ShotLink: The ins and outs of the Plantation Course

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

The downhill 18th measures nearly 700 yards, but is still reachable for long hitters.

HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: Power Rankings | Inside the Field | Inside the Course

Defending Champion: Jonathan Byrd
Scrambling: 2011 Hyundai Tournament of Champions winner Jonathan Byrd outperformed the field with his scrambling performance around the greens at the Plantation Course at Kapalua. Of the 10 greens Byrd missed in regulation, he successfully salvaged par or better eight times (80 percent - 1st in the field).

• A portion of Byrd's scrambling success can be attributed to his solid putting numbers inside 10 feet. For the week, Byrd converted a field-leading 91 percent of his putting efforts inside 10 feet.

Key shot: Byrd's eagle hole out on the 10th hole: In opening round. Byrd holed out from 110 yards on the par 4 10th hole for eagle (longest hole out of the week). This was the fourth time in Byrd's career (since 2003) where he's holed out from outside 100 yards (including his ace to win the 2010 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open).

FedExCup notes: Byrd's victory at the 2011 Hyundai put him in the No. 1 spot in the the FedExCup standings for the first 3 weeks of the 2011 season.

• Byrd had his most successful FedExCup performance last year, finishing a career best 27th in the standings.

• Byrd was one of just seven players not ranked outside the top 30 of the standings in any week of the 2011 FedExCup season.

Short Game and putting key: Three of the last six Hyundai TOC winners have led the field for scrambling en route to their respective victories (all eight of the last eight winners ranked inside the top 10 for scrambling). Three of the last four winners have led the field for putts gained en route to victory. Seven of the last eight winners have either ranked 1st or 2nd for strokes gained putting en route to their victory.

Easiest course on TOUR: The Plantation Course at Kapalua has been the easiest course on TOUR in each of the last 2 seasons averaging around 3 under par (par 73):

The 400-yard mark: Since 2003, there have been 277 drives of 400 yards or more recorded on the PGA TOUR. However, 2011 yielded just 9 total drives of 400 or more yards (the fewest recorded in a single season since 2003):