Flatstick Fantastic

What Will It Take For Asia’s Best To Win On The PGA TOUR

- Chuah Choo Chiang

Unless you’re Bryson DeChambeau, the old adage “Drive for Show and Putt for Dough” has for a long time been an essence in golf’s wisdom where the difference between success or despair may be a matter of inches instead of yards.

How quickly a player gets his ball into the hole often makes the difference between winning or losing, where only one golfer from a typical starting field of 144 will emerge victorious.

As the PGA TOUR begins a new calendar year, Asia’s leading stars will do well to remember golf’s most famous catchphrase where the flatstick remains as one of the most important tools in their golf bag.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, for one, will be fired up to end a more than three-year winless streak. Matsuyama is widely regarded as one of the purest ball strikers in the game and has the stats to back him up. He has consistently ranked high up in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and Approach the Green over the years, finishing second and fifth on those lists last season.