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Advanced analytics has taken sports by storm in the past decade. From hardwood to diamond (and beyond), number cutters have reshaped the way you play sports at the highest level. The biggest focus was on efficiency and making everything from training to playing more of a science than an art.
The same applies to professional golf. With data such as smash factor and strokes available to the top players in the world, the game has changed appreciably in the current era.
However, until recently, this luxury was not available in the women’s game because earned hits were only available on the PGA Tour. Ladies on the LPGA Tour have only had access to rudimentary stats.
That changed two years ago when the LPGA Tour partnered with accounting firm KPMG to provide advanced analytics for the women’s game.
“There’s a disparity between what men enjoy in terms of data and analytics and what women have,” KPMG CEO Paul Knopp said at the time. “We thought that wasn’t right. We wanted to see a fairer world when it came to golf.”
The KPMG Performance Insights platform has just launched for the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship, and this week they’re celebrating two years since the initial launch. In that time, KPMG has collected 1.5 million shots from LPGA professionals, giving players critical information needed to diagnose flaws in their games and improve performance.
“It’s been really gratifying to see what this can do for the LPGA,” said Sean Coyle, general manager of KPMG Sports. “It was really cool to see how players interact with the data and how it has been helpful to them in honing and improving their game.”
With advanced analytics like strokes available to LPGA professionals, they are able to get a full perspective of the strengths and weaknesses of their games. By being able to compare their stats to other pros, they can see where they are gaining — and losing — shots against their peers on a weekly basis.
America’s Cup Solheim captain Stacy Lewis used these ideas to prepare for the biennial team competition as well. With KPMG giving it access to the strokes the data on potential Solheim Cuppers has gained, it’s using the analytics to inform its selections and pairings as often as it can.
“You can go all the way down to see what kind of player will play best on the golf course,” Lewis said last winter. “we will use [analytics] as much as we can.”
Access to these stats has also changed the way the women’s game is covered by the media and consumed by fans. With powerful data available to clerks and announcers, it’s easier to contextualize performance and tell richer stories about the world’s best golfers.
“It provided a really interesting background to women’s golf that was always in demand,” Coyle said. “The numbers are pretty huge in sports. They really salute the performance of the athlete. To be able to get that on for the LPGA Tour was great to see.”
Data gained from putts isn’t just reserved for those in the inner circles of professional golf anymore, either. This week KPMG and the LPGA Tour announced a rocket launch New web portalwhich provides fans with access to the same data that the pros have.
“For many years, men’s professional golf has provided fans with access to advanced shot-level data,” said PGA Commissioner Molly Marco Semaan. “KPMG Performance Insights has been a game-changer for the LPGA Tour and its great athletes. KPMG helps us level the playing field, supporting our players reach peak performance and enhancing how coaches, fans, and the media analyze and experience the game.”
Just two years after its launch, the software has only scratched the surface of the possibilities. As the program continues, expect to see even more aggressive use of KPMG Performance Insights from players, media, and fans.
“I think we’re just getting started,” Coyle said. “The more data you collect, the more insights you can get. I think it brings to life the quality of the competition. It also allows comparison, both historical and current, which will be very interesting.”