"To an extent every player is analytical, even a hacker like me. After 50 years of scuttling a golf ball around I've a good idea of how a ball reacts when struck a certain way or out of a certain lie. I also have a good idea on my own strengths and weaknesses and tend to play accordingly. All that comes from trial, error and observation. Every player is the same."
Niall -
I m not sure it I agree with the final line of your comment. Based on what I have observed and experienced over the years, many handicap golfers (even low handicaps) are poor course managers. They don't take enough club, they try low-percentage shots, they go for the green when they should be pitching out sideways. So often have I heard someone say "I didn't come all this way to lay up" when I suggest they should do so.
Tommy Armour tells the story in his book of guiding a handicap golfer thru a round, forcing him to play the conservative high-percentage shot when the golfer wanted to do otherwise. The golfer winds up shooting the best score of his life. While that story may or may not be true, its message is.
The pros are far better course managers than the average handicap golfers. Bryson is possibly a better course manager than his peers.
DT