Alex Smalley’s strong performance at the PGA Championship has put him in contention, helped by his mother’s meticulous statistical analysis.
Smalley’s Mother: More Than Just a Mum
Maria Smalley is not just Alex Smalley’s mother; she is his former caddie, his “momager,” and the master of his statistical system. She documents his round to get a good vantage point. The 29-year-old golfer is tied for the lead at 4 under par.
Smalley is now a top contender to win his first major championship in his fifth major start.
Round One Rollercoaster at Aronimink
Smalley posted a 33 on his front nine. His group received a slow-play warning from a rules official as they made the turn, immediately followed by three bogeys staining his scorecard. He ultimately carded a 1-under 69.
Smalley fought Aronimink’s gusts and tricky greens to make another two birdies in his final six holes. He is tied with Maverick McNealy.
Data-Driven Approach
Smalley’s mother has been tracking his tournament round data since his senior year of high school. She continued throughout his Duke career and as Smalley rose through the ranks of professional golf. The ritual can be traced back to a college recruiting trip, when a coach told Maria about an app called Shots to Hole. She’s used it for her son ever since.
Maria notes down Smalley’s distance to the flag, his club selection, and the wind direction at every event, on every hole, and over every shot. Variables such as altitude, lie, and slope are logged if available. The primary goal is to create an enhanced version of the PGA Tour’s shot-tracking system, ShotLink, so Smalley can evaluate his play with additional information.
Thousands of Videos
When Smalley wants to review a shot from a previous round or a previous year, Maria has them at the ready. Thousands of videos of Smalley’s swing fill her camera roll.
Maria Smalley said she got a new phone back in December because she was constantly backing up and deleting stuff on her other one.
Smalley said he was very pleased with 4 under, noting that it played really difficult the first couple of days with the wind. He will have all of the context in a post-round log available to him before he takes to the course again on Saturday afternoon.