Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
To say that Charley Hoffman has putted his way to the 54-hole lead at the RBC Heritage would be an understatement. He is dominating the field in just about every putting stat this week. In the first round he only needed 22 putts. The third round saw him roll the ball only 21 times. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t have any chip-ins either. With stats like those, it’s easy to understand how he has a two stroke lead heading into the final round. He has fired 66-70-66 in the first three rounds of the tournament.
The conditions at Harbour Town Golf Links have been windy and uncooperative for the majority of the first three rounds. That hasn’t stopped Hoffman, however. Despite the fact that the he admittedly hasn’t been hitting his irons well this week, he’s put himself in position to make putts. When he’s missed the green, Hoffman has missed in the correct locations, which has allowed him to leave most of his putts under the hole and in makeable positions.
Hoffman will take his two stroke lead over Webb Simpson into the final round, where he will be looking for his first victory since 2010. He clearly has the talent to contend, as his 25 career top 10 finishes indicate. His best finish in 2013 has been a tie for third at the Valero Texas Open.
In conditions like what the golfers have seen so far on Hilton Head this week, it appears as if Hoffman may very well have found the formula for victory. That basically means getting yourself in manageable position off the tee and with your irons and then roll in just about every putt that you see.
Carl Conrad is the Senior Golf Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.
