By Paul Myers
It is incredibly difficult to make a career out of playing on the PGA Tour. While that might not be breaking news, the career of Brendon Todd should serve as a great example of just how challenging professional golf can be. As an amateur and collegian, Todd was among the very best in the country. During his storied career at the University of Georgia, Todd was an All-American selection during each of his four years. Additionally, he helped the team to the 2005 National Championship. As far as college golf careers go, it is hard to imagine having a better on than Brendon Todd.
Todd went on to turn professional in 2007, and it didn’t take long for him to find a nice measure of success. He claimed the Utah Championship on the Nationwide Tour in 2008, and was a PGA Tour member by 2009. Surely, he was well on his way to becoming a regular contender week in and week out on the Tour.
It’s Rarely That Easy
While everything seemed to be heading in the right direction for Todd, his career was stalled in 2009 when he made just 5 out of 21 cuts on the PGA Tour. That disappointing performance meant that he would not retain his Tour card, and would have to return to the Nationwide level for the 2010 season. However, he would regain his Tour status in 2012, and his promising career would be back on track. In 2014, seven years after turning professional, Brendon Todd took home his first career PGA Tour title at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
Todd is a great example of what hard work and dedication can do for a golfer in the face of adversity. Given his incredible pedigree as an amateur, it was reasonable to expect Todd to enjoy instant success at the highest level of the game. When that didn’t happen, he continued to persevere and has now begun to live up to the potential that so many saw in him several years ago.
Not a Power Player
Unlike many of the young players making noise on the PGA Tour these days, Brendon Todd doesn’t get the job done with raw power. Out of 204 total players ranked in the Tour statistics, Todd comes in at 184th in driving distance. So far in the 2015 season, his drives have averaged 275.9 yards – well behind the big hitters who average as much as 300 yards and beyond. With an average club head speed of 107.53, Todd is nearly 17 miles per hour behind the Tour leader in that category, Tony Finau.
Of course, power is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to playing good golf. Brendon Todd may not be among the most-powerful players in Tour, but he certainly is one of the most-accurate. He currently ranks 15th in driving accuracy, having hit more than 70% of the fairways on the season. Todd also ranks 7th in scrambling at 66.30%, and 15th in one putt percentage at 43.21%.
Looking at some of these other statistics, it is easy to see how Brendon Todd is able to thrive on the PGA Tour, even without overwhelming power. His game at this point has few weaknesses, and the combination of hitting fairways and making putts means that he is always a threat to shoot a good score. It may have taken a little bit longer than expected for Brendon Todd to become a steady presence on the PGA Tour, but there would appear to only be great things ahead from this point. With a Tour win now under his belt, and a strong all-around game, this former college standout could yet to big things on the biggest stages in golf.