The idea itself is pretty simple.
Before the 2026 Masters, DataGolf unleashed its shot prediction tool for every player in the tournament. It’s exactly what it sounds like: It predicts all the different types of shots each player will face at Augusta National based on their driving distance, accuracy and other factors.
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For the second year in a row, The Masters is tracking data from every single ball hit on the driving range. We know exactly how many and what types of shots players practise.
So on the eve of the tournament, we put the two together: Who is practising the types of shots that they’re probably going to face in the tournament itself?
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It’s something pros strive to do better every year.
“I think I’m learning what certain aspects of the course require and how you can practise that,” Fleetwood says. “I’ve figured out ways – or how you can use the range in the short game area to match the course in a way.”
[Adam Glanzman]
How it works
But in 2026, we can measure it. Here’s the top seven most optimised players in terms of practising the shots that DataGolf thinks they’ll face most.
- The recommended percentages are the percentage of approach shots each player is projected to have from those distances.
- The actual percentages are the amount of their range practice they devoted to those shots.
What’s most interesting is that each of these players landed within at least one of these categories within two percent. Hard to get more optimised than that.
One disclaimer: A handful of players were still on the range at the time of writing (5:15pm ET on Wednesday, April 8) but excluding them wouldn’t alter the results significantly.
Round one tee-times (AEST)
11:19pm (Thurs): Cameron Smith, Sam Burns (US), Jake Knapp (US)
11:43pm (Thurs): Jason Day, Shane Lowry (Ireland), Dustin Johnson (US)
2:03am (Fri): Adam Scott, Daniel Berger (US), Brian Harman (US)
2:25am (Fri): Min Woo Lee, Fred Couples (US), Fifa Laopakdee (Thailand, am)
