What statistic is most closely correlated to low scores? That is an unanswerable question given the number of variables involved. Golf is played outdoors on many different types of courses in all sorts of conditions. Driving distance at one course might be the biggest determinate to good scores while proximity to the hole on the approach shots might be the key stat on another. But one statistic is almost always near the top of the “most important” list: Greens hit in regulation.
Over the Tour’s history, many great names have ascended to the top of the women’s game by leading in greens in regulation.
In 1995, it was Meg Mallon, Pat Bradley and Sherri Steinhauer who led the Tour. Then came Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb in 2000, followed by Lorena Ochoa in 2006 and Suzann Pettersen in 2010, to just name a few legendary players to have ranked among the top in this category.
Today, the entire LPGA Tour hits 67.45% of greens in regulation, which is an increase of 7.35% compared to 25 years ago when it was 60.10%.
Greens in Regulation Percentage
Taking a closer look over the last five years, the greens in regulation percentage on the LPGA Tour has remained steady. The cumulative percentage from 2015-19 is 67.48%, with 2019 sitting at a record high 68.99%.
Greens in Regulation Percentage
LPGA Tour Since 2015
2015 66.68%
2016 66.57%
2017 68.01%
2018 67.16%
2019 68.99%
2020 67.45%
With continued progress, three players have risen to the top in recent years. It may come as no surprise to see the names of Anna Nordqvist, Lexi Thompson and Jin Young Ko leading the Tour in this statistic. Their success of reaching the green in regulation more often, and positioning the ball near the hole has earned them a combined 17 wins including three major championships since 2015.
Amid their winning, they also ascended the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings with Nordqvist peaking at a career-best No. 4 and Thompson soaring to World No. 2 for the first time in her career in 2017. But Ko, who became the Rolex Rankings No. 1 player last year and won the ANA Inspiration and The Evian Championship, has been expertly consistent in finding the green in more ways than one in only two full seasons on Tour.
Jin Young Ko’s Performance
The 24-year-old Ko joined the LPGA Tour in 2018 and has reigned supreme in greens in regulation. She led the Tour in both 2018 and 2019, coming in at a combined 78.28% during the two seasons. Her birdie-or-better conversion rate was 29.74% in 2019, which ranked 19th on Tour.
Ko’s precision placement led to a remarkable streak in 2019 where she played 114 consecutive holes bogey-free, starting at the third hole in round three of the AIG Women’s British Open through the eighth hole in the first round of the Cambia Portland Classic. She bested Tiger Woods’ bogey-free record by four holes, as her streak became the longest in the history of professional golf.
Jin Young Ko
LPGA Tour Statistics
| CATEGORY | 2019 | RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Greens in regulation | 79.56% | 1st |
| GIR percentage when miss the fairway | 64.49% | 1st |
| GIR percentage from the fairway | 85.59% | 2nd |
| Putts per GIR | 1.75 | 4th |
No matter where the ball landed off the tee last year, Ko found an approach to the green. And, she capitalized on these opportunities.
Birdie-or-Better Conversion
As many have accomplished, once hitting the green, the next task is decisively finding the hole. In 2019, the LPGA Tour birdie or better conversion rate was 25.92%, up 2.45% from the start of the last decade. The leaders in this statistic combined for seven wins last year – Sung Hyun Park, Mi Jung Hur and Nelly Korda each recorded two wins and Amy Yang had one win.
Birdie or Better Conversion
LPGA Tour 2019 Leaders
Sung Hyun Park 32.70%
Mi Jung Hur 32.54%
Nelly Korda 31.89%
Ariya Jutanugarn 31.69%
Amy Yang 31.38%
The statistics show that when the ball hits the green, the percentage of birdies or better rises, and the wins start to roll in.
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