank (SGP) | 2012 rank (SGP) | Increase in rank |
| Derek Lamely | 156th (-0.295) | 7th (+0.63) | +149 |
| Bo Van Pelt | 144th (-0.192) | 11th (+0.577) | +133 |
| Jim Furyk | 150th (-0.218) | 19th (+0.451) | +131 |
| Phil Mickelson | 134th (-0.139) | 10th (+0.591) | +124 |
| Dustin Johnson | 171st (-0.497) | 50th (+0.216) | +121 |
BIGGEST DECREASES
| Player | 2011 rank (SGP) | 2012 rank (SGP) | Decrease in rank |
| Angel Cabrera | 15th (+0.535) | 154th (-0.237) | -139 |
| Roland Thatcher | 52nd (+0.223) | 186th (-0.588) | -134 |
| Fredrik Jacobson | 6th (+0.654) | 133rd (-0.158) | -127 |
| Andres Romero | 24th (+0.462) | 141st (-0.190) | -117 |
| Rickie Fowler | 31st (+0.377) | 139th (-0.171) | -108 |
RORY AND TIGER
Neither Rory McIlroy nor Tiger Woods played enough rounds on the PGA TOUR in 2011 to qualify for the comparison list. But here are their numbers had each player met the minimum number of rounds last year.
| Player | 2011 rank (SGP) | 2012 rank (SGP) | Difference in rank |
| Rory McIlroy | 130th* (-0.129) | 82nd (+0.087) | +48 |
| Tiger Woods | 45th* (+0.258) | 35th (+0.332) | +10 |
* – If he had met minimum number of rounds
