pga tour rankings 2019

RBC Heritage

Harbour Town Golf Links

The top 100 players on the PGA Tour, ranked

How did the PGA Tour's best players spend their "winter breaks?" Relaxing? Working on their games? A little of both? These are the questions we'll be asking beginning at this week's Sentry Tournament of Champions, as the tour resumes the 2021-22 season in Maui. Ahead of that, our Golf Digest staff spent its winter break coming up with our second annual ranking of the top 100 players on tour. To gather our list, we looked through the prism of what we expect from players in 2022 while acknowledging their form and feats from the recent past. Below is our collective answer.

For clarification, this list is specific to those who play on the PGA Tour. This is why you won’t see players like Victor Perez or Min Woo Lee, both fine talents who spend most of their time on the the European Tour. Obviously a handful of players compete on multiple circuits; we judged these jump balls as best we could.

Here then are the top 100 players on the PGA Tour, from No. 100 to the top spot.

100. Andrew Landry

Age: 34 / owgr (as of jan. 3, 2022): 187 / ’22 fedex cup (entering sentry toc): 40.

Landry came out on the business end of the 2020-21 “super season,” missing the cut in half of his starts and turning in a lone top-25 finish. Four MCs in six fall starts doesn’t look much better. But top-10s in those two made cuts this past autumn (T-4 at Sanderson Farms, T-7 at Mayakoba) give hope that a turnaround is ‘round the corner. — Joel Beall

99. Taylor Pendrith

Age: 30 / owgr: 229 / ’22 fedex cup: 47.

Canadian rookie has one of the most impressive moves you’ll see anywhere—think Matthew Wolff meets Jim Furyk, with 190-mph ball speed. There’s a good chance he finishes top five in driving distance when the dust settles. —Dan Rapaport

98. Jason Day

Age: 34 / owgr: 126 / ’22 fedex cup: 196.

It seems like eons since the talented but injury-prone Aussie was one of the most dominant players in golf. Coming off his worst season since 2012, when he hadn’t yet fully rounded into the form that made him a force in 2015-16, Day appears at a crossroads at age 34. Just four top-10s dotted an unremarkable season that saw him fail to reach the second round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time. He has fallen out of the top 100 in the world, and most of his struggles appear to be with his usually reliable putting, where he dropped to 95th in strokes gained. His tee-to-green game (37th SG) still shines, so there is something to build on. Or rebuild on. —Dave Shedloski

MORE: How Jason Day is rediscovering his game with an assist from a 9-year-old

97. Denny McCarthy

Age: 28 / owgr: 180 / ’22 fedex cup: 30.

If one man could ever disprove the old adage, “You drive for show and you putt for dough,” it’s this guy. McCarthy has twice led the PGA Tour in strokes gained/putting, yet he’s still searching for his maiden victory. That being said, he’s made some decent dough with $4.3 million in earnings in four seasons, and he’s started this campaign by making more with four consecutive made cuts. —Alex Myers

96. Hudson Swafford

Age: 34 / owgr: 163 / ’22 fedex cup: 118.

It's extremely difficult to bring up Swafford without noting his eerie physical similarity to college teammate Harris English, and we'll be the latest to fail. To his credit, he takes it in stride, and plods steadily along in a career that reads as "journeyman" on the surface, but does include two tour wins, including his latest in September 2020 in the Dominican Republic. It's a fact of life that Swafford is going to miss cuts, but as he proved last season, he can miss a bunch (17) and still post a high FedEx Cup finishing position (36th). — Shane Ryan

Jared C. Tilton

95. Adam Schenk

Age: 29 / owgr: 156 / ’22 fedex cup: 37.

The man with the most unfortunate name in golf hit anything but a shank over the last eight months. Since the RBC Heritage, Schenk has finished T-18 or better five times, including three inside the top four. Should he keep it rolling into 2022, there are ample low-key, early-season events for the former Purdue Boilermaker to pick off a maiden win. —Christopher Powers

94. Adam Hadwin

Age: 34 / owgr: 150 / ’22 fedex cup: 126.

The streaky Canadian—he missed three straight cuts during three stretches in 2021—can put it all together at times. Hadwin had three top-eights last season but the short hitter rarely produces a charge on the weekend. He averaged 70.38 on both Saturday and Sunday—91st for both days on tour. —Tod Leonard

MORE: Complete top 25 of Golf Digest’s Newsmakers of 2021

93. Luke List

Age: 36 / owgr: 152 / ’22 fedex cup: 28.

List is the only player from the last decade to have led the tour in driving distance for the year and never won on tour. Most other to lead in distance, like Bubba, Bryson, DJ, and Rory, also have majors. List can hammer the ball, and his tee-to-green numbers will always be elite with that asset. But his putting has been historically poor—if you look at one of those Data Golf charts measuring five skills, the shape List delivers is more of the rare triangle than some form of pentagon. But hey, you just need one hot week with the putter and you can pull the Cameron Champ and pick off a win or two. —Brendan Porath

92. Henrik Norlander

Age: 34 / owgr: 162 / ’22 fedex cup: 49.

The Swede finished fourth at Sanderson Farms in the fall, spurred by a final-round 64. Though he turned pro in 2011 after helping lead Augusta State to back-to-back NCAA team titles, this is just Norlander’s fifth season on the PGA Tour, alternating between the Korn Ferry and Challenge Tours in between. His strength is his iron play: Norlander ranked 27th last season on tour in strokes gained/approach. — Stephen Hennessey

91. Robert Streb

Age: 34 / owgr: 120 / ’22 fedex cup: 45.

After winning the 2020 RSM Classic, Streb played 23 events the rest of the 2020-21 season and missed more cuts than he made (12 to 11) with just three top-20 finishes. The fall was better, though, with two top-10s, and having a card through 2023 means he doesn’t have to sweat things out this season. That has to be somewhat liberating after finishing outside the top 125 in 2018, 2019 and 2020. —Ryan Herrington

90. Troy Merritt

Age: 36 / owgr: 106 / ’22 fedex cup: 52.

When you hear discussions about how the tour is looking out for its rank-and-file members, Merritt is the player they’re talking about. He’s proven he can win (he’s done it twice), made more than $11 million and has played well enough to keep his card for nine straight seasons. Yet for as consistent a career as that is, he’s never gotten to the Tour Championship. Can 2022 be different? Perhaps … he finished the fall ranked 14th in SG/approach the green and 34th total, which rank as career bests if extended through an entire season. —R.H.

89. Aaron Rai

Age: 26 / owgr: 100 / ’22 fedex cup: 59.

Perhaps known best by American golf fans for his iron headcovers, Rai made a name for himself in the U.S. in 2021, nearly winning on the Korn Ferry Tour in his first start. It was a painful runner-up finish—needing just an up-and-down to secure victory he instead took four strokes, missing a playoff—but the KFT result in Boise secured his PGA Tour card for this season. The Englishman missed his first three cuts on the PGA Tour but finished the year with three consecutive top-20s. — S.H.

Steve Dykes

MORE: This pro’s reason for using iron headcovers will make you feel pretty bad about making fun of him

88. Brendan Steele

Age: 38 / owgr: 101 / ’22 fedex cup: 20.

The Sultan of the Safeway Open had a “down” 2021, if you consider it purely on FEC finish, which was 105th. But he still made almost $1.4 million, so he was making cuts and cashing checks, which he’s done all his career. Steele has the length to hang on the modern tour, and he’ll pick and choose his venues where he knows he can pop after several years on the circuit. —B.P.

87. Davis Riley

Age: 25 / owgr: 362 / ’22 fedex cup: 111.

Cruelly, the former Alabama star was third on the Korn Ferry points list in 2020, but didn’t get promoted when the season was extended due to the pandemic. Riley forged on with seven top-10s, including two wins, that got eventually got him onto the PGA Tour for 2021-22. The new season has been a rollercoaster—four missed cuts, countered by a T-7 in Bermuda. The flat stick in a hinderance: Riley is 131st in SG/putting. —T.L.

86. Chris Kirk

Age: 36 / owgr: 96 / ’22 fedex cup: 97.

Between 2011 and 2015, Kirk ripped off four wins and earned a spot on the 2015 U.S. Presidents Cup team. The six years that followed were tough both on and off the course for Kirk, who opened up about his battle with alcoholism in 2019. Since then he’s found his golf game again, winning a Korn Ferry Tour event in 2020 and collecting eight top-16 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2021. Perhaps 2022 is the year he ends what is now a six-plus-year victory drought. —C.P.

85. Lanto Griffin

Age: 33 / owgr: 111 / '22 fedex cup: 42.

We haven't fully checked the record books, but it seems likely that Griffin is the one-and-only PGA Tour winner to be named by his hippie parents after a spiritual master (in this case, "Lord Lanto, a Chohan of the Second Ray of Illumination"). It took him years to reach the PGA Tour, but a win at the 2019 Houston Open gave him serious traction, and after holding on to the top 100 last season, he's off to a big start with two top-10s in the fall. And fun fact: Thanks to those hippie parents, Griffin has never eaten red meat. —S.R.

MORE: Lanto Griffin—from broke to the PGA Tour in five months

84. Matt Kuchar

Age: 43 / owgr: 116 / ’22 fedex cup: 91.

One of the game’s top earners for more than a decade, Kuchar has cooled down with only one top-10 in each of the past two seasons. The nine-time tour winner was always able to get around a lack of distance, but that’s getting harder to do these days—especially with an eroding iron game. Kuchar ranked 108th and 98th in SG/approach the past two seasons, and is currently 184th. —A.M.

Alex Goodlett

MORE: Even Matt Kuchar is chasing speed with his swing

83. Bubba Watson

Age: 43 / owgr: 85 / ’22 fedex cup: nr.

Because he remains one of the longest hitters, and because he can create shots, and because he puts himself out there with genuine emotion, Watson still is a compelling and competitive presence on the PGA Tour. To return to legitimate threat, the lithe left-hander needs to shake off that middle-aged putting stroke, because being 149th in SG/putting (minus-.210) last season nullified an encouraging 36th position in SG/tee to green (plus-.751)—which explains his paltry 3.59 birdie average. And though he had just five top-10 finishes in 22 events, he only missed four cuts (plus one WD), and he qualified for the playoffs for the 15th time, one of just six players with perfect attendance in the FedEx Cup era. Watson and longtime caddie Ted Scott have split amicably, but maybe a new voice will get him to a 13th career win. —D.S.

MORE: In new book, Bubba opens up about the struggles he kept to himself

82. Adam Long

Age: 29 / owgr: 143 / ’22 fedex cup: 36.

Started this wrap-around season with four straight top-25 finishes to set himself up nicely in the FedEx Cup race. Don’t let the name fool you—he ranked only 88th in driving distance last season. —D.R.

81. Jhonattan Vegas

Age: 37 / owgr: 82 / ’22 fedex cup: 56.

Vegas enjoyed a career revival in 2020-21 thanks to three runner-up finishes, a performance he carried over into the fall (fifth in SG/off-the-tee, 17th in SG/tee-to-green). That this is a Presidents Cup year should provide extra incentive for Vegas. The International team has depth for the first time in, well, forever, yet most of those names are young and unproven. Vegas—who won his singles match at the 2017 Presidents Cup—will be 38 when the biennial match kicks off at Quail Hollow, and would give captain Trevor Immelman a steady, likeable veteran presence on the squad. —J.B.

Mike Ehrmann

80. Pat Perez

Age: 45 / owgr: 280 / ’22 fedex cup: 192.

Perez has historically used the fall to jumpstart his seasons, but this autumn was none too kind (five starts, three missed cuts, a WD and a T-44). Turning 46 in March, it’s fair to wonder how much gas Perez has left in the tank. Yet the man has been a model of consistency, missing the playoffs just once in its 15-year existence … and that once was due to an injury that sidelined him for seven months in 2016. The 2021 super season was another solid campaign for Perez, making the cut in 21 of 32 starts and finishing 53rd in strokes gained. He’ll need the West Coast Swing to right his wrongs, but it’s a safe bet to see Perez once again come playoff time. —J.B.

79. Emiliano Grillo

Age: 29 / owgr: 92 / ’22 fedex cup: 114.

Sometimes, the PGA Tour rookie of the year award is a harbinger of greatness. For Grillo, the 2016 winner, it hasn’t quite turned out that way, though he remains a terrific ball-striker who’s seen success in weaker-field events. —D.R.

78. Joel Dahmen

Age: 34 / owgr: 93 / ’22 fedex cup: 46.

A season with three top-10s doesn’t sound all that great, except that when one of them is your first PGA Tour win in your 12th year as a professional, it’s everything. So Dahmen, winner in the Dominican Republic, has that going for him, which is … well, you know … nice. One of the shorter drivers of the ball, Dahmen has to do other things well. Hitting fairways is one where he did fine (ranked 22nd). Getting to the greens and then operating on them, not so much, and on that last item, the 34-year-old Washington native gave up way too much ground at 164th SG/putting (minus-.344). —D.S.

Kevin C. Cox

MORE: How Joel Dahmen got his mind right before his first PGA Tour win

77. Lee Westwood

Age: 48 / owgr: 37 / ’22 fedex cup: nr.

Oh, what could have been in 2021 as Westwood played his way into the final pairing in back-to-back events (Bay Hill and the Players) before finishing runner-up in both. Sadly, reminiscent of his long list of close calls in majors throughout his career. Westy’s OWGR remains rather lofty based on those two finishes as well as winning the 2020 Race to Dubai title on the European Tour, but a T-21 as his best performance since March indicates he’s headed on a different trajectory now as he closes in on his 49th birthday in April. —A.M.

76. Cameron Young

Age: 24 / owgr: 135 / ’22 fedex cup: 26.

Search for Cameron Young on Wikipedia, and the first hit is a G-League NBA player; check the World Ranking, and Young is the fifth-most famous Cameron, after Smith, Tringale, Davis and Champ. And yet the Wake Forest grad is brimming with raw potential, and even more importantly, he's a winner: He earned his card on the strength of back-to-back wins on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, and though he ran hot-and-cold the rest of the season, he nearly won his second PGA Tour event at Sanderson Farms. The son of the head pro at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Young is still untested, but he has a nose for trophies. —S.R.

MORE: 7 unsung heroes of the PGA Tour fall season

75. Sahith Theegala

Age: 24 / owgr: 382 / ’22 fedex cup: 85.

Theegala is not yet on the level of some of the other studs in his age group, but his appearance in this ranking is a prediction that he will be soon. He didn’t rewrite the Korn Ferry Tour history books in the 2020-21 season, but his consecutive top-six finishes in the final two KFT Finals events saw him earn his PGA Tour card for the 2021-22 season. There will be growing pains, no doubt, but we’re betting on the crazy-talented 24-year-old from Pepperdine to introduce himself to the casual golf fan in a big way in 2022. —C.P.

Sam Greenwood

74. Cameron Davis

Age: 26 / owgr: 78 / ’22 fedex cup: 151.

The Aussie has been trying to live up to the promise he showed in capturing the 2017 Australian Open, beating the likes of Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. Davis finally delivered on the Fourth of July by outlasting Troy Merritt in a five-hole playoff to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He also had a third in The American Express, but posted only one other top-10. Davis is a big hitter (19th in driving distance), but not strong with the irons (120th in GIR). —T.L.

73. Tom Hoge

Age: 32 / owgr: 110 / ’22 fedex cup: 27.

An established regular on tour, Hoge has moved beyond “No, what is it?” status. That’s the reply Tiger Woods gave in 2015 when he was asked if he would recognize Tom Hoge, who would be his playing partner the next day at the Wyndham (presumably Tiger thought the inquisitor was referring to a sandwich of some sort). Hoge will likely make some 30 starts and make around as many cuts as he misses, relying on hot stretches with his below-average putter that occasionally bump him into contention. —B.P.

72. Matt Wallace

Age: 31 / owgr: 80 / ’22 fedex cup: 48.

Wallace had five top-10 finishes across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour in 2021, including a T-4 at the Zozo Championship in the fall. He held a share of the 54-hole lead at the Valero Texas Open, falling short to Jordan Spieth despite Wallace putting on a ball-striking clinic, gaining 15.3 strokes to the field tee-to-green. — S.H.

71. Ian Poulter

Age: 45 / owgr: 57 / ’22 fedex cup: t-141.

The Brit turns 46 on Jan. 10 and with no Ryder Cup to aim for in 2022, the question is what kind of motivation does he have. To wit, he missed three cuts in four tour starts after Whistling Straits last fall. The most cuts he’s missed in any season on tour since 2005 is four. That said, he has posted 39 top-10s in 92 tour starts from 2017-21. —R.H.

70. Harold Varner III

Age: 31 / owgr: 95 / ’22 fedex cup: 64.

There might not be any player on tour who more of his peers are pulling for to get that first win than Varner, the North Carolina native is that well liked. But the journey to win No. 1 continues to have its rocky moments as Varner struggles to sustain momentum after posting solid first rounds. The good news? In 2021, he had a career-best 10 top-25s, along with his first top-three finish (T-2 at Harbour Town). And as a new dad to baby Liam, there’s some new incentive to succeed in 2022. —R.H.

MORE: The most absurdly funny screenshots from an absurdly funny year in golf

69. Charley Hoffman

Age: 45 / owgr: 76 / ’22 fedex cup: 92.

Entering his 17th year on tour, Hoffman has been a model of consistency—keeping his card every year since 2006. The San Diego native had five top-10s last season, including a runner-up at the Valero Texas Open (where he closed with rounds of 66-65-66) and a third-place finish at Colonial, adding to an impressive résumé in the Lone Star State: 14 career top-10 finishes and 30 top-25s. —S.H.

68. Alex Noren

Age: 39 / owgr: 71 / ’22 fedex cup: 126.

After getting hot in the playoffs and nearly making it to Atlanta, 2021 was a rebound season of sorts for Noren, who once ascended into the top 10 in the world and made a Ryder Cup team. Noren’s majors record is rather underwhelming after 30 career starts, and his tee-to-green deficiencies relative to the modern elite players will continue to make breakthroughs at many of those setups a challenge. — B.P.

67. Cameron Champ

Age: 26 / owgr: 83 / ’22 fedex cup: nr.

We don’t yet know what Champ’s season is going to look like because a wrist injury forced him to shut things down after just one start in October. He must be hugely disappointed, considering Champ—who was third on the tour in driving distance (317 yards)—won for the third straight year in July at the 3M Open. It’s the putter that holds Champ back from contending more; he was 188th in SG/putting in 2020-21. —T.L.

66. Keith Mitchell

Age: 29 / owgr: 89 / ’ 22 fedex cup: 31.

Mitchell owns one of the more impressive non-major wins in recent memory, defeating both Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler by one stroke at the 2019 Honda Classic. He hasn’t followed it with another trophy, but a trio of recent top-five finishes (Wells Fargo, 3M Open, CJ Cup) would lead one to believe that the former Georgia Bulldog isn’t likely to be just a one-win wonder. —C.P.

65. Keegan Bradley

Age: 35 / owgr: 86 / ’22 fedex cup: 84.

The peak of Bradley's career so far came in 2012, when he came into the Ryder Cup as a major champion and teamed with Phil Mickelson to electrify the Chicago crowds for the first two days. He's only 35, but the fall from those heights was definitive, and he's only managed a single win since. Still, he hasn't gone away, and on the strength of four top-10s last season, he put himself in position to make the Tour Championship and prove that even though that initial surge to stardom was part mirage, he's still a very good professional golfer. —S.R.

64. Garrick Higgo

Age: 22 / owgr: 61 / ’22 fedex cup: 160.

The talented South African has been piling up wins at an impressive rate, no matter what tour he plays on. After winning on the European Tour in back-to-back months, Higgo captured his first PGA Tour title at Congaree in June, just weeks after turning 22. He enters 2022 outside the top 50 in the OWGR, but it doesn’t appear like he’ll stay there for long. —A.M.

63. Branden Grace

Age: 33 / owgr: 70 / ’ 22 fedex cup: 105.

There is a reason that Grace’s best SG stat is around the greens: He doesn’t hit many of them, averaging just 64.47 percent last season (144th on tour). But when he does have a week like he did at the Puerto Rico Open, where he was T-3 in the field after finding 57 of 72 (79.2 percent), the South African veteran does OK. In fact, he won his second tour title there and first anywhere in five years. Hey, that was one more win than countryman Louis Oosthuizen, the hard-luck loser of 2021 majors. Grace posted three other top-seven finishes, including runner-up at the Wyndham. He tends to make the most of his opportunities. —D.S.

62. Kevin Streelman

Age: 43 / owgr: 77 / ’22 fedex cup: 128.

Not someone you’d stop to watch on the driving range, but he’s kept his tour card for 15 years and has made more than $23 million. Picked up his first major top-10 in 26 tries at the PGA Championship at Kiawah. —D.R.

MORE: Kevin Streelman was the other underdog at the 2021 PGA

61. Aaron Wise

Age: 25 / owgr: 64 / ’22 fedex cup: 22.

The rookie of the year in 2018 went sideways in his second and third years on tour but bounced back in a big way during 2020-21, racking up nine top-25 finishes on his way to reaching the second stage of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Wise carried that fine display to the fall with three top-15s in five starts thanks to a stout tee-to-green game. If he can tighten up his short game (no better than 132nd in SG/putting the past three seasons) the former NCAA champ could be on the precipice of a breakout campaign. —J.B.

60. Rickie Fowler

Age: 33 / owgr: 87 / ’22 fedex cup: 43.

The 2021 super season was a super nightmare for Fowler. He had just one top-10 against nine missed cuts in 24 starts, failed to qualify for the Masters and U.S. Open, and he did not make the postseason for the first time in his career. But Fowler did contend in the fall at the CJ Cup in Vegas, ultimately coming in T-3 (his first top-three finish since the 2019 Honda Classic) to show the obituaries are premature. To keep the momentum going into 2022, Fowler will need to shore up his short game. Historically one of the better putters on tour (even ranking first in SG/putting in 2017), Fowler fell to 126th in the category last season. —J.B.

Gregory Shamus

59. Brian Harman

Age: 26 / owgr: 59 / ’22 fedex cup: 189.

Somewhat limited due to his lack of length but Harman makes a boatload of cuts. Manages his game extremely well and ranked inside the top 30 in both SG/putting and around the green in 2020-21. —D.R.

58. Ryan Palmer

Age: 45 / owgr: 47 / ’ 22 fedex cup: 108.

In the long history of great Texas golfers, Palmer wouldn’t garner much attention, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a very good player for a very long time. The four-time tour winner is sinewy strong, averaging 304.6 yards off the tee last season (38th) while ranking 49th in SG/off the tee. That will keep you relevant. He remains a decent putter (89th SG), also helpful. The only category where he lost strokes was around the greens. —D.S.

57. K.H. Lee

Age: 30 / owgr: 63 / ’22 fedex cup: 66.

We’ll be rooting for the former “husky boy” to achieve his stated goal of becoming the “sexiest golfer in the world” in 2022, unless he already claimed that title in your view. In 2021, Lee captured his first tour win, triggering another run of firsts in the coming year, where he’ll start inside the top 100 for the first time in his career, play his rookie Masters and, potentially, earn a Presidents Cup bid. The next step is making his first cut at a major championship, where his record is markedly inexperienced and thin (four starts, four missed cuts). —B.P.

56. Seamus Power

Age: 34 / owgr: 73 / ’22 fedex cup: 25.

It sounds unbelievable, but prior to Power’s win at the Barbasol in July, only four players from the Republic of Ireland had won a PGA Tour event. That was the cherry on top of an incredible summer for Power, whose World Ranking skyrocketed from the 400s to top 70 on the strength of that win and six other top-20 finishes. At the RSM Classic, the final event of the fall, he posted a T-4, giving warning that his meteoric rise in the summer was a beginning, not an end. —S.R.

55. Cameron Tringale

Age: 34 / owgr: 51 / ’22 fedex cup: 13.

Even if you’re a casual golf-watcher, chances are you’ve seen Tringale’s name at the top of the leader board upwards of a million times over the last handful of seasons (he has 15 top-25s since November 2020). That has yet to translate into a win on the PGA Tour, but chances are if he continues to put himself in position to win he’ll get there sooner or later. —C.P.

MORE: You won’t believe how many tour pros have made $10M without winning

54. Stewart Cink

Age: 48 / owgr: 52 / ’22 fedex cup: 199.

Yes, Phil Mickelson rightfully grabbed the headlines by being the oldest major winner, but Cink notching two wins in a seven-month span, at 48, was arguably just as impressive. Remember, he won the Safeway Open by going 65-65 on the weekend and opened his title week in the Heritage with back-to-back 63s. For anybody, that’s playing your behind off. The iron play was fabulous, ranking Cink at 34th in SG/approach. He’s going to have to drive it better to be factor this year; in four events, he’s 104th in distance and 176th in accuracy. —T.L.

Patrick Smith

53 . Harry Higgs

Age: 30 / owgr: 138 / ’22 fedex cup: 69.

A social-media darling, and for good reason, as Higgs brings character, humor and flavor to a tour with one too many mayo sandwiches. At 30, his career progression has been steady and stable, what we used to see as the norm in a prior era. He’s worked his way up with success, and wins, at each level, and 2021 came with a top-five finish in his first (and still only) major championship. —B.P.

52. Phil Mickelson

Age: 51 / owgr: 33 / ’22 fedex cup: 174.

What a glorious year for Lefty, who become the oldest major champion in golf history by outdueling major slayer Brooks Koepka at Kiawah Island. He also added four victories in six starts on the PGA Tour Champions in his first season, becoming just the second player to accomplish the feat, joining Jack Nicklaus. The question is whether the senior success and that major magic will translate into more consistency in regular PGA Tour starts, where he had just one other top-20 showing outside the PGA win in the 2020-21 season. — S.H.

MORE: 101 things that happened to Phil Mickelson in 2021

51. Russell Henley

Age: 32 / owgr: 55 / ’ 22 fedex cup: 38.

You think of Henley as older than 32 given the fact he’s already playing his 10th season. He’s been a consistent performer during that time, finishing inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup ranking every year. Yet he’s only qualified for the Tour Championship twice (2014 and 2017) and hasn’t won since April 2017. So is Henley’s biological clock ticking? Perhaps. He’s learned to live with the fact he isn’t the longest player out there, but that means he needs to figure out a way to shore up his short game if he hopes to have more than a solid career. —R.H.

50. Sergio Garcia

Age: 41 / owgr: 45 / ’22 fedex cup: 73.

What’s left for Sergio, who has his major and his stellar Ryder Cup record and turns 42 on Jan. 9? In 2018 and 2020, he was outside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list, only to bounce back with solid seasons in 2019 and 2021. Interestingly, the Spaniard hasn’t shot a round over par on the PGA Tour since the first round of The Northern Trust in August. Ended the fall with a T-7 finish in Mexico, which certainly provides a positive vibe heading into the new year. —R.H.

49. Shane Lowry

Age: 34 / owgr: 44 / ’22 fedex cup: 203.

The 2019 Open champion had six worldwide top-10s in 2021, plus a T-12 in defending his title at The Open. The Irishman had several career-best finishes last year: at the PGA Championship (T-4), the Memorial (T-6), The Players (eighth) and the Masters (T-21). — S.H.

Warren Little

48 . Justin Rose

Age: 41 / owgr: 42 / ’22 fedex cup: 103.

It’s been a disappointing past two-plus seasons for this former World No. 1. In 33 starts, Rose racked up just five top-10s with a T-3 at the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge being his best result. Still in tremendous physical shape (just check his Instagram feed), a final-round 65 at the RSM Classic in the last official round of 2021 to finish T-12 indicates he has more good golf left in him—even if it happens less frequently. —A.M.

47. Mito Pereira

Age: 26 / owgr: 98 / ’22 fedex cup: 21.

Still a mystery to most American fans, the Chilean could make a big splash in ’22 if his trajectory continues. The Texas Tech alum earned a battlefield promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour with three wins in 2021, including back-to-back victories in June. Since then, Pereira has three top-10s on the PGA Tour and finished just off the podium in the Olympics. The stellar iron player has already competed seven times for 2021-22 and has four top-30s and only one missed cut. —T.L.

46. Kevin Kisner

Age: 37 / owgr: 43 / ’22 fedex cup: 203.

“This ain’t no hobby” and “they give away a lot [of $$] for 20th,” two of Kisner’s famous quotes, seem to be opposing ideas, but they actually sum up his PGA Tour existence perfectly. Golf is not a hobby for Kisner (he’s among the 50 best in the world at it), but he knows his skills are limited to shorter, shot-maker’s golf courses. He pops at those spots, like Harbour Town, Sedgefield and Detroit Golf Club, then happily takes his T-23s in the events where distance matters greatly. He knows who he is and makes no apologies for it, making him a fan favorite. —C.P.

45. Maverick McNealy

Age: 26 / owgr: 68 / ’22 fedex cup: 12.

It's easy to fly under the radar when you're still looking for your first professional win, but McNealy was one of the more quietly impressive players on tour last year, rising from 166th in the World Ranking at the start of 2021 to 69th at the end. Second-place finishes at Pebble Beach and Napa are the highlights, and he became more consistent as the season went along, making seven straight cuts to reach the BMW Championship. At 26, it's clear that McNealy is beginning to enter his prime. —S.R.

44. Tommy Fleetwood

Age: 30 / owgr: 40 / ’22 fedex cup: 95.

Now in his 30s, Fleetwood doesn’t quite fit the “Young Gunz” category anymore, but he still has a lot of golf in front of him. That being said—and not to sound too much like Paul Azinger—it has to be disheartening that this five-time European Tour winner has yet to break through in the U.S. More alarming is the only time he came close last year ended with a Sunday 77 at Bay Hill. Already with a T-7 in Vegas and still one of the game’s best ball-strikers, we expect to see his name on more leader boards in 2022—even if it’s not all the way on top. —A.M.

43. Erik van Rooyen

Age: 31 / owgr: 66 / ’ 22 fedex cup: 138.

The South African enjoyed a rookie season that included a victory and a spot in the Tour Championship, thanks to consecutive top-five finishes in the Playoffs, so it stands to reason that expectations will be much higher in the coming year. He certainly has room for improvement, with a stat sheet that shows his best category was SG/putting (64th). Van Rooyen missed the cut in all three majors in which he competed and fell short of the weekend in 11 of 27 starts, so more consistency should be a stated goal in 2022. —D.S.

​​ 42. Lucas Herbert

Age: 26 / owgr: 41 / ’22 fedex cup: 9.

Secured his card through the Korn Ferry finals and promptly earned some job security by winning his third starts as a PGA Tour member in October at the Bermuda Championship. The Aussie has a great chance to make this year’s Presidents Cup team. —D.R.

41. Sebastian Munoz

Age: 28 / owgr: 60 / ’22 fedex cup: 19.

Munoz doesn’t do anything that particularly jumps out. In that same breath, the man possesses view weaknesses. See ball, hit ball, keep ball in play. It’s an equation that’s paid dividends: Thanks to a T-4 at the Zozo and a third at the RSM, Munoz begins 2022 inside the FedEx Cup top 20. Should he stay in the discussion for a trip to East Lake, it may be enough to snag a spot on the Presidents Cup team. To solidify his spot on the International squad, as well as make the jump into the next echelon of tour players, Munoz needs to keep the bigger numbers at bay: He ranked 131st in bogey avoidance last season. Improving his putting from inside 10 feet (111th in the category last year) will go ways towards that goal. —J.B.

Tom Pennington

40. Adam Scott

Age: 41 / owgr: 46 / ’22 fedex cup: 62.

Scott has advanced to the Tour Championship just twice in the last seven seasons. Part of that stems from his penchant for playing a light schedule (he’s only played more than 20 events once in his career), yet his performance in those limited appearances, while good, has trended the wrong direction with age. Nevertheless, Scott did post a T-5 at the CJ Cup in the fall, and a golfer’s 40s are no longer the purgatory they once were on tour. With the Presidents Cup on tap this year, don’t be surprised if we see a revival from the former Masters champ. —J.B.

39. Si Woo Kim

Age: 26 / owgr: 53 / ’22 fedex cup: 44.

Hard to believe he’s still three-plus years from 30. Hasn’t quite delivered on the top-10 potential he flashed in winning the 2018 Players at 21, but he’s got three wins and is coming off his most consistent season yet. —D.R.

MORE: The 31 biggest rules issues of 2021

38. Mackenzie Hughes

Age: 31 / owgr: 39 / ’ 22 fedex cup: 11.

A strong fall campaign, highlighted by a T-4 at the Zozo and second at the RSM, augers well for the Canadian veteran. Hughes did just enough during the 2020-21 campaign to make it to the BMW Championship despite losing more than half a stroke to the field in SG/total. Four top-10s, including T-6 at The Open, and adding a T-15 finish at the U.S. Open sure helped. His relative lack of power always will make things challenging, but the last few years Hughes has gotten the putting-for-dough thing nailed down (including 15th in SG, ninth in total putting last season). —D.S.

37. Matt Fitzpatrick

Age: 27 / owgr: 24 / ’22 fedex cup: 154.

The Brit has made a steady climb up the OWGR despite not winning yet on the PGA Tour. Already a seven-time champ in Europe, however, he clearly has what it takes to close out golf tournaments—especially those played in difficult scoring conditions. “I’d love to tick that off,” Fitzpatrick told Today’s Golfer in October. “But I’m not a rookie anymore. I’m 27. In my own mind, I know I’ve got to start competing in the big events so my name is up at the top of the leader board more often.” We couldn’t agree more, Matt. —A.M.

Quality Sport Images

36. Paul Casey

Age: 44 / owgr: 27 / ’22 fedex cup: 152.

The veteran Brit must have discovered the fountain of youth, and we're not saying that just because of his boyish face. Firmly in his mid-40s, he made 18 of 20 cuts on tour last season, posted seven top-10s, made yet another Ryder Cup, and is the oldest man inside the world top 30. His consistency is a marvel, and so is his approach game—in 2020-21, only Morikawa was better on SG/approach. —S.R.

35. Webb Simpson

Age: 36 / owgr: 28 / ’22 fedex cup: 54.

In comparison to 2018, 2019 and 2020, when Simpson enjoyed a career resurgence after going five-plus years without a win, 2021 was a down season for the former U.S. Open champ. And yet, he still had five finishes of T-9 or better in 21 starts, three of them coming at three of his favorite tour courses—Harbour Town (RBC Heritage), Sedgefield (Wyndham) and Sea Island (RSM Classic). You can pencil him in for top-10s at those stops again in 2022, and we should expect much more from this prolific winner who still has plenty of good golf left in him. —C.P.

34. Matthew Wolff

Age: 22 / owgr: 30 / ’22 fedex cup: 7.

He’s so young, but this still seems like a critical season for Wolff. Will he better handle the pressure that came with his early success and then sidelined him for a mental-health break in ’21? The early returns are positive, with Wolff finishing second, T-5 and T-11 among his first four starts of the 2021-22 season. The putter has been a huge strength (12th thus far in SG), and he’s fourth in SG overall. That’s impressive for a guy who was fourth in driving distance last year (315.9), though he needs to keep it more on the short stuff; Wolff was 189th in accuracy. —T.L.

MORE: Matthew Wolff details depths of his mental health struggles

33. Corey Conners

Age: 29 / owgr: 38 / ’22 fedex cup: 87.

Your favorite flusher’s favorite flusher became the trendy description of Conners in 2021, a breakout year for him with multiple appearances on major championship leader boards and a trip to Atlanta for the Tour Championship. If we’re judging just based on tee to green, he could have been argued as a top-10 player in the world. What happens around and on the green makes it a bit more adventurous, but he’s too skilled in all-too-important areas of the game to not expect a bucket of more top 10s and a likely Presidents Cup spot representing Canada in 2022. —B.P.

32. Carlos Ortiz

Age: 30 / owgr: 54 / ’22 fedex cup: 16.

Ortiz edged a crowded leader board to earn his first PGA Tour title at the 2020 Houston Open, becoming the first winner from Mexico since 1978 (Victor Regalado). He contended for a third straight year at Mayakoba in his home country but finished four strokes behind winner Viktor Hovland. — S.H.

31. Tyrrell Hatton

Age: 30 / owgr: 22 / ’22 fedex cup: 125.

The Englishman would likely place higher on this list if European Tour results weighed heavier: He won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and finished runner-up at the Alfred Dunhill Links in 2021. But Hatton had just one individual top-10 on the PGA Tour last year, a runner-up at Congaree. — S.H.

30. Billy Horschel

Age: 35 / owgr: 23 / ’22 fedex cup: 167.

Has some ground to make up in the FedEx Cup standings after playing just one PGA Tour event in the fall (T-33 at Mayakoba) while moonlighting on the European Tour. Still, he’s finished outside the top 50 only one since 2012 so there’s not much reasons to sweat it. A victory in the BMW Championship at Wentworth in September after a win at the WGC-Dell Match Play in March suggests Horschel has the game to win big events. But that record in majors—one top-15 finish and just two top-20s in 31 starts as a pro—is something that he would like to remedy. —R.H.

29. Talor Gooch

Age: 30 / owgr: 32 / ’ 22 fedex cup: 1.

There was no hotter player on the tour this fall than the former Oklahoma State golfer. He carded five top-11 finishes in six starts including an “at last” breakout win at the RSM Classic to jump top the FedEx Cup ranking entering 2022. And this all happened despite ranking 149th in SG/off the tee (-.124). That’s been typical of Gooch in his four years on tour; he has never ranked better than 107th and always finished with a negative number. If he could shore up his driving, he has an iron game that will get him to the Tour Championship for the first time in his career. —R.H.

Cliff Hawkins

MORE: Talor Gooch finishes excellent fall with breakthrough win

28. Marc Leishman

Age: 38 / owgr: 36 / ’22 fedex cup: 18.

Leishman bats it around as well as anyone on tour, and while he may have been inconsistent week-to-week last year, the year-over-year results speak for themselves. He’s got five wins in the last five years and finished inside the top 30 of the OWGR in five of the last six. He’s a reliable, professional golfer with a couple top five finishes already in the fall portion of the season. —B.P.

27. Louis Oosthuizen

Age: 39 / owgr: 11 / ’22 fedex cup: 117.

The South African is coming off a tremendous campaign, but there’s the nagging feeling that he missed out on something truly special. Oosthuizen tied for second in the PGA Championship and then held the Sunday back-nine lead in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines before succumbing to Jon Rahm’s charge. He also had a T-3 in The Open. Oosthuizen is the consummate “putt for dough” player—ranking No. 1 in SG/putting in ’21 while being 101st off the tee. —T.L.

MORE: Louis Oothuizen is not wondering ‘what if’ about major misses

26. Max Homa

Age: 31 / owgr: 35 / ’22 fedex cup: 6.

Homa, once a Korn Ferry Tour grinder who struggled his first few seasons on the PGA Tour, has come into his own in his late 20s and early 30s. He’s now a certified winner, with three victories between 2019 and 2021, two of them in big-time events (Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow, Genesis at Riviera). No longer just the funny golfer on Twitter, Homa now lets his clubs do the talking, though he’s still pretty hilarious when he logs on to the bird app. —C.P.

25. Joaquin Niemann

Age: 23 / owgr: 31 / ’22 fedex cup: 55.

Plainly put, it's time for Niemann to win again. In the last calendar year, he's had six top-10s on tour, another in the Olympics, and came agonizingly close to winning his second career title at both the Sentry TOC and the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He lost in a playoff each time, but his World Ranking steadily improved throughout the year. Before a rocky finish to the fall, he had missed exactly one cut in 13 months, and even though he's still very, very young, he's ready to move from the upper echelons of the tour to the upper, upper echelons. —S.R.

24. Kevin Na

Age: 38 / owgr: 29 / ’22 fedex cup: 199.

Incredibly, this guy already has two decades of being a pro in the books. More amazing, though, is the fact he’s coming off the best season of his career. After winning just once in his first decade on tour, Na enters this year on a four-season winning streak. And after entering his name into the Ryder Cup conversation, perhaps he’ll finally get to wear the red, white and blue at this year’s Presidents Cup. —A.M.

23. Patrick Reed

Age: 31 / owgr: 25 / ’22 fedex cup: 29.

After winning his ninth tour title in January at the Farmers Insurance Open and occupying the top 10 in the World Ranking for the first half of 2021, Reed was hardly a factor the rest of the season. The falloff, and an untimely illness that landed him in the hospital, cost the so-called “Captain America” a spot on the record-setting U.S. Ryder Cup team. The guy’s short game and putting (seventh in SG/around the green, fourth in SG/putting) still prove to be lethal, but it’s right to wonder how long the former Masters winner can stay among the top Americans while his greens in regulation figures continue to deteriorate. —D.S.

MORE: Patrick Reed confronts his image and his critics

​​ 22. Will Zalatoris

Age: 25 / owgr: 34 / ’22 fedex cup: 67.

Fell one shot short of becoming the first since 1979 to win his first Masters appearance and holds the rare distinction of winning rookie of the year despite not being a full member of the PGA Tour. Now in his first FedEx Cup-eligible season, he’ll be keen to back up his breakout season with a first tour victory. —D.R.

21. Sungjae Im

Age: 23 / owgr: 26 / ’22 fedex cup: 3.

It’s frankly amazing that Im has logged more than 100 starts on tour … and he doesn’t turn 24 until March. A strong start in the fall (highlighted by a win at the Shriners followed by a T-9 at the CJ Cup) has Im poised for another stellar season. Despite his youth there’s little to nitpick with his game; the next step for Im would be for a bit more consistency at the big events—following a runner-up at the 2020 Masters, he failed to crack the top 15 at the majors or Players in 2021—but, again, he’s just 23. He seems odd to earmark Im as a potential breakout candidate given his success, yet with the Presidents Cup on tap along with some major venues that fit his game (cough, cough Southern Hills), the fledgling star is not far from gaining full-blown leading-man status in the sport. —J.B.

MORE: Sungjae Im (aka the Birdie Machine) was the perfect fit to win in Las Vegas

20. Abraham Ancer

Age: 30 / owgr: 17 / ’22 fedex cup: 63.

He has a lone win to his name. Don’t let that fool you; this cat can ball. Ancer is coming off a career year, finishing the regular season sixth in the FedEx Cup and ranking 12th in scoring and 15th in strokes gained. The output is especially impressive considering Ancer is one of the shortest hitters on tour (157th in distance), although he more than compensates by hitting more fairways than a John Deere (fifth in accuracy). It is fair to wonder if the lack of pop has held him back at majors, with just one top-10 finish in 11 starts; conversely, it could also just be a matter of reps, and his second-shot prowess (23rd in approach), ability to rack up red figures (20th in birdies) while keeping the big numbers off the card (fifth in bogey avoidance) should make him a formidable figure at one of golf’s big four … and soon. —J.B.

19. Cameron Smith

Age: 28 / owgr: 21 / ’22 fedex cup: 33.

The Aussie flashes one of best short games on tour, even if he’s still prone to a foul ball off the tee, like the one that sealed a playoff loss to Tony Finau at The Northern Trust. Cruised into the Tour Championship on the strength of perhaps his best year as a professional. —D.R.

Stacy Revere

18. Harris English

Age: 32 / owgr: 12 / ’22 fedex cup: nr.

Dismissing his dismal fall performance (two missed cuts and a WD), English enjoyed his best year in 2021 with a pair of wins and a fourth-place finish in the FedEx Cup regular-season standings. He rose to a career-best 10th in the World Ranking. At 32, he’s in the prime of his career, and the Georgia native has shown he knows how to score—and win—despite stats that don’t necessarily impress. He’ll go as far as his putter (12th SG/putting) takes him. —D.S.

17. Daniel Berger

Age: 28 / owgr: 19 / ’22 fedex cup: nr.

The man who won the first event of the COVID restart in 2020 added another victory at Pebble Beach in 2021 to make that four in his PGA Tour career. Berger also had a pair of top-10s in majors and played (well) in his first Ryder Cup after being one of Steve Stricker’s captain’s picks. Interesting didn’t make a start in the fall season. It’s unlikely he’ll ever reach the level or status of fellow Class of 2011 stars Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, but being the third wheel among that group isn’t too shabby. —A.M.

16. Jason Kokrak

Age: 36 / owgr: 20 / ’22 fedex cup: 8.

A victory at the Houston Open in the fall gave the big-hitting, 6-foot-4 Ohio native his third title in a 13-month span, adding to wins at Colonial (2021) and Shadow Creek (2020)—after going winless in his first 232 starts on the PGA Tour. The biggest difference-maker for the 36-year-old? His putting. Kokrak ranked sixth last season in strokes gained/putting. Compare that to his ranks in the previous five seasons: 151st; 103rd; 110th; 175th; 154th. — S.H.

15. Hideki Matsuyama

Age: 29 / owgr: 18 / ’22 fedex cup: 4.

As the game of golf gets increasingly global, there are fewer barriers to break, but Matsuyama shattered two huge ones when he became the first Asian-born golfer to win the Masters, and the first Japanese man to win a major. The rest of his season was decidedly average, which is understandable, but with a fall win at home at the Zozo Championship, he's riding into 2022 with major momentum. We could be looking at another career year. —S.R.

Atsushi Tomura

14. Jordan Spieth

Age: 28 / owgr: 14 / ’22 fedex cup: 141.

The former World No. 1 finally ended his post 2017 Open Championship “slump” in April, winning the Valero Texas Open just one week before the Masters. A T-7 at Augusta, plus a solo second later in the summer at The Open, served as definitive proof he was all the way back. A fourth major title will effectively silence any doubters left, and the 2022 majors schedule, which includes two of his favorite haunts (Augusta, St. Andrews), sets up quite nicely for him to check off that box. —C.P.

13. Tony Finau

Age: 32 / owgr: 15 / ’22 fedex cup: 169.

Finau shook off the King Kong-sized gorilla on his back when he gutted out a playoff win in August’s Northern Trust to win for the first time in 142 starts. He had eight runners-up in that span, and at least we don’t have to hear the laments that he can’t close. A slow starter, Finau ranked 116th in first-round scoring average (70.92) in ’21, but he was a Friday monster, averaging 68.60 (second). —T.L.

12. Brooks Koepka

Age: 31 / owgr: 16 / ’22 fedex cup: 172.

He remains golf’s best big-game hunter on the men’s side, with three more finishes T6 or better at the majors in 2021. An MC at the first, The Masters, came largely due to a knee injury he probably should not have been playing on yet. Given he admitted early last year that there were dark times rehabbing and his knee may never be 100 percent, injuries will continue to be a concern in 2022. But set aside the season-long numbers or holistic rankings, he’s the best at performing when it matters most and we’d need to see a year of total flops for that title to change. —B.P.

MORE: Brooks Koepka doesn’t hold back in our poolside interview

11. Scottie Scheffler

Age: 25 / owgr: 13 / ’22 fedex cup: 14.

An impressive Sunday singles victory over Jon Rahm at the Ryder Cup built Scheffler more equity as he tries to grab what feels inevitable—a first win on the PGA Tour. But the longer it takes, the trickier it will be fending off questions of why it hasn’t happened yet. Let’s just remember, the guy is only 25 and he’s already had 17 top-10 finishes in just 57 starts. He had two top-five finishes in the fall despite not ranking in the top 50 in any major strokes-gained category. When his game gets in gear at some point this spring, it’s hard not to think the inevitable comes to pass. —R.H.

10. Sam Burns

Age: 25 / owgr: 10 / ’22 fedex cup: 2.

The former college POY at LSU in 2017 had a breakout year in 2021, winning his first two career titles and holding the lead after the most rounds of any player on tour. After starting the year 154th in the World Ranking, he finished 11th, the biggest jump of any player in the top 50. Burns leads the tour at the winter break in SG/tee-to-green after being ninth in SG/putting in 2020-21, showcasing the versatility within his game. Just missed making the U.S. Ryder Cup team, but we have to think he’s a likely candidate for Davis Love III’s Presidents Cup squad. —R.H.

9. Dustin Johnson

Age: 37 / owgr: 3 / ’22 fedex cup: 194.

Spring 2021 was not kind to the 2020 Masters champ—DJ had just one top-10 finish from February through June. But the 24-time PGA Tour winner had top-10s in four of his final six starts of the season and then punctuated his 2021 with a flawless 5-0 performance at the Ryder Cup. If DJ wins this season (which we’d expect to happen), he’d have a victory in his first 15 seasons on tour. Only Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer boast a higher total (17). —S.H.

8. Bryson DeChambeau

Age: 28 / owgr: 5 / ’22 fedex cup: nr.

PIP metrics and trophies aside, he is arguably the tour’s top superstar (non-Tiger category) thanks to a swarm of curiosity and tumult that extends to a larger audience outside the golf corner of the world. He once again led the tour in driving distance and drama in 2021. His all-gas, no-brake focus on the tee ball has yielded resounding results in its first couple years. He led the tour in SG/off-the-tee again in 2021, and the difference between his average and second place was the same as second all the way to 18th. Given the offseason social-media videos replete with speed training, expect the same in 2022. —B.P.

MORE: Bryson vs Brooks feud dominated golf chatter but was it good for the game?

7. Xander Schauffele

Age: 28 / owgr: 5 / ’22 fedex cup: 112.

The Olympic gold medal and a stellar first appearance in the Ryder Cup certainly defined a memorable season for Schauffle, but there’s more work to be done. Namely, to get that first major win to salve the sting of six top-fives in the Big Four. For the second straight appearance, Schauffele contended deep into Masters Sunday, but was beaten by a hotter player. In trying to win for the first time since early 2019, he had seconds in the CJ Cup, Farmers and Phoenix, and he contended (T-7) in his home major, the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, despite a short-lived switch to an arm-lock putting grip. Few players on tour can match Schauffele’s consistent all-around attack. In 2020-21, he was 41st in SG/off-tee, 14th in approach and 16th in putting. —T.L.

6. Viktor Hovland

Age: 24 / owgr: 7 / ’22 fedex cup: 5.

With three wins—plus an OWGR-counting victory at the Hero World Challenge—before age 25, the young Norwegian has seemingly already delivered on all the promise he displayed in winning the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. The one area that continues to hold him back, though, is chipping, which he once claimed he “sucked” at. Should he continue to make slight improvements around the greens, his ceiling is second only to Collin Morikawa among the tour’s rising stars. Oddsmakers tend to agree, as Hovland is +550 to win a major in 2022 on the DraftKings Sportsbook. —C.P.

5. Rory McIlroy

Age: 32 / owgr: 9 / ’22 fedex cup: 9.

Since 2014, the dominant strain of discourse around McIlroy has been when or if he'll win another major, and it will continue to be so forever, if necessary. The story is the same—his putting just isn't good enough, and to win majors as a below-average putter, you need to be an approach genius like Collin Morikawa, which Rory is not. Still, he's now won twice on tour in the last year, including his October win at the CJ Cup, his putting is improving, and maybe—maybe—he's ready to take the leap again. —S.R.

4. Justin Thomas

Age: 28 / owgr: 8 / ’22 fedex cup: 32.

It was a strange 2021 for the American star, who found himself mired in controversy and in the first prolonged slump of his career. After losing his Ralph Lauren deal in January and winning the Players Championship in March, Thomas didn’t record another top 10 until the FedEx Cup Playoffs. But two top fives in those three events followed by another two at the Mayakoba and Hero indicate he’s got his game in better shape. And as we saw with his five-win campaign in 2016-2017, few are capable of going on bigger heaters. —A.M.

3. Patrick Cantlay

Age: 29 / owgr: 4 / ’22 fedex cup: nr.

After seeing his career derailed by a back injury for more than two years, Cantlay finally has assumed what many thought should be his rightful place among the elite of his age group by winning four times in the 2020-21 season, capturing the FedEx Cup and winning Player of the Year honors. He showed no real weaknesses in his game, ranking no worse than 30th in the key SG metrics and finishing third in SG/total. The only things left for the laconic California native is to add his name to the column of major winners and to rise to World No. 1, and who thinks he won’t eventually achieve those goals? —D.S.

2. Collin Morikawa

Age: 24 / owgr: 2 / ’22 fedex cup: 15.

In the past year, he’s taken “The Leap” from great young player to perhaps the finest player on Earth. His record through 60 professional starts—six wins, two majors, 24 top 10s—has drawn some (unfair) Tiger comparisons; so has his habit of closing out tournaments with relentless, bogey-free rounds. Among a historically great group of 30 and younger Americans, he currently stands alone at the top. —D.R.

1. Jon Rahm

Age: 27 / owgr: 1 / ’22 fedex cup: nr.

The numbers are staggering. Fifteen top-10s versus one missed cut in 22 starts last season. Second in SG/off-the-tee, eighth in approach and first in SG/overall. First in birdie average AND bogey avoidance. Yet those numbers fail to illustrate the most impressive figure of all: the “1” that replaced “0” in Rahm’s major total, shedding the label of backdoor finisher by closing out the 2021 U.S. Open with vigor. Though Rahm technically had just one win to his name—if “just” can describe his breakthrough at Torrey Pines—he tied for the lowest score over four days at East Lake during the Tour Championship and held a six-stroke lead through 54 holes at the Memorial before a positive COVID-19 test knocked him out of the event, in the process solidifying his claim as the sport’s top dog. —J.B.

Donald Miralle

Search Golf Compendium

Golf compendium, 2019 world golf rankings: no. 1, top 50 at end of year, men's world golf rankings, end of 2019, popular posts from this blog, golfers with the most wins in major championships, 2024 masters tournament winner and final scores.

24 Famous Golfers Who Were Photographed in the Nude

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share by Email

Last call for the ultimate Pinehurst trip

Who won 2019? Ranking the people, places and things that owned the golf world this year

Anyone else want 2019 to go on forever? It was a jam-packed, ridiculous year in the golf world, beginning with sweeping rules changes and ending with the greatest Presidents Cup of all time. Those rules? They didn’t quit. But was anything more massive than the GOAT adding a 15th major? Absolutely not. Well, probably not. Actually … maybe? We’re about to find out.

In an ode to Rembert Browne and his epic year-end brackets , we’ve created the golf version of Who Won 2019? to break down what, exactly, dominated golf culture. From muscle-bound major-killers to fist-pumping, red-shirted major champions to the game’s most famous body of water and most important book, there were plenty of eligible nominees.

Check out the bracket below to see how things broke down, but know these fundamental truths:

1. Seeding is based on HOW much these things were in the news. We have decided who mattered, and then decided  how much they mattered. How many articles did GOLF.com staffers write about Matt Kuchar? Forty! That’s why he’s a 2-seed.

2. Surviving and advancing comes down to our  subjective feeling about the actual impact/legacy of what happened. Will it be remembered? Did it happen all year or was it just a month-long topic? How many times did this thing captivate the golf world?

One last thing to set the mood: Imagine being a governing body … and losing to SAND?!?!

1. Tiger Woods vs. 8. Jeongeun Lee6

This doesn’t reflect particularly well on any of our sophistications, but Jeongeun Lee6 burst onto the scene as a curiosity — who had heard of a number in a last name ?! To Lee6’s credit, 2019 was the year she established herself as a top player. The U.S. Women’s Open was where she really planted her flag, holding steady in a brutal final round to win her first major going away.

Unfortunately, she runs into a first-round buzzsaw, the incumbent top seed, who will remain a perennial No. 1 seed for as long as he wants to — and then some. This is Tiger Woods, folks! For the man in red, 2019 was chock-full of memorable moments. Atop his c.v. was winning the Masters. When you’re the most famous golfer in history, that gets you through the first round every time.

WINNER: Woods

4. Augusta National Women’s Am vs. 5. Hank Haney

One of these was a massive success for golf and a huge step in the right direction for the women’s game . The other was an unapologetic reminder of the retrograde attitudes still held by some of the game’s most influential voices. To refresh your memory, Hank Haney made a series of dismissive, racially-charged remarks about the women’s pro game including an assertion that he “couldn’t name, like, six players on the LPGA Tour.” He followed with a non-apology tour, and was unsurprisingly praised by his most loyal listeners.

Instead of giving Haney’s decisions any more shine, let’s just remember how fun it was to watch the women of the Augusta National Women’s Am take on the most famous course in the game. Hybrids and woods into the par-5s. Six-irons into the famous 12th. The perfect table-setter for a week at Augusta.

WINNER: ANWA

View this post on Instagram An incredible eagle from Jennifer Kupcho on No. 13. #ANWAgolf A post shared by Augusta National Women’s Am. (@anwagolf) on Apr 6, 2019 at 10:57am PDT

3. Pace of Play vs. 6. Jena Sims

Don’t get us wrong, we’re big Jena Sims fans — and she had plenty of moments in the spotlight this year with boyfriend Brooks Koepka contending at every major championship.

Smiles all around. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/ItZWWjH38h — PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2019

But there was no out-spicing Pace of Play. Heck, Jena has a tough time just competing with Koepka’s commentary on the topic. A few select quotes from BK:

“You enforce some [rules] but you don’t enforce the others.”

“I take 15 seconds and go, and I’ve done all right. So I don’t understand why they’re taking a minute and a half.”

“You have 40 seconds to hit a shot. That’s in the rule book, too. … So figure it out and penalize somebody.”

“[Slow players are] breaking the rules but no one ever has the balls to actually penalize them ,”

Walking off 12 green, Koepka stares at an official and points to his non-existent watch. — Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) July 21, 2019

Sims goes down in the first round, defeated from within her own relationship!

WINNER: Pace of Play

2. Matt Kuchar vs. 7. Gary Woodland

This is a test of cynicism versus optimism, of whether you see the glass (or wallet) half-empty or half-full. Consider the joy that Gary Woodland brought us when he stared down the game’s best players in a champion’s effort at Pebble Beach . Recall the chip from on the green at the 71st hole.

View this post on Instagram Leave the putter at home. #WednesdayWisdom | #USOpen A post shared by U.S. Open Championship (@usopengolf) on Nov 27, 2019 at 8:05am PST

And of course the most feel-good moment of all, his friendship with Amy Bockerstette . Seriously, even in an oversaturated world, even though you’ve already seen it, give this clip another watch and you’ll feel better than you did 10 minutes ago. Maybe even better than you did on your birthday. It’s that good.

View this post on Instagram A superstar helps our 2018 Champion, @GaryWoodland par the 16th! ? #RESPECT . Repost via @pgatour . . . . #WMPO #GreenestShow #thepeoplesopen #socool #feels #heart #amazing #goosebumps #feelgood #superstar A post shared by Waste Management Phoenix Open (@wmphoenixopen) on Jan 30, 2019 at 10:52am PST

Add in qualifying for his first-ever national team and it was quite the year for Woodland.

Unfortunately for all involved, Matt Kuchar was a content freight train in 2019. Since he spent the beginning of the year playing some of the best golf of his life, Kuchar got tossed in the spotlight — with mixed results. There was the Case of the Stiffed Caddie  (which actually happened in 2018 but played out in 2019), the Alleged Double Pitch Mark  and the  Matt, Sergio and the Case of the Missing Putt . Sprinkle in a small dose of backstopping and Kuchar — generally perceived to be a friendly, low-key guy — found himself a week-in, week-out lightning rod.

In doing so, he sparked enduring conversations about the Rules and etiquette, about how we treat other people and about apologizing and moving forward. That’s not to say Kuchar handled everything perfectly (we can agree that he did not) but he stirred the national conversation even though the other guy won the national championship. He moves on, for better or worse.

WINNER: Kuchar

1. Jordan Spieth v. 8. Suzann Pettersen

Spieth, with his three major victories at such a young age , ascended to rare space in the blogosphere. Spieth speaks about his struggles? Blog it. Spieth speaks about someone else’s struggles? Blog it. Spieth gets upset at a rake? Blog it now! Thus, we cared a lot about Young Jordo and his Sisyphean struggles  this year.

He berated Michael Greller more  than we can remember seeing, dropped out of the top 40 in the world and finished the year with an emotional week in the Bahamas,  which he followed off with a 16th-place finish out of 18. It all added up to being … kinda sad.

With Pettersen, everything ended happy! In the face of doubters who didn’t want her on the European Solheim Cup team, Pettersen balled out — finishing the week 2-1 — and she made the shot of the year. That’s right, Tiger. This was the shot of the year. Pettersen topples Spieth in our first big upset.

WINNER: Pettersen

?? SOLHEIM CUP MAGIC ?? Votes open for @BBCSport @bbcspoty Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year! There are six contenders on the shortlist including @suzannpettersen @SolheimCupEuro winning putt ? Help put golf on the map. RT & VOTE now: https://t.co/2tgzNXamAu #SPOTY pic.twitter.com/gaJJipvkVL — Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) December 1, 2019

4. Brandel Chamblee v. 5. Golf on Ireland

Yes, Golf on  Ireland, meaning the island, west of continental Europe. Its inhabitants Ireland the country and Northern Ireland the country boast some of the best golf in the world, and together they had a great summer.

Good ol’ boy Shane Lowry shined at Portrush from start to finish and Big ol’ boy Jon Rahm took the Irish Open at the gem that is Lahinch. The Open returned to its original spot as the last major championship of the golf season, and the gorgeous seaside links course was wholly refreshing after a summer of parkland destinations.

The next week, it was back to reality when ( to the dismay of our good friend Kyle Porter ) the Tour traveled to Memphis. There’s no doubt the Open will return to Portrush in the future, and the sooner the better. But is it enough to beat our one-named analyst extraordinaire? Don’t think so.

Our Clown King is bigger than any other golf-media personality. This is no shot at you, Nantz. He’s the only Brandel in golf, and he  lit up Brooks Koepka all year long,  never backing down, even when Koepka dunked on him — first with some 3rd-grade MS Paint skills and then with a resounding PGA Championship win.

RT @dylan_dethier : please, nobody tell Brooks Koepka https://t.co/bWkeoOlCXo pic.twitter.com/DJ7CYbZO8h — Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) May 4, 2019

Again, even when Bob Koepka was coming for Brandel’s head on Twitter , the Golf Channel host refused to back down. This was an important reminder that, like him or not, Chamblee sticks to his guns. And now that you mention it, this bracket shapes up nicely for a Koepka-Chamblee final. Get your popcorn ready.

WINNER: Chamblee

6. FedEx v. 3. Sergio Garcia

One started fast, one closed well, but who mattered more to 2019? The corporation keeping professional golf well-funded, FedEx, injected more money into the game than it ever has before. Thanks to a gargantuan PGA Tour sponsorship, the FedEx Cup handed out $70 million at the end of the Tour season. Seventy. Million. Dollars.

It was a reminder that some Tour players really are playing for their livelihood … while others are playing for the chance to build another multimillion dollar house. Do not underestimate the power of FedEx , y’all. Every week, they’ve got broadcasters paying homage to their season-long race. Players shouting ’em out in post-round pressers. Of course, 99% of the golf populace couldn’t tell you how exactly the race is won, but no matter: FedEx is so important that the Tour rearranged how its Tour Championship was played ( controversial move ) just to make the sponsorship more valuable and easier to understand. Big money, people.

But money ain’t everything, and it sure wasn’t enough to overshadow Sergio Garcia’s actions in 2019. First came a tantrum in  Saudi Arabia . Serg was not pleased with his play nor with the conditions of the course, so he dragged his spikes over a series of greens and beat the heck out of a bunker with his wedge. This would be notable anywhere, but especially so at an event where he was being paid handsomely just to show up! Read that sentence once more. It’s just as wild the second time. (Reminder, we waited more than 36 hours for this video to surface, one of the longest non-Bryson waits of the season.)

Sergio Garcia’s meltdown in a Royal Greens bunker a day prior to his disqualification for vandalism work on five greens. Story by @SkySportsGolf fills in details. Translations welcomed! https://t.co/UoGmPtTOz4 pic.twitter.com/dQMDN7y2PC — Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) February 4, 2019

Let’s strip away the context. Anytime a 39-year-old professional has to publicly state “[What I did] will never happen again,” out of sheer embarrassment, they’ve done a bad thing. Somehow, that wasn’t all from Sergio in 2019. The other #SergioSaturday came in Austin, Texas. More on that later. He’s moving on.

WINNER: Sergio

7. Grandstanding/Backstopping v. 2. Rules of Golf

The irony of this matchup is not lost on us. The phenomenon of grandstanding — players launching difficult shots into the spectator seating area around a green in order to take free relief from a nice, soft drop zone — is against the Rules. Backstopping — leaving your ball near a hole where it might help another player by use of collision — is against the Rules. And in this bracket both are literally against the Rules.

But the Rules were a tour de force. Their changes led off the calendar year, when Rickie Fowler mimicked taking a dump in the fairway during a drop in Mexico. Fowler’s action spoke for the greater collection of players. They did not approve of the new drop rule, weren’t crazy about the flagstick staying in the hole, etc. It’s already starting to feel like ancient history, but things were rocky for a minute there — changing the traditions of golf is never easy. The Rules did that, and it’s a big reason the Rules roll right through this showdown.

WINNER: The Rules

1. Brooks Koepka v. 8. Walk-in Putts

As the calendar year wound down, we were fiending for some Koepka content — we’d gotten dependent on a weekly fix. Brooks was everywhere this year, from our leaderboards to our Instagram feeds to our slow-play debates. We’ll get to his opinions, which were [six fire emojis] all year long, but let’s start with his golf. Top four in all four majors, a feat only matched by Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth . Big time company.

Walking in putts is hardly some new thing, but 2019 felt like a banner year for chasing down the hole.

View this post on Instagram This is the best. Kevin Na and Tiger Woods racing in their putts on 17. A post shared by Skratch (@skratch) on Mar 16, 2019 at 12:04pm PDT

The move actually made Tiger Woods smile on the golf course , which is no small feat. Then Kevin Na and Sei Young Kim won tournaments doing it. But what Woods did at the Presidents Cup may have replaced the walk-in putt for good. This might now be the Era of the Remove-the-Hat Putt , which is far more entertaining. Just ask Abe Ancer. Koepka advances easily.

WINNER: Brooks

4. Jon Rahm v. 5. Eddie Pepperell

Ah, a classic 4-5 matchup where the 4-seed just doesn’t stand a chance. What a year it was for Jon Rahm victories! He claimed the Irish Open , the Spanish Open and the Race to Dubai , fending off Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in the process. That’s elite stuff. But was anything about Rahm’s 2019 truly memorable? Not in the way Eddie Pepperell was.

Eddie P. was born to us of the Content Gods. His greatest act was a magician-like move at the Players, where he snapped a club and tossed it into a water hazard without a single camera recording it. This was one of the most underrated golfing feats of the year, and we didn’t hear about it until Pepperell BLOGGED about it . That commitment to the content game — and the way he’s stayed so authentic — easily pushes him past Rahm. As a bonus, don’t forget that wasn’t the only club Pepp snapped this year…

WINNER: Pepperell

6. Jin-Young Ko v. 3. Shane Lowry

The most painful part of this bracket is saying goodbye to two worthy candidates, both of whom you love. Shane Lowry’s win at the British Open in Northern Ireland was one of the best major wins of the decade. It led to one of the greatest celebrations golf has ever seen. Lowry somehow took what Rory McIlroy couldn’t do and largely filled that void. He also got ill with his caddie (in a good way) for more than just the following week, and for anyone from small towns (like the two authors of this post), his homecoming was everything you wanted it to be . There were jerseys, songs, drinks and grandmothers turning into celebrities. But somehow, Jin-Young Ko is more important right now.

Ko has one of the greatest swings on the planet — of the genus Oosthuizenus — and she won more majors than any other golfer this year. Sorry, Steve Stricker, real majors. Ko won the ANA Inspiration, the Evian Championship, nearly won the Women’s British Open and took down two other LPGA events, too. It was a Koepka-ian performance, but with even more dominance in the normal Tour events. Her year will be remembered a long time, probably because it was her launching point. At just 24, more majors are on the way.

7. Charlie Woods v. 2. The Youths

Again, the irony in this matchup is not lost on us, but Charlie Woods has some growing to do before being considered one of The Youths . That’s the group of insanely talented young guns on the PGA Tour: Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann and Viktor Hovland. This group will almost all surely be at Augusta next year, and you can probably expect them to be mainstays there (even champions) for the next 30 years. Wolff , Morikawa and Niemann all notched their first wins while Hovland was the low amateur basically everywhere . He then set a PGA Tour record and forced the USGA to change a rule . That’s relevance.

BUT CHARLIE WOODS MOVES ON. Dash Day has been replaced as the cutest kid in golf.

Watching this on repeat. The noise level from the gallery, the hug with the kids, Tiger’s roar and genuine joy. Better than we could have imagined. pic.twitter.com/2oe3jILYKS — Nathan Murphy (@nathanmurf) April 14, 2019

Tiger Woods’ only son was part of the most iconic walk the game has ever seen. That’s right — EVER seen. Listen to Faldo and Nantz gush over the scene. They’ve seen that walk made dozens of times, but this one means more: We will watch little Charlie in his little red and black outfit, with his Frank the headcover hat on backwards, strutting with his father on golf broadcasts for the rest of time. Charlie Woods has some serious staying power.

WINNER: Charlie Woods

1. Rory McIlroy vs. 8. Brendon Todd

Brendan Todd’s three-week stretch of win-win-almost win was an incredible run and a testament to the mental strength of a man who had seen the lowest depths of the swing yips. But this bracket knows NO recency bias. We’re talking about Bermuda, Mayakoba and Sea Island. We’ll call him the Vacationland Champion, and rightfully so, but before September, when was the last time you even thought about Todd? The idea that he’d take down POY, swagger-all-the-way-back Rory McIlroy should not even merit a discussion. Happy trails to Mr. Todd —  we’ll always have Port Royal .

WINNER: Rory

4. @PhilMickelson vs. 5. Hosung Choi

Oh boy, does the reign of Hosung Choi feel like a long time ago. We’ve aged many moons since those three PGA Tour starts at Pebble Beach , the John Deere Classic and the Barracuda Championship.

Ho Sung Choi for birdie … Give him a break. pic.twitter.com/rZU6B3DTml — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 9, 2019

Hosung and his joyous golf swing captured the hearts and imaginations of golfers everywhere who wield imperfect moves and wear their hearts on their sleeves — though it should be noted that he did win a Japan Golf Tour event in November and jumped to a career-best 162 in the world.

But Mickelson won that same tournament where Choi MC’d. And for the sake of this bracket, that really doesn’t matter much. What mattered is @PhilMickelson , the social media maven, who during Pebble week made some personal history … and wouldn’t share it anywhere else but on his social feeds. Much more of that to come.

WINNER: @PhilMickelson

View this post on Instagram History was made! A post shared by Phil Mickelson (@philmickelson) on Feb 7, 2019 at 3:04pm PST

3. USGA vs. 6. Sand

Okay, first of all imagine being the world’s foremost governing golf body and having to face a challenge from something that fills your bunkers. But sand is the clear winner here, and we’re happy to explain why.

Think of the madness that sand was involved in. We began the year with Sergio Garcia losing his mind in a bunker at a controversial event in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia , an area of the world known for its sand more than its grass. We finished out the year with Patrick Reed doing something suspicious in a waste area , removing sand in a decidedly untoward manner with the back of his wedge and ultimately setting off a sequence of events that ended with his caddie shoving a fan at the Presidents Cup. It was sand, ironically, that held the year together.

pic.twitter.com/Kjz8k7ZGjR — GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) December 6, 2019

This loss is actually a slight win for the USGA. Their biggest moment in the spotlight came in their setup of Pebble Beach, which turned out to be a smashing success in the eyes of the players. Even Phil Mickelson — hardly a BFF of the USGA —  praised the way the tournament unfolded . Sometimes competence means you fly under the radar. It can be a good thing.

WINNER: Sand

2. Bryson DeChambeau vs. 7. Rae’s Creek

Bryson DeChambeau grew this year , in size and stature and legend. But you know whose legend grew even more? Rae’s Creek’s. UPSET! It’s hard to find any one person, place or thing more responsible for Tiger Woods’ Masters win than the body of water lurking in front of the 12th green. Sure, we wrote a ton about Bryson, because of things he said, because of things people said about him, because of things he said in response to things people said about him. He’s now planted on the podium of polarity, and stands a great chance to win next year’s bracket. The good news is he won’t have to skip a gym session to accept his trophy for winning 2019, because Rae’s Creek trickles onward!

WINNER: Rae’s Creek

1. Tiger Woods vs. 4. Augusta National Women’s Am

At the beginning of 2012, Augusta National still didn’t have a single female member. In April 2019, Maria Fassi stepped onto the 1st tee of that same course and told her playing partner, “Let’s put on a show,” and proceeded to do just that.

When Fassi birdied No. 14, she took a one-stroke lead — but playing partner Jennifer Kupcho closed like a mousetrap , adding three birdies on her way home to win by four. Even in golf it’s hard to find that sweet spot between celebrating the game and engaging in fierce competition; this was that and then some.

View this post on Instagram These are the memories that will last a lifetime. #ANWAgolf A post shared by Augusta National Women’s Am. (@anwagolf) on Apr 6, 2019 at 11:08am PDT

Plenty of people have found over the years that in a sudden death playoff, it’s just not fair going up against Tiger Woods. Not in 2019. The man saved the United States from Presidents Cup disaster ! The No. 1 seed marches on.

2. Matt Kuchar vs. 3. Pace of Play

Among the many rules — of both golf and taste — that Matt Kuchar brushed up against in 2019, pace of play wasn’t among them. Good thing. Pace of play defined the seasons of two of the game’s biggest names: Brooks Koepka built his identity on shredding slow players, while Bryson DeChambeau barely avoided having to wear a scarlet-lettered “PoP” sweater over his Puma polos. Koepka said DeChambeau’s pace was embarrassing. DeChambeau then told Koepka to say it to his face. Koepka then said it to his face .

Was standing on the putting green with Koepka's caddie earlier when an irritated Bryson DeChambeau walked up & told him to tell his boss to make any comment about slow play "to my face". Brooks arrived soon after, got the message & ambled over for a chat with the scientist. — Eamon Lynch (@eamonlynch) August 11, 2019

In the natural order of seemingly unsolvable golf issues, a PGA Tour task force was created . The problem lives on, and strong, to 2020 and beyond. For that reason, Pace of Play moves on, too.

WINNER: Pace of play

8. Suzann Pettersen v. 4. Brandel Chamblee

With no disrespect to one of the most badass golf moves of all-time , let’s just create a log for what Chamblee said in 2019.

In March, he called a Jon Rahm decision the “most baffling” in Players Championship history. In April , he had to be convinced of Brooks Koepka’s toughness. In May , he said Koepka wasn’t in the same class as Tiger, DJ and Rory. He then compared Koepka to Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali. In July , he called out Rory McIlroy for choking. In October , he accused Koepka of being disrespectful and in December called out Patrick Reed for cheating. Again, no disrespect to Pettersen — she lifted the Solheim Cup to new heights — but if there is one opinion in golf we all are starving for, it’s Chamblee’s. Please, dear God, never take him off the air.

3. Sergio Garcia v. 2. Rules of Golf

It sounds weird to say, but Garcia has not won on the PGA Tour since his Masters victory in April 2017 . He has quietly struggled in America, while winning four times on the European Tour to maintain a respectable world ranking. And just when Sergio seemed to be catching some footing with his game in America, at the WGC-Match Play, oh, he faced the Rules real hard.

Recall Garcia’s quick-rake of a short putt during a quarterfinals match with fellow content king Matt Kuchar . Garcia missed the putt before Kuchar could concede it to him, eventually handing Kuchar the hole (and one Garcia couldn’t afford to give up).

Here’s what went down with Sergio… pic.twitter.com/vn0cYDyGFM — GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) March 30, 2019

You could say the Rules dominated Garcia here. In fact, Garcia was looking to bypass the Rules by asking Kuchar to cede him a hole and even things up. Do not pass Go! Do not collect $200. Just deliver us the most awkward video of the year. ¡Vamos, la Reglas!

View this post on Instagram It was nice to run into Matt Kuchar at Austin Golf Club today. A lot has been said about Saturday and most has been misconstrued. We’re all good here. Nothing but respect for each other and it’s time to move on. . . Ha estado bien encontrarme a Matt en el Club de Golf de Austin. Mucho se ha escrito y hablado sobre lo que ocurrió el sábado y la mayoría de ello ha sido malinterpretado. Hay mucho respeto mutuo y el tema está zanjado. A post shared by Sergio Garcia (@thesergiogarcia) on Apr 1, 2019 at 1:04pm PDT

1. Brooks Koepka v. 5. Eddie Pepperell

These two dudes carried us throughout the Summer of Content. Eddie Pepperell went all Ashton Kutcher on Matt Wallace, drawing up an incredible media day prank — in which Wallace nearly lost his cool multiple times . Koepka posed for some epic photos with his girlfriend Jena Sims , each saying simply, “ We’re hotter than you , and we know it.” Pepperell punched back with a scene straight out of Tin Cup , literally RUNNING OUT OF GOLF BALLS at the Euro Tour event in Turkey. And Koepka? He posed some more, this time bucking in a bunker. Frolicking in the fairway. All of it naked for ESPN’s Body Issue . It’s the single greatest flex anyone in golf made in 2019. And for that, he struts his tiny tush on to the Elite 8.

WINNER:  Koepka

May we all bow down for the one true king. pic.twitter.com/q3FnNzQnHE — Sean Zak (@Sean_Zak) August 22, 2019

6. Jin-Young Ko v. 7. Charlie Woods

And now for the matchup no one saw coming! Seriously, no one could dream up a duel between the No. 1 female golfer on the planet and Tiger Woods’ second-born. But here we are. Each of these strong candidates did a great Tiger Woods impression this summer.

After his Masters moment, the next time we came across Charlie was when he mimicked his father (in a cutesy way, mind you) at the U.S. Open during a Rafa Nadal match. In addition to the obvious beauty of the moment, we can’t help but think of Charlie fist-pumping all over junior golf matches in the future, encouraged by his father. “Step on their necks.”

View this post on Instagram It runs in the family. ? ? A post shared by GOLF.com // GOLF Magazine (@golf_com) on Sep 2, 2019 at 7:36pm PDT

Ko did her best Tiger impression, too, with an incredible midsummer par-or-better streak. Once thought untouchable, Tiger Woods’ 110-hole streak from the 2000 golf season wasn’t just matched by Ko. She beat the GOAT. Ko finished her streak with 114 straight holes of par-or-better in late August. That’s more than six straight rounds without dropping a shot. It’s absolutely incredible. So incredible that her impression of Tiger was greater than young Charlie’s.

1. Rory McIlroy vs. 4. @PhilMickelson

These days, Rory McIlroy is the embodiment of self-control. He’s a WHOOP-wearing , self-help-book-reading, social-media-avoiding, 30-year-old workout fiend who just keeps finishing in the top 10 of golf tournaments. In the quest for a balanced life, we should all aspire to Live Like Rory.

But for most of us, @PhilMickelson is just more realistic. He may not keep his attention on one thing for very long, but when he’s on something he’s all the way on it . Fasting. Ugly shirts. A sardonic sense of humor. He’s inaccurate off the tee, may have a social media addiction, starts projects he can’t finish, drinks a lot of coffee, and so on. He’s committed to being Full Phil .

View this post on Instagram Everyone wants to beat me and it’s great when you do. @padraigharrington will share what happens if you don’t. #PhiresideWithPhil A post shared by Phil Mickelson (@philmickelson) on Jul 23, 2019 at 5:47pm PDT

In the last year, Mickelson has gained over 1 million Twitter followers . We are in the Content Age, and Lefty has become golf’s Prince of Posting. Look, Rory … we don’t make the rules and we’re not saying that we’re happy about this result, but Mickelson’s moving on. (Note: We actually do make the rules.)

View this post on Instagram I would love to be competing at East Lake right now, but sipping 1985 Haut-Brion poolside while working on my tan and spending time on social media isn’t a bad way to spend the week either. A post shared by Phil Mickelson (@philmickelson) on Aug 23, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

6. Sand vs. 7. Rae’s Creek

Now this is a matchup — a literal battle of the elements! Water versus Earth. Hazard versus hazard. On a golf course, sand and water represent dramatically different things: The former is a challenge to be escaped from, while the latter represents a more finite doom. One of the most compelling moments in this year’s Sand Chronicles came when Rory McIlroy mistakenly moved some sand in a bunker, thinking he was picking up a pebble. What followed was one of golf’s great existential questions ever asked by a player. “I was going to argue, at the end of the day isn’t it all just rock,” McIlroy asked.

Rory McIlroy thought he was removing a loose impediment from a bunker, but then realized it was just sand. He alerted a rules official and was given a two-shot penalty. He was three back of the lead at the time of the penalty. pic.twitter.com/Ayp8zWw9Ei — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 9, 2019

Rae’s Creek has no such grey area; you’re either in or you’re out. While Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau were each decidedly in, Tiger Woods was safely and definitively out. That has made all the difference. Rae’s Creek bubbles on.

1. Tiger Woods vs. 3. Pace of Play

This is a tougher matchup than it would first appear. Woods was asked about pace of play in August and he gave a telling response: “We’ve been fighting that for, God, ever since I grew up watching the game, guys were complaining about slow play,” he said. Is it possible that slow play is a force even stronger than Woods himself? That this is golf’s equivalent of Father Time, which everybody fights but no one beats? Woods’ toughest, vaguest opponent yet?

Not so fast. This is Eldrick Tont we’re talking about. He just hosted a tournament of his own in the Bahamas, where players were averaging sub-four-hour rounds (though it helps when you’ve only got 18 guys in the field). Woods himself remains swift to play (though deliberate on the greens). Plus, there’s the flip side to Woods’ own comments: If slow play has always been lurking in golf’s consciousness, it may never truly win or lose. Woods won the Masters, and he won the Zozo  and he won the Presidents Cup as a player and as a captain. In a win for exhilaration over frustration, Tiger’s moving on over Pace of Play.

Captain. Teammate. Champion. @TigerWoods leaves @PresidentsCup undefeated. The only player on either side to do so. pic.twitter.com/Hy0kumQ1BJ — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 16, 2019

4. Brandel Chamblee v. 2. Rules of Golf

Let us take you back to Hawaii, nearly a full year ago. Señor Brandel predicted that, in due time, every player would be keeping the flagstick in . Now, this is exactly the kind of take for which we stand for our Clown King. Pick a side and ride it out. BUT, sometimes it’s better to be right and boring than aggressively wrong. And while Brandel was phenomenal on TV most of the year, his first take of the year was about the Rules and it … didn’t come true. Bryson putts with the pin in. Some others do, too — most recently Haotong Li at the Presidents Cup — but it is not ubiquitous on Tour.

The Rules nearly severed ties between Justin Thomas and a governing body ! Reactions to the Rules inspired the USGA to create a new position on its staff, filled brilliantly by Jason Gore . Have we heard any legitimate gripes with the governing body since? No! Nothing rallied against criticism in 2019 quite like the Rules did.

1. Brooks Koepka v. 6. Jin Young Ko

Ironically, this debate played out on the pages of the year-end issue of GOLF Magazine , alongside Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Who was the true player of the year in 2019? While Ko’s two-major season is probably the only other season that Koepka would trade for his, Koepka was a bigger star via the microphone. Koepka  really enjoyed the mic.

He used it to recall Rory McIlroy’s majorless 2015-2019 . To promise he watches Golf Channel for everyone but Brandel Chamblee. To remind Bryson he’d crush him in a fight. Even to remind the rest of his peers that he doesn’t practice between events. Brooks became the best trash-talker on Tour in the non-Tiger, non-Phil division. He even made Tiger wonder if BK was ever going to text him back.

Koepka talked so much s— in 2019, it was almost too much. He’s set himself up for some public hand-wringing in 2020, but we won’t let that bother us now. We simply could not keep him from the final four.

WINNER: Koepka

View this post on Instagram …what rivalry? ? A post shared by GOLF.com // GOLF Magazine (@golf_com) on Oct 16, 2019 at 6:48am PDT

4. @PhilMickelson vs. 7. Rae’s Creek

Despite things getting funky here with two plucky underdogs advancing to the Elite 8, this is really a heavyweight matchup. @PhilMickelson treasures Augusta National and treasures his three green jackets. He shared how his backyard putting greens were jacked up to a preposterous 16 on the Stimpmeter just to prepare for the event.

View this post on Instagram A little taste of Augusta. Spending all week putting on my green with speed at 15.6-16 ?⛳️ #Lefty A post shared by Phil Mickelson (@philmickelson) on Apr 4, 2019 at 6:29pm PDT

Phil even shared perhaps the greatest video of the year when he  slandered Matt Kuchar’s generosity and made his first promise to hit bombs all over Augusta National. But remember why he had to “hit bombs” in the first place. After shooting a 67 in the first round, Mickelson faltered on the weekend, and on Sunday was already nearing the clubhouse by the time the tournament’s leaders got to Amen Corner. He wasn’t even eligible to have his dreams ruined by our favorite hazard. For that reason, the watery grave advances. A true Cinderella. Some things are bigger than content, even when that content is an electric Phireside with Phil.

ADVERTISEMENT

1. Tiger Woods v. 2. Rules of Golf

Is this what we’ve been waiting for? Tiger vs. the rulebook? It feels … suggestive. Have no fear, though: Tiger didn’t tango with the Rules much this year, so it’s a fair fight. Who dominated 2019?

Please jog your memories to May, in which Woods got his doors blown off by Koepka at the PGA. Or June, in which Woods admitted his back doesn’t handle cold well. Or July, in which he missed a third-straight cut in the majors. Or August, where he actually had to WD from an event with an injury? My goodness does that feel like an alternate universe, but that’s what life is like in golf. If Woods triumphs anywhere, his transgressions or struggles from everywhere are forgotten. BUT NOT BY THIS BRACKET! In order to be the best, you have to beat the best, and the best thing at keeping our attention all year long was the Rules!

While Woods was struggling this summer, we had Darren Clarke receive a two-stroke penalty due to … a bird feeder? Or how about the bathroom break that DQ’d one player from a U.S. Open sectional qualifier ? A seagull moved Phil Mickelson’s ball at Pebble Beach! Lee Westwood was praised simply for following the Rules! Look at that bracket again. This was the only way Tiger Woods was going to lose. It happened, and we’re okay with it. The Rules take the stage one more time.

1. Brooks Koepka v. 7. Rae’s Creek

Before we get to the obvious, let us remember that Koepka starred in two This is SportsCenter commercials this summer. One was good and the other was not . He finished the calendar year as World No. 1, just like he started it. He made us worry that the Presidents Cup might not be safe after all, and he posed, MULTIPLE TIMES, in his girlfriend’s thongs. Multiple times.

Jena Sims wants to know who wore it better on her Instagram page. pic.twitter.com/zSsWM6PEg2 — Evan Jankens (@KINGoftheKC) January 22, 2019

What can a creek do with a thong besides dispose of it? How did this little creek get here? How can it be the most powerful hazard in the game? Some things just find a way. Rae’s Creek was The Little Creek that Could in 2019, and prior to taking down the greatest Italian golfer of all-time, it took down our boy BK, leaving him with a double bogey when par was all he needed. If it weren’t for Rae’s Creek, Koepka’s eagle on the 13th hole might have been the biggest result of the tournament. We could be talking about Tiger, Koepka, Rory, etc. all differently if that little creek doesn’t gobble up Koepka’s ball. But it did, so the creek keeps flowing, right on to the championship. For a guy who put up some pretty questionable looks in 2019, you know this is the only one he wants back.

2. Rules of Golf v. 7. Rae’s Creek

This is a matchup of two enduring pillars of the game — and of two of our greatest fears: a wicked water hazard and the governing bible by which strokes get added to your score. While Rae’s Creek stole the show for one fateful April day, the Rules dominated week-in, week-out.

Simply put, nothing had more staying power in 2019 because nothing else in the game truly draws a reaction from golfers. Rickie Fowler showed us at the Waste Management Phoenix Open just how brutal the Rules can be, and three days later we were still talking about it, grilling Jordan Spieth for his thoughts on a tournament he didn’t play in. When the Rules made news, it always felt like we were talking about something larger.

When Patrick Reed’s U.S. Presidents Cup teammates were defending him days after the Hero World Challenge, they were really making a statement about the Rules. When Christina Kim was incensed enough to tweet MORE THAN 100 TIMES , defending herself simply for calling out a rules infraction, she was standing up for the Rules.

And please let us recall Zach Johnson, who hit what was, for three seconds, the craziest televised shot in Masters history.

We’re not sure you can recover from that as a two-time major-winner and past Masters champion. For another second after ZJ hit the ball, he thought he was in trouble. But our Rules Follower of the Year, Matt Kuchar, was thankfully on hand, and according to the Rules, it didn’t happen! Wiped from the record (and now only available on YouTube).

What could Rae’s Creek do but simply look on and watch the Rules stunt on its precious property? The creek is powerful, but it is less powerful without the Rules by its side. There is no other option here. A truly valiant effort by the hazard, but the Rules of Golf dominated 2019. And they might just dominate 2020 as well.

2019 CHAMPION: The Rules

If you read to this point, thank you. God bless you. If you made it halfway, go back and finish. If you want some mo’, subscribe to The Drop Zone, your new favorite golf podcast, at any of the links below.

The Drop Zone: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | PodBean

PGA TOUR Player Stats 2019-20

• Statistics are updated nightly
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Disney Ad Sales Site
• Work for ESPN
• Corrections

• John Newby ,

• Associated Press ,

• Nick Zaccardi ,

Trending Teams

Pga championship 101: history, qualifications and this year at valhalla golf club.

• Golf Channel Digital ,
• Golf Channel Digital

Take a look at some answers to frequently asked questions about the PGA Championship:

Still holding down the second spot?

Correct. The PGA Championship moved from the major finale in August to the second of the season in May, in 2019. Then 2020 came and the golf calendar was reorganized because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PGA was contested again in August, after the U.S. Open and ahead of the Masters. Things returned to order in ’21 and, for the foreseeable future, the PGA of America’s crown jewel sits in its spring spot.

Wait, isn’t this the championship of the PGA Tour?

Sigh. No, this is not the championship of the PGA Tour. That would be considered The Players Championship. This is the championship of the PGA of America.

Why the need to designate “of America”? What else would it be – the PGA of Timbuktu?

Obviously we need a history lesson here. We’ll keep it as brief as possible. There used to be one PGA – the “of America” one, which was founded in 1916. In 1968, action was begun that resulted in an eventual split into the PGA of America and the PGA Tour.

Why the split?

The original golf pros were the people who work at golf clubs. You know, the ones who sell us logoed ball markers and take our green fees when they’re not trying to cure our slices by giving us lessons. The better players among them also played the national tournament circuit.

As golf grew in popularity and tournaments became more lucrative, a class of pros evolved who were tournament players first and foremost. If they held a club job, it was often ceremonial.

Over time, more of these pros discarded the idea of working at a club at all, instead devoting full time to tournament play.

OK, I follow you so far.

So now you had one organization, the PGA of America, trying to represent the interests of two entirely different types of “golf pros.” No surprise that the root of the dispute was money, specifically what to do with what was becoming a windfall in rights fees from the TV networks. The tournament players, a group that included Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, wanted that money to go to increased tournament purses, while the club pros wanted it to go into the PGA’s general fund. Eventually the touring pros broke off on their own. The PGA of America remained in place, representing the traditional “club” pros.

If the PGA of America was no longer going to represent the interests of tournament players, why does it still have a championship? And why is it a major?

It wanted to keep the PGA Championship alive for many reasons, not the least of which is that it generates considerable revenue. As for your second question, that is a big ol’ can of worms for another day. We will say this, however. For most of the PGA Championship’s existence, it has had a justifiable status as a major. Whether that will ever change, whether it will ever be replaced in the major rotation by The Players Championship is anyone’s guess. But golf is a game that respects – and clings to – tradition.

Anything else about its history that sets it apart?

The most obvious thing is that from its inception in 1916 through 1957, the PGA was a match-play tournament. It has been periodically suggested that it return to match play, but that is not considered likely. Prior to the shift to May in 2019, it was previously held during this month in 1949, when Sam Snead won.

We get the May thing, but why no longer match play?

Worst-case scenario – all the highly seeded “name” players get eliminated before the final. If you’re a TV network that has spent big bucks to televise this event, do you want two guys you’re never heard of in the final?

Speaking of the final, what’s the name of the winner’s trophy?

It’s called the Wanamaker Trophy, and it was named after Rodman Wanamaker, a department store magnate who was influential in the formation of the PGA.

How does a player qualify for this major?

There are 13 ways, based on the 2023 criteria (will be updated when PGA releases full 2024 criteria):

• All former winners of the PGA Championship
• Winners of the last five Masters (2019-23)
• Winners of the last five U.S. Opens (2018-22)
• Winners of the last five Open Championships (2017-22) [Note: Canceled in 2020]
• Winners of the last three Players Championships (2021-23)
• The top three on the OWGR’s International Federation Ranking List as of April 24, 2023
• Winner of 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
• The top 15 finishers and ties from the 2022 PGA Championship
• The top 20 finishers from the 2023 PGA Professional Championship
• The top 70 players who are eligible and have earned the most PGA Championship points from the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson through the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship (ending May 7, 2023)
• Playing members of the last named U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams (2021), provided they remain in the top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings as of May 7, 2023
• Winners of PGA Tour co-sponsored or approved tournaments whose victories are considered official, from the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge through the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson
• If necessary to complete the 156-person field, those players beyond the top 70 players who are eligible and who have earned the most PGA Championship points from the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson through the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship (ending May 7, 2023) in order of their position on such a list

Are LIV Golf players eligible?

Yes, as long as they meet the above criteria.

I probably should have asked this a lot earlier, but what does PGA stand for?

Professional Golfers’ Association. Remember, in the early years of the 20th century, pros were looked down upon. It was only natural that they band together under one umbrella organization.

Let’s get to the tournament itself. The Masters has Jack Nicklaus winning at age 46 in 1986 and Tiger Woods’ remarkable turns in ’97 and ’19. The U.S. Open has 20-year-old Francis Ouimet upsetting two of the top British pros in 1913 and Arnold Palmer’s charge in 1960. The Open Championship has the Duel in the Sun in 1977 and Woods destroying the field in 2000. So, what have been the most memorable PGAs?

It would be hard to beat a then-unknown John Daly winning in 1991. He got into the tournament as ninth – ninth! – alternate, then torched the course with a combination of absurdly long driving and incredible touch around the greens. Then there was Bob Tway holing a final-hole bunker shot to beat Greg Norman in 1986 – something we didn’t yet know would become a trend. And who could have predicted that the player who would give Woods his toughest test would be one of his former junior-golf rivals, Bob May, who did everything except beat him in 2000? And, of course, there was 2021, when Phil Mickelson, at age 51, became the oldest-ever major champion.

What happened last year?

Brooks Koepka won his third Wanamaker trophy at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. The LIV Golf player shot 72-66-66-67 to win by two shots over Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler.

Who has won the most PGA Championships?

Nicklaus and Walter Hagen have each won five times. Woods has won four times. Woods has twice won back-to-back in this major, in 1999-2000 and 2006-07.

Where are they playing?

Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The venue is owned by the PGA of America and has hosted three PGA Championships. Mark Brooks won in a playoff over Kenny Perry in 1996. Tiger Woods prevailed in a playoff over Bob May in 2000. And, Rory McIlroy beat Phil Mickelson by a stroke in 2014. Valhalla also hosted the 2008 Ryder Cup, won by the U.S.

Ranking PGA Tour tournament purses from biggest to smallest

The PGA Tour has 46 official tournaments on its 2018-2019 schedule, with prize money totaling $389,350,000. There's a lot of money on the line from the beginning of the season in October to the end of the season with the culmination of the FedEx Cup playoffs at the Tour Championship in August.

However, not every tournament has the same purse. In fact, purses in PGA Tour events range from $3 million to $12.5 million in 2018-19. The smallest purse belongs to the Puerto Rico Open, played opposite the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in March. The largest purse belongs to The Players Championship, which now boasts a $12.5 million purse. The U.S. Open, which saw its purse increased from $10 million in 2016 to $12 million in 2017 and remains there in 2019.

There are purses of every size in between. The four World Golf Championships events have the same purse of $10.25 million, except the WGC-HSBC Champions at $10 million. The four FedEx Cup playoff events have the same purse of $9.25 million. The Arnold Palmer Invitational and Jack Nicklaus' the Memorial Tournament share the same distinction of the next-best class of purses at $9.1 million.

With the Tour Championship now representing the final event for the FedEx Cup schedule and having no purse of its own, it technically has a payout of $46 million for the 30 qualifying players.

Only five tournaments have a first-place payout of less than $1 million.

Take a look at the full list of PGA Tour purses from largest to smallest.

2019 PGA Tour purses, ranked from biggest to smallest

Click header to sort

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is the founder, owner and operator of Golf News Net.

Sometimes we post sponsored content from this account, and it is labeled as such.

We also occasionally include links to products and services from merchants of our choice. GNN may earn a commission from sales generated by those links. See more in GNN's affiliate disclosure.

Who is Collin Morikawa? PGA Tour member sits in second in 2024 Masters heading into final day

Collin Morikawa has positioned himself nicely heading into the final day of the 2024 Masters , as he aims for his first-ever green jacket.

REQUIRED READING: Masters replay: Scottie Scheffler tops leaderboard, Tiger Woods has his worst Augusta round

Morikawa, 27, currently sits in second place with a score of 6-under par heading into the final day at Augusta National, just one stroke behind leader Scottie Scheffler.

Morikawa had one of the best performances on the course on Saturday, shooting a 3-under 69 to move his total score to 210 on the tournament.

This year marks Morikawa's fifth appearance at the Masters, as he looks to win golf's top tournament.

Here's everything to know about Morikawa heading into the final day of the 2024 Masters:

REQUIRED READING: Jason Day says Augusta National asked him take Malbon vest off Friday at 2024 Masters

Who is Collin Morikawa?

Collin Morikawa is a 27-year-old professional golfer currently playing on the PGA Tour after turning professional in 2019.

Morikawa is currently the 20th-ranked golfer in the world, according to the Official World Golf Ranking.

Morikawa played college golf at Cal, even raising to the No. 1 ranking in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for three weeks in May 2018.

The Los Angeles native has six career wins on the PGA Tour, which includes the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 British Open. He began his PGA Tour career with 22 consecutive tournaments without missing the cut, which stands only second to Tiger Woods' streak of 25.

REQUIRED READING: Tiger Woods score today at Masters is his worst round in a major. What he shot at Augusta

Has Collin Morikawa won the Masters?

Collin Morikawa has never won the Masters, however, he has two consecutive top-10 finishes.

Morikawa finished fifth in 2022 and tied-for-10th in 2023, before placing himself at second heading into the final day of the 2024 Masters.

Collin Morikawa majors results

Collin Morikawa has two majors wins in his career, winning the 2020 PGA Championship in San Francisco, and the 2021 British Open.

Morikawa was briefly ranked the world's No. 2-ranked golfer in October 2021 after winning two majors.

Morikawa also has a tied-for-fourth finish at the 2021 U.S. Open and a fifth-place finish at the 2022 Masters.

Here's a look at how he has fared by year in golf majors:

• 2019: U.S. Open - T35
• 2020: Masters - T44, PGA Championship - Won, U.S. Open - Cut
• 2021: Masters - T18, PGA Championship - T8, U.S. Open - T4, The Open Championship - 1
• 2022: Masters - 5, PGA Championship - T55, U.S. Open - T5, The Open Championship - Cut
• 2023: Masters - T10, PGA Championship - T26, U.S. Open - T14, The Open Championship - Cut

2024 RBC Heritage prop bet picks and PGA Tour predictions

T he top players in the world won't have much of a break following the Masters because up next on the schedule is the 2024 RBC Heritage , a signature event with a loaded field. The 1st round from Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C., begins on Thursday.

Below, we search for the best value prop bets among the 2024 RBC Heritage odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions .

Scottie Scheffler , fresh off his Masters victory, remains the No. 1 player in this week's Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Xander Schauffele , who's also in the field, comes in at No. 2, followed by Rory McIlroy , Ludvig Aberg and Patrick Cantlay – all of whom are playing the RBC Heritage. Last year's champion Matt Fitzpatrick is Golfweek's 20th-ranked player.

Harbour Town is one of the shorter courses on tour and emphasizes accuracy off the tee and ball-striking with irons. The greens are also some of the smallest on the PGA Tour, so it's essential for players to be accurate when approaching the greens. It's a par 71 and 7,213 yards, slightly longer than it was last year.

WATCH: PGA Tour is live on ESPN+! Get ESPN+

RBC Heritage – Top-5 picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Patrick Cantlay (+300)

Cantlay is Mr. Top 5 at the RBC Heritage. Since 2017, he's played this event 6 times. He finished inside the top 5 on 4 occasions, missed the cut once and came in 7th another time. If there's ever a tournament to bet Cantlay to finish in the top 5, it's this one.

Collin Morikawa (+350)

Morikawa has yet to finish in the top 5 at this event, but he came close in 2021 when he came in 7th. Since then, he's had finishes of 26th and 31st, proving to be a good fit at Harbour Town with his accuracy off the tee and iron play.

RBC Heritage – Top-10 picks

Tommy fleetwood (+160).

Fleetwood has notched back-to-back top-10 finishes in his last 2 starts, including a tie for 3rd at the Masters. He's finished 15th, 10th and 25th in 3 of his 4 career starts at this event (MC in 2021), so he's played well at Harbour Town in the past. He could legitimately win this tournament on Sunday.

Shane Lowry (+300)

Lowry is poised to bounce back after a dreadful putting performance at the Masters. Harbour Town is a ball-strikers course and Lowry ranks among the best on tour this season. He's finished in the top 10 here in 3 of his last 5 starts.

Cam Davis (+375)

Davis still has long odds despite his course history (7th, 3rd, 25th) and 12th-place finish at the Masters. His length won't be a big advantage this week because it's not a bombers course, but he's played well here in the past and should do so again.

Other T10 contenders ( in order from longest odds to shortest ):

• Russell Henley (+250)
• Ludvig Aberg (+125)

RBC Heritage – Top-20 picks

J.t. poston (+150).

Poston has been feast or famine at the RBC Heritage. He finished 3rd in 2022, 8th in 2020 and 6th in 2019, but he missed the cut in his 2 other starts in 2023 and 2021. He's one of the best putters on tour (even if his numbers don't reflect that this year) and has the course history to finish near the top again this week.

Corey Conners (+120)

In the last 4 years, Conners has finished 31st, 12th, 4th and 21st. He seemingly loves this course and has had success here in the past, and we're probably getting a little bit of a discount after a disappointing week at the Masters.

Matthieu Pavon (+170)

Pavon has proved he can compete with the best players in the world, winning at Torrey Pines earlier this year. In his last 2 starts this season, he's finished 5th and 12th, so his current form is good despite his lack of course experience (no previous starts here).

RBC Heritage – Matchups

Suggested play is golfer in bold .

Cameron Young (-120) vs. Jordan Spieth (-105)

Spieth looked out of sorts at the Masters and he's now missed the cut in 3 of his last 4 starts. He won here in 2022 and lost in a playoff last year, but he's not playing nearly as well right now. Give me Young, who finished 3rd here in 2022.

RBC Heritage – Top Canadian

Corey conners (+200).

Conners is the favorite to be the top Canadian, ahead of Adam Hadwin  (+300), Mackenzie Hughes and Nick Taylor (both +400). Conners is the best course fit and has the better track record at Harbour Town.

RBC Heritage – Top Australian

Cam davis (+110).

Davis and Jason Day (-135) are the only two Australians in the field, yet it's Davis who's the underdog. Day hasn't played here since 2020 and he missed the cut that year, while Davis' course history is noted above.

RBC Heritage – First-round leader

Patrick cantlay (+2200).

Cantlay ranks 2nd only to Scheffler in Round 1 scoring average this season (67.5) and he's now coming to a course where he's finished 7th or better in 5 of his last 6 starts.

Xander Schauffele (+1600)

Schauffele is on fire right now, with his worst finish in his last 5 starts being 25th. Otherwise, he's had 4 top-5 finishes. He's 9th in 1st-round scoring average this year and opened with a 67 here last season.

More expert prop bet predictions

Group c winner: cameron young (+320).

In this group are Russell Henley (+333), Si Woo Kim (+333), Spieth (+375) and Sahith Theegala (+400). Young is the slight favorite and understandably so with the way he's playing right now coming out of the Masters.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now !

For more sports betting picks and tips , check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW .

• Scottie Scheffler celebrated his Masters victory at a Dallas dive bar
• What is AimPoint Express? And why are so many PGA Tour pros using the green reading system?

Follow @camdasilva on Twitter/X . Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook .

This article originally appeared on USA Today Sportsbookwire: 2024 RBC Heritage prop bet picks and PGA Tour predictions

• CBSSports.com
• Fanatics Sportsbook
• CBS Sports Home
• Champions League
• Motor Sports
• High School
• Horse Racing 

Men's Brackets

Women's Brackets

Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy football, football pick'em, college pick'em, fantasy basketball, fantasy hockey, franchise games, 24/7 sports news network.

• CBS Sports Golazo Network
• PGA Tour on CBS
• UEFA Champions League
• UEFA Europa League
• Italian Serie A
• Watch CBS Sports Network
• TV Shows & Listings

The Early Edge

A Daily SportsLine Betting Podcast

With the First Pick

NFL Draft is coming up!

• Podcasts Home
• The First Cut Golf
• Beyond the Arc
• Eye On College Basketball
• NFL Pick Six
• Cover 3 College Football
• Fantasy Football Today
• My Teams Organize / See All Teams Help Account Settings Log Out

NHL playoffs 2024: Ranking every first-round series by entertainment value

This list will help prioritize your nhl playoff viewing schedule.

Saturday marks the start of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and once the action gets underway, it won't stop until a champion is crowned in June. For now, hockey fans can enjoy a feast of first-round action, which means multiple games every day for the next two weeks.

With a dizzying amount of playoff games on the schedule, it can be hard to know which matchups to prioritize. That's where I will do my best to help by ranking each first-round series by entertainment value. That way, when you're dealing with less important things like family, friends or work, you can know which games you might be able to skip and which ones you absolutely cannot miss.

When compiling this list, I tried to go with a gut-based approach that factored in storylines, star power, play style, rivalries and the potential for the series to go the distance. With so many intriguing matchups, sorting them into a definitive ranking wasn't easy, but I managed to pull it off.

Before we dive in, I want to be very clear. All playoff hockey is good hockey, and you should watch every game of every series because the season will be over before we know it. Cherish what we have left of the NHL action.

That said, if you can't spend every minute of every day watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs, here is every series ranked by its entertainment value.

8. Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders

If the Hurricanes were playing any other team, this matchup would probably be higher. Carolina is a Cup contender, and it's a fun team to watch. However, we've seen this matchup a couple times in recent seasons, and I don't really need to see much more of it. It's not just that the series seems to be pretty uneven on paper. It's also about play style. Since Patrick Roy took over behind the Isles' bench, they have improved defensively. That's great for the Islanders but bad for the back-and-forth track meets that occurred under former head coach Lane Lambert. This matchup just lacks some of the juice present in other first-round series.

7. New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

The Presidents' Trophy winners are taking on what might be the worst NHL playoff team ever -- at least in the modern era. That would normally make this the least compelling matchup of the first round, but it is slightly elevated due to a few different factors. For starters, I have a morbid curiosity about how a team with a minus-37 goal differential will fare in the playoffs. Secondly, I'm not sure how many more times I'll get to see Alex Ovechkin in the postseason, so I need to cherish this opportunity. Finally, the Rangers are loaded up front, and an offensive explosion is never far away.

6. Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings

The NHL script writers really need to come up with some new material. These teams have met in the first round each of the last two postseasons, and the series have played out in very similar fashion. The Kings are able to do a decent job containing the Oilers weapons early, but the dam eventually breaks, and Edmonton goes on to win the series. Nothing about the 2024 edition of this matchup indicates that things will go any differently this time around. I will say, it will be intriguing to watch Pierre-Luc Dubois in the playoffs. In his first season with the Kings, Dubois has been a disappointment, but he can wash all that away with a big series against the Oilers. Dubois has shown the ability to elevate his game in the postseason before (see: Blue Jackets vs. Lightning, circa 2019).

5. Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators

The Norris Trophy votes have already been cast, but this series will allow Quinn Hughes and Roman Josi to settle it on the ice in the postseason. Hughes and Josi have been the two best defensemen in the NHL all season, and they will headline this first-round matchup. It should also be noted that the two main Jack Adams Award candidates -- Rick Tocchet and Andrew Brunette -- are behind the bench in this matchup. Maybe the NHL should just let voters watch this series before submitting their ballots. Add in the goaltending battle between Thatcher Demko and Juuse Saros, and this should be a fun clash. This may be No. 5, but it is a cut above the bottom three on the list.

4. Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Battle of Florida has quickly shot up the charts as one of the best rivalries in the NHL, and another chapter will be written over the next couple of weeks. One of the things that makes it so great is the vitriol. These two teams do not like each other, and I anticipate more than a few shenanigans after the whistle. In addition to the general seething hatred on both sides, there will be stars all over the ice. Nikita Kucherov just totaled 100 assists to go along with his 44 goals. Steven Stamkos might be playing his last season as a member of the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy is borderline unbeatable when he's at his best. For the Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk hopes to provide an encore performance for last season's playoff run. Aleksander Barkov is probably the best defensive forward in the game today. Sam Reinhart loves scoring goals, and he cannot stop doing it. I can't wait to see how this matchup plays out.

3. Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche

Now we're getting into the series that have some serious Game 7 potential. The Jets and Avalanche go about their business a little bit differently, but there are reasons to believe this matchup could go either way. The Avalanche have Nathan MacKinnon, fresh off a Hart Trophy campaign in which he put up 140 points while dominating play at five-on-five. Colorado also has bona fide superstars in Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. The Jets may not be able to match up in that regard, but what they lack in marquee names they make up for in depth and elite goaltending. Connor Hellebuyck will likely be the 2024 Vezina Trophy winner, and Winnipeg has the ability to roll four lines and come at the Avs in waves. It'll be fascinating to see these two different approaches go head-to-head, and there's a good chance tempers flare as the series evolves.

2. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins

We've seen this playoff matchup plenty of times before, but I don't care. The history between these clubs only adds to the entertainment value. How close will Charlie Brown get to kicking the football before Lucy pulls it away? Will this finally be the time that Charlie boots it from under Lucy's finger? The Maple Leafs have the big names. They have a 69-goal-scorer in Auston Matthews. They have dynamic playmakers in William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Unfortunately for Toronto fans, that hasn't mattered in past years. The Maple Leafs haven't beaten the Bruins in the postseason since 1959, and there have been six meetings since then. Avoiding seven straight playoff series losses to Boston will be tough. Bruins star David Pastrnak is at the top of his game, and their goaltending tandem is as good as it gets. That said, I do think the Leafs have the edge here. Can they finally get this bear off their back?

1. Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Playoff matchups don't get better than this, and I'm not just talking about first-round series. Conference finals. Stanley Cup Final. Doesn't matter. This is a heavyweight fight between two Stanley Cup contenders, and one of them will be golfing by the time the second round begins. How about that for stakes? The Stars, perhaps the deepest team in the NHL, spent all year working their rear ends off to get the top seed in the West. That earned them a date with the Golden Knights, the defending champs and one of the only teams with the depth to rival that of the Stars. To make things even spicier, Vegas eliminated Dallas in the Western Conference Finals last season before going on to lift the Cup. Since then, both teams have aggressively upgraded their rosters. The Stars have brought Matt Duchene and Chris Tanev into the fold, giving them a boost at both ends of the ice. The Golden Knights have countered with acquisitions of Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin. The winner of this matchup will get a well-earned confidence boost heading into the conference semifinals.

Our Latest NHL Stories

2024 NHL Playoffs: First round predictions, Cup pick

Chris bengel • 16 min read.

Oilers vs. Kings: Schedule, TV channels, results

Austin nivison • 1 min read.

Stars vs. Golden Knights: How to watch, schedule

Canucks vs. Predators: How to watch, schedule, scores

Jets vs. Avalanche: How to watch, schedule, scores

Hurricanes vs. Islanders: How to watch

Chris bengel • 1 min read, share video.

Ranking every NHL playoff series by entertainment value

Oilers' Connor McDavid joins very elite company

Revisiting preseason expectations

2024 NHL playoff tracker

Crosby plans to discuss extension with Penguins

Coyotes relocating to Salt Lake City in 2024-25

Jeff Carter announces retirement after 19 seasons

Sabres fire Don Granato as playoff drought continues

McDavid becomes fourth player to tally 100 assists

Connor McDavid is not expected to play against Coyotes

LECOM Suncoast Classic: Storylines, tournament facts and more

Change Text Size

The Korn Ferry Tour’s domestic season continues at Lakewood Ranch National Golf Club’s Commander Course in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, for the LECOM Suncoast Classic. All seven winners from this season are in the field, as well as 45 of the top 50 ranked players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List. Here’s what you need to know as the race for the season-long Points List heats up.

Florida ties stay strong

Youth shines in new debut.

Fifteen-year-old Miles Russell makes his Korn Ferry Tour debut as a sponsor exemption this week at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. Russell, the No. 1 ranked player in the Rolex AJGA Ranking, is the third-youngest player to tee it up in a Korn Ferry Tour event and will be the fifth player under the age of 16 to compete on the Korn Ferry Tour, joining Michelle Wie West, Esteban Jaramillo, Greg Lavoie and current Korn Ferry Tour member Carter Jenkins.

Tracking the top 30

Mason Andersen sits atop the points list through seven events of the season after logging three top-10 finishes, highlighted by his first career title at the 117 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro. At the end of the 26-event Korn Ferry Tour season, the top 30 players on the season-long points list will be awarded PGA TOUR cards for the 2025 season.

Scoring facts, course information and more

Lakewood Ranch National Golf Club (Commander Course) has been the host venue for the LECOM Suncoast Classic since it began in 2019. Last year, Scott Gutschewski defeated Logan McAllister in playoff to take the victory. Past champions of the event also include Byeong Hun An (2022) and Hayden Buckley (2021).

• Low 18-hole score: 59, Mac Meissner (2023, Round 2)
• Low 72-hole score: 262, Mark Hubbard (2019)
• Largest margin of victory: two, Hubbard (2019)