What It Takes To Win - Wells Fargo

This past weekend we were graced with another awesome PGA Tour event which can down to a photo finishing, requiring extra holes in order to crown the champion.  In the end, rookie Derek Ernst was able to overcome nerves and unfavorable weather conditions in order to beat David Lynn in a playoff.
Only days before the tournament began, Ernst was still waiting on the sidelines as fourth alternate, unsure he'd even have the opportunity to play in the event, let alone win it.  I always find it extra special to see someone win on the PGA Tour for the first time, even more so when it's a rookie player like Ernst.  "This feeling is unbelievable right now" Ernst said who has now earned himself a 2 year exemption on the PGA Tour.
Here's a closer look at the scores from David Ernst's tournament:

• Round 1: 67 (5 under) - 8 Birdies, 7 Pars, 3 Bogeys
• Round 2: 71 (1 under) - 3 Birdies, 13 Pars, 2 Bogeys
• Round 3: 72 (Even) - 3 Birdies, 12 Pars, 3 Bogeys
• Round 4: 70 (2 under) - 4 Birdies, 12 Pars, 2 Bogeys
• Total: 9 under par - 18 Birdies, 44 Pars, 10 Bogeys

I always find it interesting to look a little deeper into the stats to see what it took to win a PGA Tour event.  Many of the victors so far in 2013 have shown a good deal of consistency throughout their rounds, however looking over Ernst's stats, there are a few interesting fluctuations.  One of which was relating to his driving distances and accuracy .. On the first and final day, arguably the two most nerve racking of a PGA tournament, Ernst stats seemed to be more composed compared to his middle two rounds.  In the final round, his average driving distance was 272 yards, over 20 yards shorter than both rounds 2 and 3.  I image this was an effort to calm his nerves and keep focused.  Regardless, by shortening his drive on the final day, he managed to find 71% of the fairways, a significant increase over the previous days.  Here's a closer look at a few more of Ernst's stats for the tournament.

• Avg Driving Distance: 285.4 yards
• Driving Accuracy: 58.93%
• Greens in Regulation: 75.00%
• Avg Putts Per Round: 30 (Avg 1.67 putts/hole)

Congrats to Derek Ernst for winning the 2013 Wells Fargo Championship and best of luck throughout the remainder of the 2013 season.
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This article was written by Scott Stevens from Eat Sleep Golf as part of our What It Takes To Win series. This series is focused on taking a closer look at the winning performance of each PGA Tour event to see exactly what it takes to be victorious among elite golfers.
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