Category: PGA Tour

PGA Tour 2024: Scheffler’s Historic Run

The buzz surrounding Scottie Scheffler’s fantastic season keeps getting louder every time he tees it up—but where does the ultra-hot start to his ’24 season stack up against some of the greatest seasons of all-time?

Through his first 10 starts, Scottie has recorded 4 wins, including The Players and The Masters, with 9 Top-10 finishes. After taking a look through the record books, Scheffler’s opening run in the ’24 season ranks at the very top since 1960—with only Tiger (of course) putting up a comparable record through the first 10 starts of the year in his monumental 2000 season.

Tiger 2000

With 9 victories including 3 Major championship wins and a T5 at The Masters, the 2000 season was undoubtedly the greatest of Tiger’s amazing career. His first 10 starts that year couldn’t match what he did in the second half of the season (winning all three majors), but it was fantastic just the same with 9 Top-10’s including 4 wins and 4 runner-up finishes.

Although Tiger recorded the same number of wins with 3 more runner-up finishes and a slightly better average finish, he was 2^nd in The Players and 5^th at The Masters (Scheffler won both), so you have to give Scottie the nod by an eyelash.

Jack 1963

Although Nicklaus never had a “monster” year like Tiger in 2000, he had a ton of great ones to choose from—so we picked 1963 out of the hat. Jack finished the year with 5 wins, including The Masters and The PGA Championship along with 17 Top-10’s.

In his first 10 starts of ’63, Jack recorded 9 Top-10’s with 3 wins including The Masters, but Scheffler also won at Augusta and notched one more win—and it happened to be The Players, so once again it’s Scottie by a whisker.

Arnie 1961

Arnie had a tremendous year in ’61, making the cut in 25 of his 26 starts with 21 Top-10’s and 7 wins, including the Open Championship. He also recorded a runner-up at The Masters and a T5 at the PGA—while constantly having to look over his shoulder at Jack.

It’s tough to have a great year without getting off to fast start, and Arnie did just that in ’61 with 9 Top-10 finishes in his first 10 starts including 3 wins. Unfortunately, Palmer missed the cut in the first tournament of the year at the LA Open, and then came heartbreak at the Masters when he made double on 18 to lose by a shot to Gary Player—so Arnie comes up just shy of Scottie’s run.

Johnny Miller

Perhaps the greatest iron player of all-time, Miller had his best year in 1972. Johnny made the cut in 20 of 22 starts with 13 Top-10’s and recorded 8 wins that year, and started the season sizzling hot with 3 consecutive wins (Crosby Pro-Am/Pebble Beach, The Phoenix Open and The Tucson Open).

Through his first 10 events, Johnny recorded 6 Top-10’s with 4 wins—a fantastic start to the season. As great as Johnny was at the start of ’72, it pales in comparison to what Scottie has done in 2024—and provides some perspective on just how good Scheffler has been this year.

Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh played his first year on the PGA Tour at 30 years old, and had his greatest season in 2004 at the age of 41. In 29 starts, Vijay recorded 18 Top-10’s with 9 wins including The PGA Championship at Sahalee, while missing the cut just once.

In the first 10 starts of ’04 Vijay was terrific, making the cut in 9 of 10 events with 5 Top-10’s including a win, a runner-up and a T6 at The Masters—but still not close to the numbers Scheffler has put up.

The Road Ahead

No doubt Scottie takes it one round at a time, one tournament at a time, and that’s good–because if he looks hard at what it will take to match Tiger for the rest of the year, it may bring on a panic attack.

Scheffler will need to win 4 more times, including 2 additional majors, without missing a cut —while recording 8 more Top-10’s and throw in a runner-up at the fourth major to boot.

With the way Scheffler is hitting the ball right now, and the confidence he exudes with every shot, it certainly brings back images of Tiger at the height of his powers—but can Scottie keep it up?

We’ll have to watch and see.

Upcoming Events

This week the Tour is in New Orleans for the Zurich Classic (April 25-28), and then heads to Dallas for the CJ CUP Byron Nelson (May 2-5) at TPC Craig Ranch.

Next up is the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, NC (May 9-12) along with the inaugural playing of the Myrtle Beach Classic at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club (May 9-12) , followed by the second major of the year—The PGA Championship (May 16-19) at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, KY.

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2024 PGA Tour Power Ranking

(Min 5 Events)

Through the RBC Heritage (April 22, 2024)

**Harbour Town Golf Links, Sea Pines Resort, SC**

**Scottie Scheffler: 4 Wins including The Masters**

Top 25

Player	Rank	Events	Tour Wins	Major Wins	Major T- 5's	Major T-10's	Major Cuts	Cut %	Top 10 %	Rating
Scheffler, S.	1	10	3	1				100.0%	90.0%	263.0
Schauffele, X.	2	10				1		100.0%	70.0%	180.0
Aberg, L.	3	10			1			100.0%	50.0%	155.0
Young, C.	4	10				1		100.0%	40.0%	138.0
Matsuyama, H	5	10	1				1	100.0%	30.0%	133.0
Fleetwood, T.	6	8			1			87.5%	37.5%	130.0
Theegala, S	7	11					1	90.9%	45.5%	129.3
Pavon, M.	8	9	1				1	88.9%	33.3%	128.1
Clark, W.	9	10	1					80.0%	40.0%	127.0
Poston, J. T.	10	11					1	90.9%	36.4%	118.4
Knapp, J.	11	11	1				1	81.8%	27.3%	115.2
Kirk, C.	12	10	1				1	90.0%	20.0%	113.0
Zalatoris, W.	13	9				1		77.8%	33.3%	112.2
Burns, S.	14	10						80.0%	40.0%	112.0
Homa, M.	15	10			1			90.0%	20.0%	111.0
Henley, R.	16	10					1	90.0%	30.0%	110.0
Cantlay, P.	17	9					1	100.0%	22.2%	108.6
Jaeger, S.	18	11	1					72.7%	27.3%	106.0
Morikawa, C.	19	9						77.8%	33.3%	102.2
Taylor, N.	19	11	1					81.8%	18.2%	102.2
Day, J.	21	10					1	80.0%	30.0%	102.0
Lowery, S.	21	8					1	87.5%	25.0%	102.0
An, B.	23	11					1	81.8%	27.3%	100.2
Horschel, B.	24	10	1					60.0%	30.0%	99.0
McIlroy, R.	25	8					1	100.0%	12.5%	97.0

26-50

Player	Rank	Events	Tour Wins	Major Cuts	Cut %	Top 10 %	Rating
English, H.	26	11		1	90.9%	18.2%	96.5
Finau, T.	26	11		1	90.9%	18.2%	96.5
McNealy, M.	28	10			90.0%	20.0%	96.0
Grillo, E.	29	11			90.9%	18.2%	94.5
Thomas, J.	30	9			66.7%	33.3%	93.4
Hoge, T.	30	11			91.7%	16.7%	93.4
Noren, A.	32	9			100.0%	11.1%	93.3
Hadwin, A.	33	11		1	72.7%	27.3%	93.0
Kim, S. W.	34	11		1	100.0%	9.1%	92.9
Moore, T.	34	11		1	100.0%	9.1%	92.9
Eckroat, A.	36	11	1		81.8%	9.1%	91.3
Hubbard, M.	37	11			100.0%	9.1%	90.9
Scott, A.	38	7		1	85.7%	14.3%	87.8
Putnam, A.	39	11			81.8%	18.2%	87.2
Todd, B.	39	11			81.8%	18.2%	87.2
Harmon, B.	39	11			81.8%	18.2%	87.2
Bezuidenhout, C.	39	11			81.8%	18.2%	87.2
Mitchell, K.	39	11			81.8%	18.2%	87.2
Lee, M. W.	44	8		1	87.5%	12.5%	87.0
Kitayama, K.	45	10		1	90.0%	10.0%	86.0
McCarthy, D.	46	11		1	90.9%	9.1%	85.6
Novak, A.	47	10			60.0%	30.0%	84.0
Spieth, J.	47	10			60.0%	30.0%	84.0
Hughes, M.	47	10			90.0%	10.0%	84.0
Rodgers, P.	50	12			66.7%	25.0%	83.4

51-75

Player	Rank	Events	Tour Wins	Major Cuts	Cut %	Top 10 %	Rating
Conners, C.	51	11		1	100.0%	0.0%	82.0
Van Rooyen, E.	51	12		1	75.0%	16.7%	82.0
Fitzpatrick, M.	51	11		1	72.7%	18.2%	82.0
Dunlap, M.	54	9	1		66.7%	11.1%	81.7
Malnati, P.	55	11	1		54.6%	18.2%	80.5
Bhatia, A.	56	12	1	1	66.7%	8.3%	80.4
Lower, J.	57	11			75.0%	16.7%	80.0
Detry, T.	57	10			70.0%	20.0%	80.0
Murray, G.	59	10	1	1	60.0%	10.0%	77.0
Hossler, B.	60	10			80.0%	10.0%	76.0
Barnes, E.	61	8			75.0%	12.5%	75.0
Pan, C. T.	62	7			71.4%	14.3%	74.3
Schenk, A.	62	13		1	76.9%	7.7%	72.7
Griffin, B.	64	13			76.9%	7.7%	70.7
Bradley, K.	65	10		1	70.0%	10.0%	70.0
Yu, K.	66	11			45.5%	27.3%	69.2
Hojgaard, N.	67	9		1	66.7%	11.1%	68.7
Simpson, W.	68	7			85.7%	0.0%	68.6
Philips, C.	69	10			70.0%	10.0%	68.0
Cole, E.	70	14		1	71.4%	7.1%	67.6
Glover, L.	71	11		1	81.8%	0.0%	67.4
Hovland, V.	72	6			83.3%	0.0%	66.6
Davis, C.	73	10		1	80.0%	0.0%	66.0
Lee, K. H.	74	11			54.5%	18.2%	65.4
Power, S.	74	11			81.8%	0.0%	65.4

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Masters 2024: Clash of the Titans

**Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta GA**

Every year The Masters kicks off a new golf season, and the 2024 edition is shaping up to be one
for the ages. It seems like forever since Jon Rahm lifted the 2023 championship trophy, while his
departure from the PGA Tour to join LIV at the end of the season brought on a seismic shift in
the landscape of professional golf.

In addition to his Masters victory, Rahm recorded 9 Top-10’s in 2023 including 3
more Tour wins, a T2 at the Open Championship and a T10 at the U.S. Open. Since joining LIV,
Jon has played 5 events with 3 Top-5’s and 2 Top-10’s—so he’s primed and ready to defend his
Masters title this weekend.

Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 Masters Champion, will be standing in his way, however—and when
you look at the way Scheffler finished the 2023 season along with the incredible year he’s had
thus far in 24’, Mr. Rahm will need every bit of his A game if he hopes to repeat at Augusta.

**Scottie Scheffler: Current World Number 1**

In his last 11 starts of 2023, Scottie recorded 9 Top 10’s including a T2 at The PGA and 3rd at the
U.S. Open (for the year he made 23 of 23 cuts with 17 Top-10’s and 2 wins). Scottie’s 2024
season has been even more remarkable, with 7 Top-10’s in eight starts and 2 more wins
including The Players Championship.

Let’s get ready to rumble!

Supporting Cast

Rory McIlroy has had a dismal season, but showed signs of life last week when he closed with a
66 to record his first Top 10 of the year. If Rory is on his game and making a few putts, even
Scheffler and Rahm will have their hands full trying to hold him off—and he wants nothing more
than to add a Green Jacket to his major championship profile page.

**Rory McIlroy: Four Time Major Winner**

After such a tough loss at The Players, Xander Schauffele has to be laser focused on landing that
first major championship. Xander has 6 Top 10’s in 8 starts without missing a cut (42 in a row
going all the way back to 2022)—so he is definitely due.

Hideki Matsuyama had a forgettable 2023 season where he was making cuts (22 of 26), but
recorded only 2 Top 10’s. That was last year—in only 9 starts so far this year Hideki has 3 Top
10’s including a win at The Genesis in LA and T6 at The Players. Keep in mind that Matsuyama
already owns a Green Jacket (2021 Champ) and he’s coming off a strong showing (T7) at the
Valero last week—look for him among the leaders heading into Sunday.

Another player to keep an eye on is Wyndam Clark (reigning U.S. Open Champ). Wyndam
recorded a win at Pebble Beach in the AT&T back in February, and had back-to-back runner-up
finishes in March (Palmer Invitational and The Players). Clark crushes it, so if he’s dialed in this
week listen for some pretty loud noise around the leaderboard come the weekend.

Young Guns

This year’s Masters field will include perhaps the most talented group of young players ever
assembled at Augusta National. Nick Dunlap (20), Akshay Bhatia (22), Ludvig Aberg (24), and.
Sahith Theegala (26).

At only 20 years old, Nick Dunlap became the first amateur to win a Tour event since Phil when
he held off a strong field including Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele at the American Express in January. At 22, Akshay Bhatia has already won twice on Tour, including a gutsy win
at the Valero last week—and with his power you can look for a ton of wedges at Augusta.
Ludvig Aberg, by way of Sweden and Texas Tech, picked up his first Tour win at the RSM last
Fall, and with his power and ball striking the wins will pile up fast when the putter comes
around.

A 3-time All-American at Pepperdine, Sahith Theegala has already recorded 17 Top-10’s
including a win and a T-9 at the ’23 Masters—he’ll break out at a major more sooner than later,
and Augusta suits his eye.
Check out the current top 75 players on GolfDay’s 2024 Power Rankings.

The LIV Contingent

**Brooks Koepka**: **5 Major Championships**

LIV will be sending 13 players to the Masters this year, and Jon Rahm is not the only one with a
solid chance to don the Green Jacket on Sunday. Joaquin Niemann leads the LIV Power Rankings after winning 2 of the 5 events played thus far in 2024—and that is with Jon Rahm
barking at his heels.
Of the top 5 finishers at the 2023 Masters, 4 are currently playing on LIV—so it’s a pretty good
bet that a few will be lurking among the leaders on Sunday. Remember that before he won the
PGA last year, Brooks Koepka was lapping the field at Augusta through 3 rounds until Rahm
chased him down.
Don’t forget about DJ either—he recorded a LIV win earlier this year. And as long as Cameron
Smith has a putter in his hands, he’s extremely dangerous—particularly on the immaculate
greens at Augusta National.
Probably not likely that Phil has another rabbit hidden under his hat like the one he pulled last
year to finish runner up, but you never know.
In any event, there’s no doubt the LIV group will make their presence felt.

Betting Odds

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Scottie Scheffler is the man to beat at (+400 to win)—but a
few names of interest are included below (as of Wednesday evening).

Rory McIlroy +1000.
Jon Rahm +1100
Xander Schauffele at +1400
Brooks Koepka +1800
Hideki Matsuyama +2000
Jordan Spieth+2200
Joaquin Neimann +2800
Ludvig Oberg+3300
Wyndham Clark +4000
Patrick Cantlay+4000
Cameron Smith +5000
Sahith Theegala +5000
Max Homa +7500
Akshay Bhatia +11000.
Tiger Woods +15000
Phil Mickelson +27000

History

Augusta National has provided some of the greatest moments in golf history—from Jack’s
magical victory at 46 years old in ’86, to Tiger’s win in ’01 that completed the “Tiger Slam.”
And of course, who can forget Greg Norman’s monumental collapse at the ’96 Masters, or when
Fred Couples’ tee shot on 12 miraculously defied gravity, clinging to the slope above Rae’s
Creek as he went on to win.
And then there was Phil’s leap, following his birdie on 18 to win his first major, and the amazing
approach on 13 from the pine straw when he took home his third green jacket in 2010.

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PGA Tour 2024: Scheffler & Company, Inc.

**Scottie Scheffler: Current Number 1 Player in The World**

With Jon Rahm off to LIV and Rory’s game on sabbatical, Scottie Scheffler has become
Chairman of the Board at PGA Tour Enterprises (the new “for profit” entity engineered by PGA
Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan to counter the Saudi-backed start-up league.)

To say Scottie is off to a hot start in 2024 is a massive understatement. Scheffler has made the
cut in all 7 of the events he’s entered with 6 Top-10’s and 2 wins—including back-to-back at
Bay Hill and The Players. The only tournament where Scottie finished outside the Top 10 was at
the American Express back in January (T17).

Xander Schauffele is having one hell of a year with 6 Top-10’s in 8 starts and no missed cuts, but he is a distant 2^nd in the 2024 PGA Power Rankings through last week at The Valspar. Wyndam Clark stands at third, following up his outstanding 2023 season (U.S. Open Champ) with 3 Top-10’s, including a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. As you scan down the list of early season leaders, a number of new names jump out including Ludwig Aberg (No. 5), Jake Knapp (No.6) and Sahith Theegala (No. 7). Who are these new guys, and what can we expect from them in 2024?

Other than the greatest female golfer in history (Annika Sorenstam), Sweden has not generally been known for world class golf—although Stenson’s unforgettable duel with Phil at the 2016 Open Championship certainly shined some light in that direction.

Ludvig Aberg (pronounced oh-berg) won a host of junior events in Sweden, including the Annika Sorenstam Trophy, before heading to Texas Tech where he piled up accolades including the Ben Hogan Award (’21 and ‘22), Fred Haskins Award (’23) and the Jack Nicklaus Award (’23).

Since turning pro last year at the RBC Canadian Open, Ludvig has made the cut in 17 of 18 events with 7 Top 10’s and a win at the RSM Classic last November. At 24 years old, Aberg is a big guy (6’3”) and a fantastic driver of the ball who can also putt (1^st in Total Driving and 7^th in Putting last year)—a powerhouse combination. In his first appearance at The Players two weeks ago he fired 3 rounds of 67 for a T10 (8^th), so it should be no surprise when you see his name on the leaderboard at The Masters in April.

Jake Knapp made some noise as an amateur 10 years ago in southern California, qualifying for the U.S. Open after just turning 21 in 2015—and then disappeared for the next eight years. Actually, he was honing his game on the Canadian Tour where he broke through for a pair of wins in 2019.

In 2023 Jake played the Korn Ferry Tour, and his game began to really kick in making the cut in 20 of 22 events with 10 Top 10’s in route to gaining his PGA Tour Card for the 2024 season—and he’s made the most it.

Knapp has missed the cut just once in 8 events with 3 Top-10’s including a win at the Mexico Open and a T3 at Torre Pines in The Farmers. He also followed up his win in Mexico the very next week with a T4 at PGA National in the Cognizant Classic—so he wasted no time basking in success.

The word is that Knapp was a bouncer during his time on the Canadian Tour, but since bouncers are generally pretty bulky and somewhat fierce looking, you have to wonder where Jake was working. In any event, you really have to pull for this young man—he’s certainly paid his dues.

Sahith Theegala just turned 26 years old in December, but he’s already recorded 17 Top-10’s on the PGA Tour including a win at the Fortinet Championship and a T9 at The Masters last year.

Theegala’s fast start on the PGA Tour comes on the heels of an outstanding college golf career at Pepperdine, where he was a 3-tme All-American while winning the Ben Hogan, Fred Haskins, and Jack Nicklaus awards in 2020

Thus far in 2024 Sahith has finished among the top 10 in 4 of his 8 starts, including a T9 at The Players two weeks ago. Currently Sahith stands at No. 10 in scoring and 7^th in putting. Winning major championships is as much about grit and determination as it is pure talent, and Theegala is very long on both—look for Sahith to make some noise on the weekend at Augusta.

Texas Children’s Houston Open

Scottie Scheffler and Wyndam Clark are teeing it up this weekend at Memorial Park in Houston for the Texas Children’s Houston Open, so two of the top three in the Power Rankings will be battling it out. Tony Finau, the defending champion, is looking to make it back-to-back in Houston for his 7^th career win on the PGA Tour. Peter Malnati, looking to maintain momentum after his emotional win at the Valspar last week, is also in the field.

**Tony Finau: Looks To Go Back To Back In Houston**

36 Hole Leaders

1. Tony Finau (-9)
2. Alejandro Tosti (-7)
3. Thomas Detry (-6)
4 Scottie Scheffler and five others (-5)

Where To Watch

Saturday

1:00-3:30pm Golf Channel/Peacock

3:30-6:00pm NBC/Peacock

Sunday

1:00-2:30pm Golf Channel/Peacock

2:30-6:00pm NBC/Peacock

Memorial Park was originally designed by John Bredemus (1936) and most recently updated by none other than Tom Doak—a master of classic course restoration. One of the best Muni’s you will find anywhere, Memorial Park is among the rare group of modern-day courses that can provide a challenge to the greatest players in the world, and still be a ton of of fun for the weekend golfer.

Next Events

Next week the Tour heads to TPC San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open (April 4-7), and then to Augusta for The Masters (April 11-14).

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TPC at Sawgrass and The Players Championship: History and 2024 Preview

This week will mark the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship–the showcase event on the PGA Tour. From Jack Nicklaus (winner in ‘74, ‘76, and ‘78), to Greg Norman (’94), to Tiger Woods (’01 and ’13) to Rory McIlroy (’19) and Scottie Scheffler (reigning champion), The Players has been a magnificent stage for the greats of the game to display their immense talent.

Rory is still at the top of his game if he holes a few putts (ranked No. 2 in the world), and Scottie Scheffler is on fire as the hands down favorite this week (No. 1 in the world, 2023 Players champ, and fresh off a dominating 5 shot victory at Bay Hill last week), but the field is extremely deep with a host of major champions and talented young stars, so the odds are good that a new name will be etched on the 2024 Players Championship trophy.

**Scottie and Rory: 1 and 2 in the World Rankings**

Preview

Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open Champion, is coming off a breakout season in 2023 where he recorded 8 Top Ten’s including 2 wins, and missed only 3 cuts. Thus far in ’24 he has made 5 of 6 cuts with a win at Pebble Beach in February and a runner-up last week at Bay Hill. Clark crushes it from the tee, so if he’s finding fairways this week you will likely see him among the last groups to go off on Sunday afternoon.

**Wyndham Clark: Reigning U.S. Open Champion**

Will Zalatoris, one of the premier ball-strikers in golf, is making only his sixth start following back surgery that cost him the bulk of the 2023 season. Not only did Will miss nine months of competitive golf, he was forced to make a major swing change to reduce the stress on his back. Recipe for a tough comeback year, right? Nope–in fact with his new putting approach (Broomstick Putter), he may be better than ever.

Zalatoris heads into the Players following a runner-up at the Genesis in LA and a T5 last week at Bay Hill—this may be the week when all that hard work delivers the ultimate payoff.

Xander Schauffele has not missed a cut since the 2022 Masters (40 consecutive events). And while he didn’t win in 2023, and hasn’t had a win yet this year, Schauffele has recorded 15 Top 10’s in his last 29 events—a level of performance only surpassed by Scottie Scheffler (22 Top 10’s).

One thing’s for sure—Xander is due (but will the putter cooperate down the stretch?). Speaking of players that are due, Victor Hoveland has made the cut in all four events he’s played this year without recording a Top 10. Considering his 2023 season included 9 Top 10’s and 3 wins, you have to believe a big week is looming (plus one of Victor’s Top 10’s last year was a T3 at the Players).

After a disastrous 2023 campaign, Justin Thomas has righted the ship with a T3, a T6 and two T12’s in 5 events this year. With a pair of major championships under his belt and a win at the Players in 2021, don’t be surprised if Justin is lurking on the leaderboard come Sunday. There are quite a few young players to keep an eye on as well, including Sahith Theegala, Ludvig Aberg, Jake Knapp and Nick Dunlap.

**Sahith Theegala: Looking for the Big Win**

Theegala has made 6 of 7 cuts this year including 3 Top-10’s, on top of 8 Top-10’s with a win in 2023. Ludwig Aberg, the long hitting Texas A&M standout from Sweden, has made the cut in all 6 of his starts this year including 2 Top-10’s. Jake Knapp recorded a win at the Mexico Open in February, and has made 6 of 7 cuts with 3 Top 10’s. Twenty-year old Nick Dunlap bested the field at The American Express in January while still a student at Alabama, the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil won the Northern Telecom Open all the way back in 1991.

**Nick Dunlap: First Amateur Win Since Phil**

Dunlap is a long shot for sure, particularly because experience goes a long way at TPC Sawgrass, but he has the power and precision—so maybe he’ll deliver an all-time shocker (he already did it once this year).

The Betting Line (FanDuel March 12)

Scheffler: +550

McIlroy: +1200

Schauffele: +2000

Thomas: +2500

Hoveland: +2500

Homa: +2500

Cantlay: +2800

Morikawa: +3000

Zalatoris: +3300

Spieth: +3500

Aberg: +3500

Matsuyama: +4000

Clark: +5500

Theegala: +7000

Knapp: +17000

Dunlap: +50000

History

In the early 1970’s, former PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman wanted to create a championship that would showcase the talent and power of professional golf in America, and shine a bright light on the PGA Tour—home to the greatest golfers in the world.

Initially called “The Tournament Players Championship,” Beman’s vision immediately gained momentum as Jack won the inaugural event in 1974, and three of the first five. The next step was to build a permanent venue that could stand with the four majors, demanding championship golf at the highest level—and so Pete Dye was brought aboard. Not only did Beman want a course that would be a stiff test of golf, he also wanted breathtaking visual appeal and viewing areas that would maximize the experience for fans.

Pete Dye delivered precisely what was ordered, and then he added icing on the cake with classically positioned risk and reward holes to build maximum excitement and drama—thus creating a treasure trove of moments to be remembered and discussed year after year.

The Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL is perennially ranked by Golf Digest among the top 100 golf facilities in the U.S., and is one of Pete Dye’s crowning achievements. And to guarantee the field is maintained at a major championship level, the PGA Tour has continuously raised the purse over the years, making The Players the richest golf event in the world by a wide margin (this year the purse stands at $25 million).

Memorable Moments: Be The Right Club Today

Most everybody has seen the clip of Hal Sutton intently staring down an approach shot, saying “Be the right club…be the right club today!” 2000 Players Championship, eighteenth hole, eyeball to eyeball with Tiger Woods at the very top of his game.

**Hal Sutton: 1983 and 2000 Players Champion**

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PGA Tour 2023: Power Ratings (Through the Mexico Open)

The PGA Tour “wrap around” season includes fifty events played over forty-six weeks, and with the conclusion of the Mexico Open, thirty of those events have been completed—so it’s a perfect time to review performance and consider the possibilities as the season moves toward the remaining three majors and into the FedEx Cup.

The GolfDay Power Rating is based on PGA Tour wins, Top 10 and Cut percentage, and performance at the major championships. The majors carry the most weight, followed by regular tour wins, and then Top 10 and Cut percentage.

**Scottie Scheffler: 2023 Players Champion**

Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler have been in a back-and-forth battle for the top spot in the Power Ratings (and the World Golf Rankings) since the season began, but Rahm’s win at The Masters opened up some distance between them.

Rahm has recorded 4 Tour wins thus far in ’23, including a major championship, while Scheffler has recorded 2 Tour wins including The Players Championship.

**Xander Schauffele: Ranked No. 3 in 2023**

Xander Schauffele comes in at No. 3. Although he is yet to record a win in ‘23, Xander has made the cut in all twelve of the events he’s played and recorded 7 Top-10’s (including a T10 at the Masters).

Rankings (Top 10 through May 1—minimum 10 events played)

Jon Rahm	228.4
Scottie Scheffler	200.0
Xander Schauffele	160.0
Max Homa	155.1
Tony Finau	142.8
Patrick Cantley	140.2
Victor Hoveland	140.0
Sahith Theegala	134.7
Jordan Spieth	131.6
Cameron Young	122.8

**Max Homa and Tony Finau: 2 wins each in 2023**

With his sixth career win at the Mexico Open last weekend, Tony Finau joined Rahm, Scheffler and Max Homa as the only multiple winners on tour in 2023—and moved Tony into the top 5 on the Power Ratings.

The Numbers

Wins		Top 10 %		Cut %
Jon Rahm	4	Jon Rahm	67.7	Scottie Scheffler	100
Scottie Scheffler	2	Scottie Scheffler	67.7	Xander Schauffele	100
Max Homa	2	Xander Schauffele	58.3	Victor Hoveland	100
Tony Finau	2	Patrick Cantley	54.6	Cameron Young	100
20 Players	1	Max Homa	46.2	Sahith Theegala	94.1
		Jason Day	42.9	Sungjae Im	93.8
		Victor Hoveland	41.7	Tony Finau	92.3
		Jordan Spieth	41.7	Rickie Fowler	92.3
		Sahith Theegala	41.2	Jon Rahm	91.7
		Sungjae Im	37.5	Patrick Cantley	90.9

The Power Rating Top 10 also includes three talented 25-year-olds who will no doubt make some noise at the remaining 2023 Majors:

**Victor Hovland, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Young: Young Gun**s

Victor Hovland has made the cut in all 12 of the events he’s entered with 5 Top 10’s (including a T7 at The Masters). Hoveland is currently No. 12 in the Word Golf Rankings

Sahith Theegala, in his second year on Tour, has made the cut in 16 of his 17 events with 7 Top-10’s (including a 9^th place finish at The Masters). Theegala, who resides in Houston, TX, has climbed to No. 24 in the World Golf Rankings.

Cameron Young, also in his second year on Tour, has made the cut in all 11 events he’s played with 3 Top 10’s (including a T7 at The Masters). Young, who also had a runner-up at The Open Championship in 2022, is No. 16 in the World Golf Rankings.

**Quail Hollow Country Club: Charlotte, NC**

The Wells Fargo Championship

While neither Rahm nor Scheffler is in the field at Quail Hollow this week, the other 8 players in the Power Rating Top 10 will be teeing it up–along with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas.

Quail Hollow, home to the Wells Fargo Championship, hosted the PGA Championship in 2017 and the Presidents Cup in 2022. And since the Wells Fargo has also been elevated to a “Designated Event” with a $20 million dollar purse, the field is among the deepest all year.

A win at Quail Hollow would move Xander Schaufflele or Max Homa very close to Scheffler, and within striking distance of Rahm going into the PGA at Oak Hill, so you can bet they will be geared up and ready to go.

**Justin Thomas: 2017 PGA Champ at Quail Hollow**

Justin Thomas has been under the radar thus far in 2023. Although he’s made 9 cuts in 10 events, Justin has yet to record a win with only 2 Top-10’s—but he won the PGA at Quail Hollow back in 2017, so perhaps he’ll capture some good vibes and get his season rolling.

Rory

After his poor showing at The Masters, Rory backed out of the RBC Heritage and has played only 7 PGA Tour events all year, missing the cut in two of them. While he’s recorded 3 Top-10’s including a win this year, McIlroy will need to light the afterburner if he wants to catch Rahm and Scheffler.

Quail Hollow may turn out to be exactly what the doctor ordered though. Since 2012, Rory has played the Wells Fargo nine times and finished in the Top-10 in eight of them, including two wins, a runner-up and 2 Top-5’s.

If Rory gets it going this week and records his second win of the year, it will set the stage for a heck of showdown at the PGA Championship.

**2023 PGA Championship: Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, NY**

Looking Ahead

This week the Tour heads north for the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, NC (May 4-7), and then to Texas for the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney.

The second major of the season is next with the PGA Championship at famed Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY (May 18-21) and then moves back to Texas for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Wot Worth (May 25-28).

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PGA Tour 2023: Who’s the Boss

Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm have been battling it out for the top spot on the PGA Tour Power Rankings and the World Golf Rankings since the season began. With his win at The Masters, Jon placed some distance between he and Scottie for the #1 position–but that could be reversed in a heartbeat depending on what happens at Hilton Head this weekend.

Rahm is leading on the strength of 4 Tour wins including a major at Augusta last week, while Scheffler has recorded 2 wins including The Players and a T10 at The Masters. Scottie however, has the advantage in cut percentage and top ten percentage, so if he were to win this weekend at the RBC Heritage, and Rahm were to miss the cut, Scottie would move back to the top spot on the 2023 Power Rankings.

**Rahm and Scheffler: Season Long Duel**

On the other hand, if Rahm were to win this week and have 5 wins by April, he would not only open up a substantial lead on Scheffler, he’d be putting together a mega-season not seen since Tiger was prowling at the height of his powers.

One thing is for sure, watching Rahm and Scheffler each week is starting to feel like Arnie and Jack back in the early 60’s—and it just can’t get any better than that.

RBC Heritage Update

Now that the RBC Heritage has been given the mantel of “Designated Event” by the PGA Tour, with a total purse of $20 million (even higher than The Masters), the field is among the strongest of the year. Nine of the top ten in the 2023 PGA Tour Power Rankings will be competing (and six of the top ten in the World Golf Rankings).

After opening with a 3 under round of 68 on Thursday, Scottie Scheffler charged to within a few shots of the lead at -9 with a 65 on Friday. Jon Rahm, coming down from the high of last week’s dramatic win at Augusta, posted a listless +1 round of 72 on Thursday, needing a solid round on Friday just to make the cut.

Rahm delivered a sizzling 64, rocketing up the leaderboard to finish at -6 and keep Scottie (along with the other leaders) clearly in his sights.

And with Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantley, Xander Schauffele and Victor Hoveland all among the top ten heading into Saturday, this weekend promises to be one heck of a show.

**2023 PGA Championship: Oak Hill, Rochester NY (May 18-21)**

Looking Ahead

Following the RBC Heritage the Tour heads to TPC Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (April 20-23) and then to Vidanta Vallarta for the Mexico Open (April 27-30).

In May the Tour heads north for the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, NC (May 4-7), and then to Texas for the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney.

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Tour ’23: Scottie Wins in Scottsdale and Tiger Returns at Riviera

**Scheffler moves to #1 and Tiger Returns at Riviera**

Scottie Scheffler defended his title last week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, defeating Canadian Nick Taylor by two strokes in the PGA Tour’s first full field event of the season. With this latest victory, Scheffler has moved back into the number one spot on the official World Golf Rankings, and number five in the FedEx Cup standings.

The even bigger news is that Tiger will make his first start of the year at Riviera this week in a star-studded field—and all eyes will be glued to CBS Sports and Golf Channel this weekend to see how close he is to the Tiger of old (and if he’s ready to continue the pursuit of Jack’s major championship record).

WM Phoenix Open

Eighteen of the Top twenty players in the World Golf Rankings were in the field last week at TPC Scottsdale, and seven finished in the top 10. In addition to Scottie Scheffler jumping to #1 in the world with his win, Jon Rahm continued his dominant play in ‘22-23 with a 3^rd place finish (Rahm has finished in the top 10 in all five of the events he’s played this season, including two wins).

Justin Thomas (No. 7) and Jordan Spieth (No. 16) each recorded their first top 10 of the year, and look like they are gearing up to make a challenge at Augusta (which is not too far away).

Xander Schauffele (No. 6) continued his strong play thus far in the young season with a T10 (Xander has made the cut in all 5 of the events he’s played including 3 top 10’s), and Sungjae Im (No. 18) recorded his 3^rd top 10 of the season with a T6.

Rory McIlroy (No. 2) made his first PGA Tour start of the calendar year after a win at the CJ Cup back in October, finishing well back at 4 under par (T32). His win on the DP World Tour at Dubai in January gave him 2 wins in his previous 2 starts, so Rory’s head-to-head match-up with Scottie and the red-hot Jon Rahm was highly anticipated, but some loose driving and an ice-cold putter resulted in a failure to launch—perhaps Tiger’s presence this week in LA will ignite him

Jason Day (5^th), Rickie Fowler (T10) and Keagan Bradley (T20) also continued their 2023 resurgence, while a bit of comic relief jumped up on Sunday when a streaker ran onto the 16th green wearing only his underwear and grabbed the flag stick before flopping into the nearby pond (and was quickly escorted away by Security).

**The Riviera Country Club: Tiger’s back**

Tiger at Riviera

Tiger’s return at Riviera this week will be his first start on the PGA Tour since The Open Championship last summer, where it was apparent that his come-back needed more time as he missed the cut. The general consensus had been that Tiger would only play the major championships this year, starting with the Masters.

The Genesis, however is Tiger’s tournament and his foundation (TGR) has been hosting the event since 2020. Riviera is also a special place for Tiger because its where he made his PGA Tour debut back in 1992 at the age of 16.

Expectations were sky high for the young phenom as an enormous gallery gathered to follow him that day at Riviera, and Tiger got a glimpse of the future when he was swarmed by media after completing a first round 72.

In his pre-tournament press conference, Tiger said he was ready to compete, and would not tee it up if he didn’t think he had a chance to win—although his record “wasn’t very good at Riviera.”

Of course, “not very good” is based on Tiger’s standard for himself. Scheduling conflicts and injury limited him to only twelve starts at Rivieras since he first came out on the Tour in 1996, and although he never notched a win, he finished among the top twenty in ten of those twelve, including four top 10’s (and twice runner-up), while missing the cut only once.

Every other player on tour would be thrilled with that kind of record at a tour event, but Tiger is in a category of his own—and the reason the world will be watching when he tees it up on Thursday.

The Genesis Invitational

The Genesis Invitational, historically known as the LA Open, has been played at iconic Riviera Country fifty-nine times since the event was first played in 1926, and forty-eight of fifty since 1973.

All of the greats in golf history have teed it up at Riviera, including Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Sam Sneed, Arnie and Byron Nelson.

For year’s Riviera was called “Hogan’s Alley” because he won there three times (’42, ’47 and ’48), and the club has been home to many of the biggest stars in Hollywood (including Humphrey Bogart, who was seen taking in the play from beneath a Sycamore on the 12^th hole so often that it became known as “Bogeys Tree”).

In addition to Tiger, this year’s field includes nineteen of the top twenty players in the World, and the leaderboard will be jammed with the biggest names in golf as the tournament heads through the weekend to what will no doubt be high drama on Sunday—so make sure you tune in and get ready to hold onto your hats.

Looking Ahead

The last tournament of February is the famed Honda Classic at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach, Florida (February 23-26). This event will officially kick off the ‘Florida Swing’, where players will be competing in four events in the state of Florida. These include the Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 2-5), The Players Championship (March 9-12), and the Valspar Championship (March 16-19).

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PGA Tour 2023: The West Coast Swing

**Rham and Scheffler Battle at TPC Scottsdale**

While the 2023 wrap-around PGA Tour season technically began back in September, the year really begins to roll with the “West Coast Swing.” The first leg was the American Express at La Quinta, featuring a stiff test on the Stadium Course designed by Pete Dye, and then moved over to The Farmers at Torrey Pines, where Tiger famously won the US Open Championship in 2008 playing on a broken leg.

The third stop on the Swing was the AT&T Pro-Am, home to perhaps the greatest course in the world–Pebble Beach Golf Links. This week is the WM Phoenix Open, played at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.

The history of the WM Phoenix Open goes all the way back to 1932, and was originally called the “Arizona Open,” held at Phoenix Country Club. In 1987 the tournament moved to the Championship Course at TPC Scottsdale, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish.

Next week the West Coast Swing moves back to California and the Genesis Invitational at iconic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, where Tiger just announced that he will be making his 2023 season debut (and also where he made his first appearance on the PGA Tour).

**PGA West: Rham wins American Express**

The Recap

Jon Rahm won the American Express, his second PGA Tour win of the 2022-2023 season, where he outlasted young Davis Thompson with a one stroke margin at 27 under par. The Farmers Insurance Open saw Max Homa winning his 6^th PGA Tour event, where he took down a charging Keegan Bradley, who recorded his 3^rd top 10 of the 2023 season to build on his resurgence in 2022 when he recorded 6 top 10’s.

Another big name, Justin Rose, suddenly emerged from the doldrums with an impressive win last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, ending a four-year victory drought by beating Brendan Todd and Brandon Wu by three strokes.

The West Coast swing has delivered plenty of excitement thus far, and this weekend promises even more as Rory McIlroy joins the field at TPC Scottsdale.

WM Phoenix Open

TPC Scottsdale is home to one of the most popular tour events of the season, where a half million or more golf fanatics assemble each year to watch their favorites and let it all hang out.

The centerpiece of the tournament is the par 3 16^th hole, otherwise known as “The Coliseum,” where raucous spectators turn it up to max volume, testing the focus of even the most seasoned tour pro.

Past winners include many of the biggest names in golf, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Rickie Fowler.

**16th at TPC Scottsdale: The coliseum**

Tiger left his tracks at TPC Scottsdale in 1997 with a hole-in-one at The Coliseum, and the intensity of the thunderous ovation registered on the Richter scale all the way over at Caltech in Pasadena.

This week’s field includes most of the top players in the world, headlined by Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, and two-time past winner Hideki Matsuyama.

As we head into Sunday, Scottie Scheffler is in the lead as he ramps it up to capture back-to-back Player of the Year honors–while trying to hold off the red-hot Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Nick Taylor. Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are also among the leaders as they look to continue 2023 comeback seasons.

With Scheffler, Rahm, Rory, and a field stacked with the top players on tour jockeying for position, the weekend will be loaded with thrills–and it’s a pretty good bet that the final round on Sunday will be one you won’t want to miss.

Looking Ahead

**The Players: Jewel of the Florida Swing**

All eyes will be on Tiger when he tees it up at the Genesis Invitational next week at Riviera Country Club in LA. What already promised to be a great week of golf just jumped to a new level of excitement before the Tour heads east for the Florida Swing.

**Genesis Invitational 2023: Tiger’s back**

The Honda Classic at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach will be first up (February 23-26), where the world’s best will have to negotiate the infamous “Bear Trap,” followed by the Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 2-5) at Bay Hill.

The Players (March 9-12) highlights the Florida swing, followed by the Valspar Championship (March 16-19).

There’s a great stretch of golf on the horizon, and before you know it The Masters will be here, the best golf week of the year—can’t help smiling about that.

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Scottie and Rory: PGA Tour’s Best in 2022

**Scottie and Rory: Going Head-to-Head**

Scottie Scheffler took home the Jack Nicklaus award as PGA Tour Player of the Year for 2022, and it was certainly well deserved after such a fantastic season—but it was definately not a “slam dunk” as some are saying. When you take a close look at the season Rory McIlroy put together, you pretty much need a razor blade to separate them.

The Majors

Scheffler’s win at The Masters was a brilliant performance, but keep in mind that Rory finished runner-up at Augusta with a magnificent final round 64 (a shot off the lowest rounds ever recorded at The Masters—63 by Nick Price in ’86 and again by Greg Norman in ’96).

Scottie also had a superb run at the 2022 U.S. Open, finishing a shot behind Matthew Fitzpatrick for runner-up. But remember that Rory was also among the leaders at The Country Club on Sunday afternoon, finishing with a T5.

**Scottie Scheffler: 2022 Masters Champion**

And while Scottie missed the cut at the PGA Championship, and was outside the top 20 at The Open Championship, Rory recorded a Top 10 at the PGA (8^th) and finished 3^rd at The Open.

In 16 rounds at the major championships in 2022, Rory recorded 9 rounds under 70 with a scoring average of 69.2, while Scottie recorded 7 rounds under 70 with a scoring average of 69.7.

Although Rory was unable to record a major win in 2022, finishing in the top 10 at all four majors is a rarely accomplished feat. Tiger did it in 2000 when he recorded a T5 at The Masters and then won the other 3 major championships. Jack did it 3 times (1971, 1973, 1974), Brooks Koepka did it in his fantastic 2019 season (win at the PGA, 2^nd at the U.S. Open, T2 at The Masters and a T4 at The Open Championship) and Rickie Fowler recorded Top-5 finishes at all four majors in 2014 (including runner-up at the U.S. Open and The Open Championship).

Scottie gets the edge with a major win and a runner-up, but Rory had one of the most outstanding major championship seasons on record—so it’s pretty darn close.

The Tour Season

In addition to his Masters win, Scheffler recorded 3 regular tour wins (including the WGC Match Play Championship). McIlroy also recorded 3 regular season wins, including the Tour Championship. Rory made the cut in 14 of the 16 events he played in 2022 (88%) and recorded 10 Top 10 finishes (63%), while Scottie made the cut in 21 of 25 events (84%) with 11 Top-10’s (44%).

**Scheffler: 3 Tours wins and Major Championship**

From a performance standpoint, Rory led the Tour in scoring average at 68.7 and he was 2^nd in driving distance at 321.3. Scottie was fourth in scoring average at 69.3 and 19^th in driving distance at 311.6—but Scheffler was #1 in greens in regulation (72.3%) while Rory was #12 at 69.9 %.

Scheffler also recorded 3 regular season runner-up finishes—a T2 at the Houston Open, 2^nd at the Charles Schwab Challenge and a T2 at the Tour Championship).

Both Scottie and Rory had phenomenal regular seasons on Tour, and from the numbers it looks pretty much like a flat-footed tie.

The FedEx Cup

Scottie Scheffler was No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings going into the Tour Championship, so under the new format he began the tournament at -10, six shots ahead of Rory who was No. 7 and began at -4.

Scheffler and McIlroy played flawless golf through the first 3 rounds, and both were -13 going into Sunday’s final round—but Scottie still held a six-shot advantage due to the FedEx standings adjustment (Scheffler was -23 and Rory was at -17).

Although Rory wasn’t able to put four fantastic rounds together at any of the 2022 major championships, he put the hammer down at the Tour Championship and fired a closing 66 to finish at -17 (21 under total with the adjustment). When Scheffler faltered with a final round 73 (20 under total), McIlroy had erased the massive deficit to take the championship—and also the FedEx Cup for a record third time.

**McIlroy: Wins Tour Championship and FedEx Cup**

The Wrap Up

Scottie Scheffler had a great year in 2022, and he will be a force to reckon with on the PGA Tour for many years to come. His win at The Masters, strong showing at the U.S. Open, and consistent performance throughout the year make it hard to argue with his choice as Player of the Year.

With his impressive comeback victory at the Tour Championship and third FedEx Cup, however, McIlroy closed the gap with Scottie to a photo finish—and most certainly not a Scheffler “slam dunk” as some are saying.

Rory played only 16 events on the PGA Tour in 2022 (he also played 2 on the DP World Tour, finishing 3^rd at the Dubai Desert Classic and runner-up at the BMW PGA Championship), while Scottie played 25 Tour events, and that also moves the needle a bit more toward Scheffler—but we think Rory edged him by a nose with his third FedEx Cup.

One thing is for sure, the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season (and major championships) are going to be pretty exciting with Scottie and Rory going head-to-head.

When you put Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantley, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth and Tony Finau into the mix, and then top it off with young stars like Sungjae Im, Cameron Young, Will Zalatoris and Victor Hoveland—2023 is shaping up to be one heck of a year on the PGA Tour.

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