Tour Report: 2011 Winners: Phil vs. the field (PGATOUR.com)

Pop quiz! Whose career PGA TOUR victory count is higher – Phil Mickelson or the season’s other 14 winners combined?

The fact that this is even tight enough to be a trivia question speaks volumes about the parity and unpredictability of the TOUR this year. The numbers behind the question follow with the answer below the table.

2011 Winners Breakdown

If you’d have guessed Phil Mickelson, you’d be right, but not for long. With his 39 career victories, Mickelson has one more than the total of 38 combined for the rest of this season’s winners (Note: Mark Wilson has won twice, but his career total of four only gets counted once). With Lefty idle this week, he will be no better than tied with the field once a winner is crowned at TPC San Antonio.

You get extra credit if you knew that Luke Donald broke the longest winless drought of any 2011 champions or that Rory Sabbatini, with six career victories, has the second most behind Mickelson.

Mickelson aside, this season’s winners had an average of 1.7 career victories before taking their titles. Just four — Jonathan Byrd, Bubba Watson, Mickelson, and Wilson in Phoenix — had won a tournament within a year of claiming their 2011 title. Four others — Jhonattan Vegas, D.A. Points, Gary Woodland and Charl Schwartzel — were first-time PGA TOUR winners.