New Tour Filters - Update and Expansion

Further to our new tour filters post, we have modified the 'Results by Year' page in the member section of Golf Predictor to use a tour dropdown list instead of links. This was done for consistency reasons. We also took the opportunity to improve the display of long course details.

In addition, we have rolled out this functionality to all the pages in the 'Stats Analysis' menu. This means you can now filter the tournaments on all the prediction pages by tour (European/US/Both).

2008 - Week 50 Predictions Online

We have published the predictions for week 50, the Ginn sur Mer Classic (USPGA Tour) and the Volvo Masters (European PGA Tour). The good news for us here at Golf Predictor is that this is the last week of the European PGA Tour season. The bad news for us is that the next European season starts next week, so we can't put our feet up quite yet! Those cats in the European PGA sure don't like to waste time!

While Robert Karlsson is in prime position to win the European Order of Merit, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and even Miguel Angel Jimenez can overtake him if they take the Volvo Masters title. Interestingly, all three have won the title before at Valderrama (see below), so Karlsson can't afford to relax.

Previous winners of the season ending Volvo Masters before 2003 (Golf Predictor includes results from the previous 5 years) competing this week include Padraig Harrington (2001), Miguel Angel Jimenez (1999), Darren Clarke (1998), Lee Westwood (1997) and Colin Montgomerie (1993). The Ginn sur Mer Classic is only in its second year.

2008 - Week 49 Betting Performance

As mentioned in our week 49 round up, we here at Golf Predictor decided to put our money where our stats were and have a little wager. We had actually never done this before, but when we saw our 4th ranked player in the Frys.com Open (Kevin Sutherland) way down at 66/1 with a bookie, we couldn't help but have a punt.

This is exactly what Golf Predictor excels at - spotting value (or lack there of) in bookie odds. We took a small each way gamble on Sutherland and were sitting very pretty until the last few holes. We obviously were gutted when he caved in on the second play off hole, but we still won 1/4 of the odds for his top 5 finish (16.5/1) for a healthy profit!

While we were at it, we had a look at the odds for the European tournament (Castallo Masters) and noticed that Peter Hanson and Francesco Molinari (ranked 8th and 9th by us, respectively) were both at very generous odds to win (55/1 for Hanson, 60/1 for Molinari). We decided to put a small bet on one of them to achieve a top ten finish (roughly 1/10 the odds), but tragically, in our greed, we picked the wrong golfer! Our man, Molinari, threatened but ultimately ended up in joint 29th, while Hanson sailed into the top 10! Why we didn't back both men, we'll never know!

Oh the pain of that, coupled with the play-off loss! Still, it does show how Golf Predictor can help you make money. After only 1 week, we have 250% of our starting capital. Perhaps we should quit while we're ahead, but we're on the slippery slope now!

2008 - Week 49 Winners

It was almost a fantastic week for us here at Golf Predictor! Not alone did our top choice for the European tournament win and our top choice for the Frys.com Open (US) come 4th, but our first ever flutter almost came home at 66/1!

Sergio Garcia (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) used his extensive local knowledge to take the Castelló Masters Costa Azahar (Europe) title. Unusually, the ultra reliable Henrik Stenson missed the cut but we also had Peter Hanson and Paul Casey in the top ten.

On the US Tour, Cameron Beckman (ranked 84th by Golf Predictor) overcame a year of misery and injury to win the Frys.com Open in a play-off with Kevin Sutherland (ranked 4th by Golf Predictor). Beckman shot an impressive back nine in his closing 63 to catch Sutherland, who was 4 strokes ahead at the turn. Under severe pressure, Beckman played superbly in the play-off to deny Sutherland (and us of our big pay day!). Our top pick, Mike Weir, finished in a tie for 4th and we also had Pat Perez in the top 10. Two of our top 10 (Ryuji Imada and Briny Baird) did not play this week, but that does not affect our performance.

Thrid time lucky for Seve?

Seve Ballesteros had a third brain operation in Madrid yesterday. Thankfully, there were no complications in the 6.5 hour surgery to remove the remains of the brain tumour and to reduce swelling.

Once again, we here at Golf Predictor wish Seve all the best in his toughest lie yet.

World Ranking Chart Improved

We have made a small improvement to the golfer world ranking chart. This chart, which shows the golfer's world ranking over a season up to the selected tournament, is available on the 'Prediction Data' page for each golfer. The 'Prediction Data' page is accessible from any option in the 'Stats Analysis' menu in the Golf Predictor member section.

Now, when hovering over a point on the chart, the golfer's average world ranking points for that week will also be displayed. The tournament name, start/finish dates and world ranking is also shown, as before.

Correct Number of Charts in Golf Predictor

While tabulating the current features and charts in Golf Predictor, it became apparent that we had not counted all the charts on our site! While our home page claimed 62, there were actually 70 charts. We had so much functionality that we forgot to boast about 8 charts!

That oversight has been corrected and the Golf Predictor home page has been updated.

Golf Predictor Charts - Complete List

This post lists the 259 charts currently available in Golf Predictor, which are mentioned on our home page and alluded to in the post on our web site features. The charts are the:

1. Top performing golfers in the season up to a tournament (the most consistent golfers).
2. Top performing golfers in their last 5 events up to a tournament (the form golfers).
3. Top ranked golfers in the world before a tournament (the best golfers).
4. Golfers with the lowest season scoring average up to a tournament.
5. Golfers deemed most likely to win the tournament by Golf Predictor.
6. Strength of the tournament field (the world ranking distribution).
7. Nationalities in the field for the predicted tournament.
   
8. World ranking during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
9. GP Ranking (predicted finishing position) during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
10. Comparison of the GP Ranking (predicted finishing position) and actual finishing position during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
11. Scoring average during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
12. Longest cut streaks of the competitors in the field.
13. Longest winless streaks of the competitors in the field.
14. Shortest winless streaks of the competitors (previous winners only) in the field.
15. Best record in similar weather conditions of the competitors in the field.
16. Scoring average on this course in the previous 5 years for the selected golfer.
17. Scoring average in the same tournament in the previous 5 years for the selected golfer.
18. Scoring average in the last 12 similar events for the selected golfer.
19. Finishing position during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
20. Finishing position on this course in the previous 5 years for the selected golfer.
21. Finishing position in the same tournament in the previous 5 years for the selected golfer.
22. Finishing position in the last 12 similar events for the selected golfer.
23. Finishing position in similar weather conditions in the previous 5 years for the selected golfer.
24. Average round 1 score during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
25. Average round 2 score during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
26. Average round 3 score during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
27. Average final round score during the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
28. Overall round average score (stroke average) for the season up to the selected tournament (and all previous seasons since Golf Predictor started) for the selected golfer.
29. Round 1 score on this course in the previous 5 years for the selected golfer.
30. Round 1 score in the same tournament in the previous 5 years for the selected golfer.
31. Round 1 score in the last 12 similar events for the selected golfer.
32. Most in-form golfers in a tournament field (whose last 5 events form is better than their season form).
33. Most out of form golfers in a tournament field (whose last 5 events form is worse than their season form).
34. Top performers on the same course in previous events in the previous 5 years.
35. Most consistent performers on the same course in previous events in the previous 5 years.
36. Least consistent performers on the same course in previous events in the previous 5 years.
37. Top performers in the same tournament in previous 5 years.
38. Most consistent performers in the same tournament in the previous 5 years.
39. Least consistent performers in the same tournament in the previous 5 years.
40. Top performers in their previous 5 events.
41. Most consistent performers in their previous 5 events.
42. Least consistent performers in their previous 5 events.
43. Most consistent performers this season.
44. Least consistent performers this season.
45. Most tournaments played this season.
46. Most rounds played this season.
47. Players with the most number of wins this season.
48. Players with the biggest winning percentage this season.
49. Most consistent performers in their last 12 similar events.
50. Least consistent performers in their last 12 similar events.
51. Players with the most number of wins in their last 12 similar events.
52. Players with the biggest winning percentage in their last 12 similar events.
53. Players with the most number of top tens this season.
54. Players with the biggest top ten finishes percentage this season.
55. Players with the most number of top tens in their last 12 similar events.
56. Players with the biggest top ten finishes percentage in their last 12 similar events.
57. Players with the least number of cuts missed this season.
58. Players with the smallest cuts missed percentage this season.
59. Players with the least number of cuts missed in their last 12 similar events.
60. Players with the smallest cuts missed percentage in their last 12 similar events.
61. Top performers in round 1 in a season up to a tournament.
62. Top performers in round 2 in a season up to a tournament.
63. Top performers in round 3 in a season up to a tournament.
64. Top performers in the final round in a season up to a tournament.
65. Top performers in round 1 on this course in previous events in the previous 5 years.
66. Top performers in round 1 in this tournament in previous 5 years.
67. Top performers in round 1 in the season up to the selected tournament.
68. Top performers in round 1 in the previous 12 similar events to the selected tournament.
69. Most consistent performers (who played at least 5 events) in the selected season on both tours.
70. Most consistent performers (who played at least 5 events) in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
71. Most consistent performers (who played at least 5 events) in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
72. Least consistent performers (who played at least 5 events) in the selected season on both tours.
73. Least consistent performers (who played at least 5 events) in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
74. Least consistent performers (who played at least 5 events) in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
75. Most tournaments played in the selected season on both tours.
76. Most tournaments played in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
77. Most tournaments played in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
78. Most rounds played in the selected season on both tours.
79. Most rounds played in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
80. Most rounds played in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
81. The players (who failed to finish at least 3 events) with the most non-finishes in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
82. The players (who failed to finish at least 3 events) with the most non-finishes in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
83. The players (who failed to finish at least 3 events) with the most non-finishes in the selected season on both tours.
84. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average finishing position in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
85. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average finishing position in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
86. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average finishing position in the selected season on both tours.
87. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best scoring average in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
88. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best scoring average in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
89. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best scoring average in the selected season on both tours.
90. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the most number of wins in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
91. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the most number of wins in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
92. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the most number of wins in the selected season on both tours.
93. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the biggest winning percentage in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
94. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the biggest winning percentage in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
95. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the biggest winning percentage in the selected season on both tours.
96. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the most number of top tens in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
97. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the most number of top tens in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
98. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the most number of top tens in the selected season on both tours.
99. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the biggest top ten finishes percentage in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
100. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the biggest top ten finishes percentage in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
101. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the biggest top ten finishes percentage in the selected season on both tours.
102. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the least number of cuts missed in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
103. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the least number of cuts missed in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
104. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the least number of cuts missed in the selected season on both tours.
105. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the smallest cuts missed percentage in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
106. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the smallest cuts missed percentage in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
107. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the smallest cuts missed percentage in the selected season on both tours.
108. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average first round in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
109. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average first round in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
110. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average first round in the selected season on both tours.
111. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average second round in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
112. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average second round in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
113. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average second round in the selected season on both tours.
114. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average third round in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
115. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average third round in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
116. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average third round in the selected season on both tours.
117. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average final round in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
118. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average final round in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
119. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best average final round in the selected season on both tours.
120. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best overall average round (stroke average) in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
121. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best overall average round (stroke average) in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
122. The players (who played at least 5 events) with the best overall average round (stroke average) in the selected season on both tours.
123. GP Rank comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
     
124. Season Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
125. Last 5 Events comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
126. World Ranking comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
127. Scoring Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
128. Weather Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
129. Course Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
130. Tournament Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
131. Similar Tournament Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
132. Round 1 Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
133. Round 2 Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
134. Round 3 Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
135. Final Round Average comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
136. Tournaments Played comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
137. Top Tens comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
138. Wins comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
139. Missed Cuts comparison chart for all selected golfers ('Compare Golfers' page).
140. Longest courses used on the US PGA Tour in a given season.
141. Longest courses used on the European PGA Tour in a given season.
142. Shortest courses used on the US PGA Tour in a given season.
143. Shortest courses used on the European PGA Tour in a given season.
144. Longest courses used on the US PGA Tour since 2003.
145. Longest courses used on the European PGA Tour since 2003.
146. Shortest courses used on the US PGA Tour since 2003.
147. Shortest courses used on the European PGA Tour since 2003.
148. Length distribution of courses used on the European PGA Tour in a given season.
149. Length distribution of courses used on the US PGA Tour in a given season.
150. Length distribution of courses used on the European PGA Tour since 2003.
151. Length distribution of courses used on the US PGA Tour since 2003.
152. Breakdown of par scores on US PGA Tour courses used since 2003.
153. Breakdown of par scores on European PGA Tour course used since 2003.
154. Course location (Google Maps)
155. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the largest fields.
156. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the largest fields.
157. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the smallest fields.
158. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the smallest fields.
159. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the best (strongest) fields.
160. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the best (strongest) fields.
161. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the worst (weakest) fields.
162. European Tour events in a given season with the worst (weakest) fields.
163. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average world ranking of the entrants.
164. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average world ranking of the entrants.
165. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average world ranking of the entrants.
166. European Tour events in a given season with the highest average world ranking of the entrants.
167. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average round score.
168. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average round score.
169. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average round score.
170. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average round score.
171. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest overall average round score relative to par.
172. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest overall average round score relative to par.
173. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest overall average round score relative to par.
174. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest overall average round score relative to par.
175. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average first round score.
176. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average second round score.
177. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average third round score.
178. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average fourth round score.
179. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average first round score.
180. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average second round score.
181. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average third round score.
182. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average fourth round score.
183. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average first round score.
184. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average second round score.
185. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average third round score.
186. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average fourth round score.
187. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average first round score.
188. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average second round score.
189. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average third round score.
190. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average fourth round score.
191. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average first round score relative to par.
192. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average second round score relative to par.
193. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average third round score relative to par.
194. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average fourth round score relative to par.
195. PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average first round score relative to par.
196. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average second round score relative to par.
197. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average third round score relative to par.
198. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the lowest average fourth round score relative to par.
199. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average first round score relative to par.
200. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average second round score relative to par.
201. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average third round score relative to par.
202. US PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average fourth round score relative to par.
203. PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average first round score relative to par.
204. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average second round score relative to par.
205. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average third round score relative to par.
206. European PGA Tour events in a given season with the highest average fourth round score relative to par.
207. The distribution of round one scores in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
208. The distribution of round two scores in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
209. The distribution of round three scores in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
210. The distribution of round four scores in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
211. The distribution of scores (all rounds) in the selected season on the European PGA Tour.
212. The distribution of round one scores in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
213. The distribution of round two scores in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
214. The distribution of round three scores in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
215. The distribution of round four scores in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
216. The distribution of scores (all rounds) in the selected season on the US PGA Tour.
217. Breakdown of the number missing the cut, making the cut and disqualifications/withdrawals/non-starts for each tournament.
218. Round 1 scoring distribution for each tournament.
219. Round 2 scoring distribution for each tournament.
220. Round 3 scoring distribution for each tournament.
221. Final round scoring distribution for each tournament.
222. Overall scoring distribution for each tournament.
223. Breakdown of courses used on the US PGA Tour in a given season by par score.
224. Breakdown of courses used on the European PGA Tour in a given season by par score.
225. Most wins in a given season by nationality (US PGA Tour).
226. Most wins in a given season by nationality (European PGA Tour).
227. Most wins in a given season by golfer (US PGA Tour).
228. Most wins in a given season by golfer (European PGA Tour).
229. Winners with the highest world ranking for the US PGA Tour in a given season since 2009.
230. Winners with the highest world ranking for the European PGA Tour in a given season since 2009.
231. Winners with the lowest world ranking for the US PGA Tour in a given season since 2009.
232. Winners with the lowest world ranking for the European PGA Tour in a given season since 2009.
233. Percentage of winners who were leaders/in the top 5/in the top 10/outside the top 10 after round 1 for the US PGA Tour in a given season.
234. Percentage of winners who were leaders/in the top 5/in the top 10/outside the top 10 after round 1 for the European PGA Tour in a given season.
235. Percentage of winners who were leaders/in the top 5/in the top 10/outside the top 10 after round 2 for the US PGA Tour in a given season.
236. Percentage of winners who were leaders/in the top 5/in the top 10/outside the top 10 after round 2 for the European PGA Tour in a given season.
237. Percentage of winners who were leaders/in the top 5/in the top 10/outside the top 10 after round 3 for the US PGA Tour in a given season.
238. Percentage of winners who were leaders/in the top 5/in the top 10/outside the top 10 after round 3 for the European PGA Tour in a given season.
239. Most common nationality of professional golfers who have played at least one event since 2003.
240. Golfers who have played the most tournaments since 2003.
241. Golfers with the most wins since 2003.
242. Golfers (who have played at least ten events) with the best winning percentage since 2003.
     
243. Golfers with the most top tens since 2003.
244. Golfers (who have played at least ten events) with the best percentage of top ten finishes since 2003. 
245. Golfers with the least cuts made since 2003.
246. Golfers (who have played at least ten events) with the best cuts made percentage since 2003.
247. Golfers with the most missed since 2003.
248. Golfers (who have played at least ten events) with the worst cuts made percentage since 2003.
249. Nationalities in the field for all European and US PGA Tour events since 2003.
250. Most finishes in a given position in a given season by golfer (US PGA Tour).
251. Golfers with the best first round in any US/European Tour event since 2003.
252. Golfers with the best second round in any US/European Tour event since 2003.
253. Golfers with the best third round in any US/European Tour event since 2003.
254. Golfers with the best fourth round in any US/European Tour event since 2003.
255. Golfers with the best fifth round in any five round US/European Tour event since 2003.
256. Most finishes in a given position in a given season by golfer (European PGA Tour).
257. Most finishes in a given position in a given season by golfer (Both Tours).
258. Location of tournaments for a given season and tour from 2003 on (Google Maps).
259. Location of tournaments played by a given player in a given season (Google Maps).

This list will be amended as new charts are added.

Golf Predictor Features

Golf Predictor has a lot of functionality for the statistics loving golf fan, fantasy golfer and golf gambler. This functionality has been evolving since the launch of the site in May, 2008. The charts mentioned below are listed here. The list below outlines the current features of the Golf Predictor web site:

1. First and foremost, you can see the entire field for each upcoming tournament ranked by GP Score. The GP Score is a measure of how likely a golfer is to win the tournament in question. There are 13 related charts available on this fully sortable 'Tournament Predictions' page.
2. For each golfer in the field, there is a myriad of statistics and charts to peruse. The 'Tournament Prediction Data' page for each golfer shows his predicted finishing position, GP Score, GP Rank (predicted finishing position), comparison of his GP Rank and actual finishing position in previous tournaments, world ranking, world ranking points, cut streak, winless streak, field rank, rounds played, scoring average, consistency (standard deviation), best finish, worst finish and average finishing position. This data is shown for this season, in the tournament in the past 5 years, on the same course in the past 5 years, in the last 12 similar events (regular/major/WGC/FedEx Cup) and in similar weather in the past 5 years where appropriate. You can also see the average finishing position and consistency in the golfer's last 5 events (an indicator of form).
3. The 'Tournament Prediction Data' page for each golfer also show many cuts in a row the golfer has made and details of the last tournament where he failed to make the cut.
   
4. The 'Tournament Prediction Data' page for each golfer also shows the number of events, victories, top tens, missed cuts and withdrawals for this season, in the golfer's last 5 events, in the tournament in the past 5 years, on the same course in the past 5 years, in the last 12 similar events and in his career since 2003. The relevant percentages are also displayed in each case.
5. The 'Tournament Prediction Data' page for each golfer also shows the round stroke average for the season for each round (first - final round) and the number of rounds played in each case. You can also see the first round average in the tournament in the past 5 years, on the same course in the past 5 years and in the last 12 similar events.
6. The 'Tournament Prediction Data' page for each golfer also shows his season results, his related historical results, his results in his last 12 similar events and his results in similar weather over the past 5 years.
7. The 'Tournament Prediction Data' page for each golfer also contains links to 19 related charts which display performance data for the current season and in relevant historical events. Many charts also have links to view the equivalent data from other seasons.
8. You can see how the season form of each golfer compares to his form in his last five events leading up to the selected tournament. This tells you if a player has been playing better or worse than his season average coming up to the event. There are 2 related charts available on this fully sortable 'Form Golfers' page.
9. You can view the past performance (last 5 years) of the field on the same course that the selected tournament is being held on. There are 3 related charts on this fully sortable 'Course History' page.
10. You can view the past performance (last 5 years) of the field in the same tournament. There are 3 related charts on this fully sortable 'Tournament History' page.
11. You can view the past performance (last 5 events) of the field. There are 3 related charts on this fully sortable 'Last 5 Events' page.
12. You can view the past performance of the field in the current season. There are 12 related charts on this fully sortable 'Season History' page.
13. You can view the past performance of the field in the last 12 similar tournaments. There are 9 related charts on this fully sortable 'Similar Tournament History' page.
14. You can view the season performance of the field in the different rounds of a tournament. There are 4 related charts on this fully sortable 'Round Scores' page.
15. You can view the season round average (stroke average) of the field, with a related chart on the 'Round Scores' page.
16. You can examine first round performance this season, in the same tournament in previous years, on the same course in previous tournaments and in the last 12 similar events. There are 4 related charts on this fully sortable 'First Round Averages' page.
17. You can view the past performance of golfers (who played at least 5 events) in completed seasons since 2003 on the US PGA Tour/European PGA Tour/both tours combined. There are 39 related charts on this fully sortable 'Season Stats' page.
18. You can view the performances of the golfers (who played at least 5 events) in the different rounds of a tournament in completed seasons since 2003 on the US PGA Tour/European PGA Tour/both tours combined. There are 12 related charts on this fully sortable 'Season Stats (R)' page.
19. You can view the season round average (stroke average) of the golfers (who played at least 5 events) in completed seasons since 2003 on the US PGA Tour/European PGA Tour/both tours combined. There are 3 related charts on the 'Season Stats (R)' page.
20. You can directly compare the prediction statistics for up to 10 golfers on the 'Compare Golfers' page. This will help you decide which of the selected golfers is likely to perform best. There are 17 related comparison charts on this page.
21. You can directly compare the form (finishing position in their last 10 events, last 10 related historical events or last 10 similar events) for up to 10 golfers on the 'Compare Form' page. This will also help you decide which of the selected golfers is likely to perform best.
22. You can compare the system predictions to the actual results of the tournament on the 'Performance' page. The predictions and results are shown side by side.
23. You can view the details for all the courses used on the US and European PGA Tours since 2003. There are 4 related charts for each tour on this fully sortable 'Courses' page.
24. Via a link on each course page (and all other relevant tournament/prediction pages), you can also see the location of the course in the world using Google Maps. Hovering over a course marker gives course information.
25. On each course page, you can also see the tournaments hosted on the course since 2003.
26. On the sortable 'Tournaments' page, you can view the details for all the tournaments since 2003, listed by year. This page shows the type of each tournament (regular/major/WGC/Fedex Cup). You can also filter the tournaments by tour (US/European/both).
27. On the sortable 'Tournaments (Course)' page, you can view the details for all the tournaments since 2003, listed by year. This page shows the host course for each tournament. You can also filter the tournaments by tour (US/European/both).
28. On the sortable 'Tournaments (Field Strength)' page, you can view the details for all the tournaments since 2003, listed by year. This page shows the field strength for each tournament. You can also filter the tournaments by tour (US/European/both).
29. You can view the details for all the tournaments since 2003, using a calendar interface.
30. On each tournament page, you can also link to all previous runnings of the tournament since 2003.
31. On each tournament page, you can also link to all tournaments in the same, previous and next weeks.
32. On each tournament page, you can see all winners of the event since 2003 and link to the results page for the winner.
33. On each completed tournament page, you can also get a breakdown of the number missing the cut, making the cut and disqualifications/withdrawals/non-starts. There is 1 related pie chart.
34. On each completed tournament page, you can also get the average round score for each round and the average overall round score. There are up to 8 related charts (depending on the number of rounds in the event).
35. On each tournament page for events we have predicted, you can see the field strength, the average world ranking of the field, standard deviation of world ranking, the rank of the highest ranked golfer in the field and the rank of the lowest ranked golfer in the field. There is one related chart available.
36. On each completed tournament page, you can also see the colour coded results for the tournament (red=under par, blue = over par, yellow = par).
37. On each completed tournament page, you can also see the colour coded pop-up leaderboards (top 10 plus ties) for each round of the tournament (red=under par, blue = over par, yellow = par).
38. You can view the statistics for all the tournaments for a given year since 2003. There are 28 related charts (14 per tour) on this fully sortable 'Tournament Statistics' page.
39. You can view the round statistics for all the tournaments for a given year since 2003. There are 42 related charts (21 per tour) on this fully sortable 'Tournament Statistics (R)' page.
40. You can view the list of tournament winners since 2003 for a given year and tour. There are 7 related charts for each tour on this fully sortable 'Tournament Winners' page.
41. You can view the location of tournaments since 2003 for a given year and tour on the 'Tournament Locations' page using Google Maps. Hovering over a tournament marker gives tournament information.
42. You can view the list of golfers who have played at least once on either the US or European PGA Tour since 2003 on the fully sortable 'Golfers' page. There are 10 related charts on the this page.
43. You can view the list of tournaments that any golfer has played since 2003 on the the US and European PGA Tours on his 'Golfer Details' page (accessible from the 'Golfers' page).
44. On the above page, you can view the number of tournaments played, cuts missed, wins, top ten finishes, best finish, worst finish, average finish and standard deviation for the selected golfer since 2003 on the US/European PGA Tours.
45. You can view the tournament results since 2003 for a given year on the fully sortable 'Results By Year' page. You can also filter the results by tour (US/European/both). There are up to 6 related chart on this page (depending on number of rounds in the tournament).
46. You can view the individual results for any golfer in any tournament since 2003.
47. You can also track any golfer's progress (position after each round) in any tournament on his results page for that event.
    
48. You can view the tournament results since 2003 for a given golfer in a given year on the 'Results By Player' page. There are 6 related charts available on this page.
49. On the above page, you can view the number of tournaments played, cuts missed, wins, top ten finishes, best finish, worst finish, average finish and standard deviation for the selected golfer in the selected year.
50. Via a link on the 'Results By Player' page, you can view the location of tournaments since 2003 for a given player in a given year using Google Maps.
51. You can view who finished in a given position in a given tournament on the 'Results By Position' page.
52. You can view who finished in a given position in all the tournaments in a given season on the 'Results By Position (All)' page. There are 3 related charts available, one for each tour and 1 for both tours combined. This page is available from the 'Results By Position' page.
53. You can compare the odds from a number of on-line bookmakers for the golfers in upcoming tournaments, using the 'Golfer Odds' page. Note that the information comes from an external web site.
54. You can search Golf Predictor for tournaments, golfers and courses using the 'Search' page.
55. You can view/edit your profile information, change your password and subscribe to Golf Predictor using the 'My Golf Predictor' menu options.
56. On the Profile page, you can set your chart orientation preference to horizontal or vertical. This will affect all bar charts which feature golfer, tournament or course names.
    

This list will be amended as new features are added.

New Tour Filters

We here at Golf Predictor have added a tour filter to our 'Tournaments' and 'Results by Year' views. In each case, this will allow you to view the data for just the US tour, just the European tour data or for both tours (how it used to work).

This should prove useful for members who are more interested in a single tour. The tour is selected using a dropdown box on the 'Tournaments' page and new links on the 'Results by Year' page. We hope you find this new functionality useful.

2008 - Week 49 Predictions Online

We have published the predictions for week 49, the Frys.com Open (US PGA Tour) and the Castelló Masters Costa Azahar (European PGA Tour). The European tournament is new and is hosted by Sergio Garcio. Let's hope Sergio plays better than his fellow Spaniard Gonzalo Fdez-Castano, who missed the cut in the tournament (Madrid Masters) he helped organise lately!

The Frys.com Open* is also pretty new, being only in its second year. Therefore, there are obviously no previous winners for either event before 2003 (Golf Predictor includes results from up to the previous 5 years).


*Just to confuse matters, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open was known as the Frys.com Open last year. This tournament was known as the Frys Electronic Open.

2008 - Week 48 Winners

Alvaro Quiros Garcia* (ranked 45th by Golf Predictor) eased to the Portugal Masters title after his nearest competitors made mistakes coming down the stretch. This included Robert Karlsson (ranked 1) who had to settle for lowly joint 3rd (!) in his quest for three straight wins on the European Tour. Most of the big names failed to perform, but we also had Ross Fisher and the ever reliable Soren Hanson in the top ten.

On the US Tour, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open was won by rookie Marc Turnesa (ranked 96th by Golf Predictor). Turnesa kept up a fine family tradition of PGA golf success with an impressive wire to wire victory. Our top pick, Mike Weir, finished in a tie for 10th and we also had Chad Campbell and Zach Johnson in the top 10.

*Also known as Alvaro Quiros

Related Tournament Navigation

Golf Predictor is glad to announce more convenient navigation between related tournaments. As shown in the screenshot above, every tournament page now has a Related Tournaments section.

This new section makes it much easier to navigate to other tournaments of possible interest. You now can directly click on the same tournament in other years, other tournaments played the same week or in the previous or following weeks.

Seve has Brain Surgery

Well, Seve Ballesteros has had much of his brain tumour removed after a marathon operation in Madrid. Thankfully, there were no complications in the surgery, which lasted 7 hours according to family and 12 hours according to some news reports. Doctors removed as much of the tumour as possible and Seve is said to have regained consciousness and is stable after the procedure. It is still not known whether the growth is malignant or not.

Once again, we here at Golf Predictor wish Seve a speedy recovery.

Celebrity Endorsements

In the final humorous post, we here at Golf Predictor have used the same site again (see seal and marketing poster posts) for these "endorsements"!

Marketing Poster

OK, it's a quiet night here! From the same site we used to produce the seal, we have hijacked the iconic Uncle Sam recruitment poster!

Golf Predictor Seal

On a light-hearted note, we introduce the official Golf Predictor seal! The cod Latin on the top (very) roughly means "In golf we predict" and on the bottom "I am, therefore I golf"!

We usually don't have this much time on our hands!!! Create your own seal here if you're bored of an evening!

2008 - Week 48 Predictions Online

We have published the predictions for week 48, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (US PGA Tour) and the Portugal Masters (European PGA Tour). The US tournament is quite a mouthful, but it is a charity event hosted by the eponymous famous singer and avid golfer, so we hope it's a big success. Timberlake, a renowned dancer , plays of about a 6 handicap, so he obviously strut his stuff on the fairways too!

Previous winners of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open before 2003 (Golf Predictor includes results from the previous 5 years) competing this week include Bob Estes (2001), and Davis Love III (1993). The event has been known by a variety of names in the recent past and these guys won it when it was a 5 round event played on 3 different courses. The Portugal Masters is only in its second year and Robert Karlsson is going for 3 successive European PGA tour victories.

Latest on Seve

Our worst fears were confirmed when Seve Ballesteros announced that he has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Seve extricated himself from many a tricky situation on the golf course during his swashbuckling career. Let's hope he can do the same here in this difficult time for him.

The thoughts of Golf Predictor are with the Ballesteros family.

2008 - Week 47 Winners

South African Charl Schwartzel (ranked 9th by Golf Predictor) won the Madrid Masters in style, shooting a bogey free 66 to clinch the title. It looks like Gonzalo Fdez-Castano spent more time promoting the event than practicing for it, as he missed the cut! Our top pick, Miguel Angel Jimenez, finished in a tie for 29th. We also had Thongchai Jaidee, Ricardo Gonzalez and Damien McGrane in the top twelve.

On the US Tour, former Masters champion and Georgia specialist Zack Johnson (ranked 11th* by Golf Predictor) turned his poor season around by winning the Valero Texas Open. Johnson wrapped up his first victory outside Georgia in style with a weekend finish of 62-64. Our top pick and local favourite, Justin Leonard, failed to add to his 3 titles and ended up in a tie for 11th. We also had Mark Wilson, Rory Sabbatini and Stephen Ames in the top 12.

*Briny Baird (ranked 4th) did not tee it up.

Father and Son

It was with some surprise that we found out that there was a father and son team playing in the Madrid Masters this week. This was particularly surprising as the father is still only 39! This must be the first time that a regular professional golf tournament has had a father and son under 40 competing, although that is just speculation on my part.

Angel Cabrera, the long hitting former Argentinian is joined in the field this week by his 19 year old son Federico. Genes obviously have something to do with golfing ability. This would explain why the Golf Predictor guru is useless at golf, but not why Jack Nicklaus' sons weren't more successful!

Unfortunately, Junior missed the cut after a disastrous first round of 81. He came back strongly with a 68 in the second round, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. Daddy is still in there, fighting for the family honour, although he is not really threatening the lead!

Spanish Armada Springing Leaks

The famed former Ryder Cup team of Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal are both unfortunately suffering in the health department. It turns out that Seve's proclaimation of good health may have been a tad optimistic as test results are expected to reveal a serious illness.

On a brighter note, Jose Maria managed to make the cut in his third comeback from serious rheumatic problems. He was at criminally short odds to win the Madrid Masters with the bookmaker I checked, which was most unfair on punters and the golfer alike.

Let's hope the formidable pair will be back to full health soon.

Seve on the Mend

Great news from Madrid where legendary golfer Seve Ballesteros has reassured us fans from his hospital bed that he is feeling well. The 5 time major winner and all round golfing genius collapsed on Monday and was rushed to hospital for tests. Poor old Seve has had a rough time of it in the last number of years with back and knee problems which eventually led to his retirement in 2007.

We here at Golf Predictor wish one of our favourite ever golfers a speedy recovery.

Olazabal Returns to Competitive Play Again

It was good news for golf fans when double Masters champion and European Ryder Cup star, Jose Maria Olazabal announced his return to competitive action in the Madrid Masters this week. The 42 year old Spaniard, who suffers from a form of rheumatism, has had to leave the tour three times for medical reasons. His latest withdrawal from action was earlier this year due to fatigue, probably caused by his medication.

We here at Golf Predictor wish Ollie well for his welcome return to the fray. Third time lucky with the comeback, hopefully!

European PGA Tour Moves to Calendar Year from 2010

Further to my post yesterday about the new structure of the European PGA Tour (the Race to Dubai), there is pleasing news that after next season, the tour will revert to a calendar year.

So, after the initial bedding down season next year, in 2010 we can thankfully say goodbye to overlapping European Tour golf seasons that span 2 years. It's bad enough it spans multiple continents! This new structure should ease confusion and add defined start and end points to the seemingly never ending seasons!

Race to Dubai Launched!

The newly restructured European Tour was finally launched today. The "Race to Dubai" (read "Race to Megabucks"!) starts on Nov 6th with the HSBC Champions event in China. While this should add some excitement and tempt some big names (e.g. Phil Mickelson) over on to the European tour, it probably just means more headaches for us here in Golf Predictor!!! However, we are ready to rise to the challenge!

There are some new tournaments added, some current tournaments dropped and even some played twice in the revamped schedule of 53 events! Comprehensive details available on the link above. Let's just hope it turns out to be less of a damp squib than the Fedex Cup on the US PGA Tour.

2008 - Week 47 Predictions Online

We have published the predictions for week 47, the Valero Texas Open (US PGA Tour) and the Madrid Masters (European PGA Tour). Unusually, the promoter of a tournament is playing this week. British Masters champion, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano, runs the company which is promoting the European Tour event in Madrid.

Previous winners of the Valero Texas Open before 2003 (Golf Predictor includes results from the previous 5 years) competing this week include home boys Justin Leonard (2000, 2001) and Bob Estes (1994), as well as Tim Herron (1997). The Madrid Masters is a new event, taking over from the Open de Madrid. Since they share the calendar slot, city and course, we count this as the same tournament for statistical analysis purposes. There is no former winner of the Open de Madrid in the field.

2008 - Week 46 Winners

Our favourite non-Irish golfer(!), Robert Karlsson (ranked 4th by Golf Predictor) continued his fantastic finish to a great season by securing his second win in the last three tournaments at the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. Finishing with a faultless 65, Karlsson's play off victory in mostly testing conditions catapulted him into the lead in the European Order of Merit race. Previous leader, Padraig Harrington, threaded water in the final round and slipped down the leaderboard. Our top pick, Henrik Stenson, had a disastrous third day to miss the cut and bring his recent fine run to an end. However, we also had Lee Westwood and Paul Casey in the top ten.

Meanwhile, over on the US Tour, big hitting rookie Dustin Johnson (ranked 92nd by Golf Predictor) secured his maiden victory in the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Taking advantage of being the longer hitter all week, Johnson ate up the soggy course. He wisely captured the lead only in the last few holes to minimise any nerves he might have had! Johnson beat our top pick, Robert Allenby, into second place and we also had Woody Austin and Ryuji Imada in the top 10.

Best Ever Golf Shots

This post contains a list of the finest golf shots that I have seen or read about. The pressure of the situation, what was at stake and the risk taken are taken into account as that's when true class shines through. I will update the list as I see/hear/think of new contenders.


Best 3 wood - If it's one of the greatest shots Jack Nicklaus ever saw, then it's good enough for any list! Seve Ballesteros' 3-wood from under the lip of a bunker to the green 245 yards away in his 1983 Ryder Cup match against Fuzzy Zoeller takes some beating.

Best 4 wood - Gene Sarazen, US Masters, 1935. They don't call it "the shot that was heard around the world" for nothing. A 235 yard chip in for albatross to make up the 3 shots he trailed by, helped the 5' 4" giant of the game to win his only Masters title in a play off. If Sarazen hadn't achieved that rare bird, he mightn't have won the career grand slam.

Best 5 wood - Padraig Harrington, British Open 2008. OK, he was almost home and hosed on the par 5 17th, but he still had to close it out. And close it out he did, and in some style too. Common sense might have made him lay up, but not our Padraig. A spectacular 5 wood to 3 feet set up an eagle and less heart attacks for Irish fans up the 18h than the previous year.

Best 1 iron - Jack Nicklaus, US Open 1972. They say you should never have a "friendly" wager with a guy who carries a 1 iron in his bag. Best avoid the Golden Bear then (as if you didn't know already!) if this pin seeking 1 arrow to the difficult par 3 17th at Pebble Beach into a gale is anything to go by. His tap in birdie cemented another major for the great man.

Best 2 Iron - Christy O'Connor Jnr., Ryder Cup 1989. And it's not because he's from the West of Ireland! The unfancied O'Connor was up against the very fancied Fred Couples and the duo were all square coming up the difficult 18th at The Belfry. Christy's magical 2 iron under pressure from the fairway to 4 feet unnerved Couples and led to a famous victory.

Best long bunker shot (iron) - Tiger Woods, US PGA 2002. An amazing 3 iron over trees into the wind to about 15 feet at the 18th at Hazeltine. If his stance was better, he might have got it to within 5 feet!

Best long bunker shot (wood) - See best 3 wood above.

Best short bunker shot - Bob Tway US PGA 1986. Poor old Greg Norman. He was sitting pretty after 3 rounds, but let Tway back in. Still, going up the last Norman was still in with a chance being on the green in 2 with Tway in the greenside bunker. Well, that was until Tway exploded out of the sand and straight into the hole. Norman's goose was cooked and he missed his putt for good measure to end up losing by 2.

Best chip - Tiger Woods, US Masters 2005. Who will ever forget his chip on the 16th when he was in deep trouble trying to fend off Chris DiMarco? Left in an awkward spot, he had to chip away from the flag and hope the ball would trickle back close to the pin. And trickle back it did, all the way to the bottom of the cup, complete with a theatrical pause for a Nike ad at the very end. Classic Tiger, who needless to say, went on to win.

Best pitch - Larry Mize, US Masters play-off 1987. A fantastic shot into the hole on the lethal 11th green which sloped away from him towards a pond. A one in a hundred shot perhaps, but good enough to win the Masters. Whom did he beat? No need to ask really! Poor old Greg Norman again.

Best shot to rob Greg Norman of a major - As above, although there were many candidates!

Best short putt - Tiger Woods, US PGA Championship 2000. Journeyman Bob May hit 66 on the final day, including a snaking 15 footer for bird at the last. Against anyone else, it would have been enough, but poor old Bob was up against the Tiger. Woods duly holed a dangerous 6 foot curling putt to force a play off, which he won of course.

Best medium putt - Tiger Woods, US Open 2008. The then one legged superstar needed a sliding 12-14 footer at the last in regulation to tie Rocco Mediate. If you had to put your house on anyone to make that putt under that sort of pressure, you'd put it on Mr. Woods, who duly obliged. Of course, he also went on to win a 19 hole play off the next day.

Best long/Hail Mary putt - Constantina Rocca, British Open 1995. A 60+ foot bomb from the Valley of Sin which defied the odds to land in the cup. It only delayed John Daly as he won in the ensuing play off. Still, who will ever forget the celebrations of the jovial Italian after that putt?

The best recovery ever from a fluffed chip - As above!

Best putt from a bunker - Yes, you read that right! An unorthodox up and down from Jim Furyk at the British Open. I can't remember what year or hole it was, but it was an amazing shot, with Jim putting away from the hole!

Best shot from a car park - Seve Ballasteros, British Open 1979. Who else could win this accolade, but the swashbuckling Spanish short game maestro? It was a blessing that he was wayward off the tee as it gave us a chance to marvel at his brilliant inventiveness and touch. He was often all over the shop and just as often recovered spectacularly. A case in point was the 16th at Royal Lytham where the young Spaniard birdied from a temporary car park on the way to his first Open victory.