pga tour average from 10 feet

What Percentage Of 10ft Putts Do PGA Tour Pros Make? Clue: It's Not As Many As You Think

Many amateur golfers would fancy their chances over a putt from 10ft, but how many do the pros make on the PGA Tour? We dig into the data to find out...

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For anyone who watches the PGA Tour , it may look slightly perplexing how many putts are missed from the 10ft range. Clearly, we aren't able to see the complex nuances of the greens or feel the pressure these players are under, but it does make you wonder... what percentage of 10ft putts do PGA Tour pros make? We analysed the data and were surprised with the findings.

What percentage of 10ft putts do PGA Tour pros make?

Fortunately, the PGA Tour website has a dedicated stats section dedicated to this very metric. Throughout the 2022/2023 season, the average was around 41% - with 91 players falling short of that mark.

One of the more notable names on the list is current World No.1 Scottie Scheffler , who ranked 190th out of 193 players for putting from 10ft. Interestingly, Scheffler made just 25% of his putts, outranking only the performance of Michael Gligic, Doc Redman and Sung Kang that season.

To further amplify the enormity of that stat, the latest Arcoss data revealed that the average tour pro makes 22% of putts from 10-14ft and a 20-handicapper makes 18% from the same distance. While it is difficult to compare the standard and difficulty of the greens, and the magnitude of the measured events, this stat further highlights how challenging this area of the game is for players of all abilities.

Still, with players like Collin Morikawa (31.43%) and Sam Burns (33.3%) making a third or less of all putts from 10ft last season, it clearly isn't just the former Masters champion who struggled from this range. In total, 101 players made the cut to post above average putting numbers from this distance, with only 29 achieving better than 50%.

At the other end of the stats table, 2023 US Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson led the way after making a staggering 69% of his putts. The top of the list is a who's-who of putting brilliance, with the likes of Denny McCarthy, Rickie Fowler , Webb Simpson and Patrick Cantlay securing their place in the top-5 for this measure.

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Barry Plummer is our Staff Writer, joining in January 2024 after seven years as a PE Teacher. He now writes about instruction, working closely with Golf Monthly's Top 50 Coaches to provide hints and tips about all aspects of the game. As someone who came into golf at a later age, Barry is very passionate about supporting the growth of the game and creating opportunities for everyone to access it. A member at Sand Moor Golf Club in Leeds, he looks forward to getting out on the course at least once a week and making up for lost time in the pursuit of a respectable handicap.

Barry is currently playing:

Driver: Ping G425

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Putting Statistics by Handicap: Which Stats to Track?

In this guide I’ll share recent data on putting statistics by handicap so you can see how well golfers like you are putting in different categories. Tracking putting stats is important to improving your short game so you can see where your weaknesses and strengths are and adjust strategy on the golf course.

One of the fun aspects about tracking your putting stats is you can compare them with the putting statistics of professional golfers to see how you fare. Putting is one area where amateur golfers can actually become as good as professionals.

In order for the amateur golfer to better understand how well the best players in the world actually putt, let’s take a look at the putting statistics on the PGA Tour.

Putting Stats

The following key putting statistics will give the amateur golfer perspective about how good or bad the pro’s actually putt in reality. Track these putting stats in your own golf game to see how you compare.

• Putts per round
• Putts from 3 feet
• Putts from 6 feet
• Putting from 10 feet
• Putts made from over 20 feet per event

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Putts Per Round

The PGA Tour keeps record of basically every putting stat that can be tracked via their Shotlink system. You can find a full page of putting stats here.

One of the most common stats that most golfers, even high handicap amateur golfers, know about are putts per round.

This tracks how many total putts a golfer has during a round of golf. If you are giving yourself 2-putts per hole as a goal and you play 18 holes, then that would calculate out to 36 putts per round you’d expect to hit.

The leader on the PGA Tour each year has usually averaged around 28 putts per round, so 8 shots lower than the 36 putt goal.

Looking at this stat will make the average golfer realize that having 30 putts or less per round is a very solid goal to strive towards instead of setting the goal at 36.

Putts per round by handicap:

• Professional golfer = 28-32 putts
• Scratch golfer = 30-34 putts
• Average golfer = 36-40 putts
• High handicap = 45+ putts

Putts from 3 Feet – Make Percentage

Normally during a round with friends most amateurs are very quick to give each other 3 and 4 foot putts, calling them good and letting the putt be picked up, rather than putted out to finish the hole.

If your playing partner is Patrick Cantlay then yes you can go ahead and give those putts to him, but on average social golfers don’t make nearly as many short putts as they should.

Patrick Cantlay made every single 3 footer that he had on the PGA Tour season. That’s over 700 3-footers made in a row to be exact!

You don’t have to make every single 3 footer that you have, but it will definitely improve your golf score if you can at least make 80% of your 3 footers on average.

Before you give yourself that 3 footer, ask yourself, is this going to benefit me by skipping the putt or will it help me get extra practice under pressure by making myself putt out?

3 Foot Putts by Handicap:

• Professional golfer = 99% (10 out of 10)
• Scratch golfer = 95% (9 out of 10)
• Average golfer = 60% (6 out of 10)
• High handicap = 40% (4 out of 10)

Putts from 6 feet – Make Percentage

Patrick Cantlay making a 100% of his 3 footers during a golf season is very impressive, but the human aspect in putting begins to show from the 6 foot mark.

Brian Harman was the leader in this recent PGA season with a 6 foot make percentage rate of 91%, which is still an incredible feat to achieve.

6 foot putts are your money range. They’re going to help you save pars and set you apart from the average golfer. Spend a lot of your putting practice time on this distance.

If professionals are averaging 80-90% from 6 feet, then set a goal for your game to achieve a 75% or better make rate at 6 feet. This will take 1000’s of reps to build skill but it’s a great goal to aim for and impress your opponents on the golf course.

6 Foot Putts by Handicap:

• Professional golfer = 85% (8 out of 10)
• Scratch golfer = 75% (7 out of 10)
• Average golfer = 20% (2 out of 10)
• High handicap = 10% (1 out of 10)

Putts from 10 Feet – Make Percentage

At the 10 foot mark, the percentage of putts made decreases considerably.

Zach Johnson held the top spot this recent season with a 70% make rate at 10 feet on the PGA Tour, and the last place player was at just 23%

Amateur golfers can learn a lot by looking at this statistic, having perspective about what realistic expectations are to have of yourself is a great start.

If a PGA Player only makes 3 out of 10 of his 10 foot putts for a 30% make rate then you definitely can’t get mad at yourself for missing them out on the course.

The average make percentage at 10 feet for the PGA Tour fell around 40%. Anyone above 50% was top 20 in the league.

10 Foot Putts by Handicap:

• Professional golfer = 40% (4 out of 10)
• Scratch golfer = 20% (2 out of 10)
• Average golfer = 0-5% (0 out of 10)
• High handicap = 0-1% (0 out of 10)

Green in Regulation Made Putts from 10-15 Feet

This putting stat tracks your birdie make percentage. When a professional golfer hits the green in regulation, what are the chances he makes the putt.

In this stat we chose to highlight the 10-15 foot birdie putt, and the leader on the PGA Tour was Adam Scott at 42% conversion.

Therefore, if he can hit his approach shots inside of 15 feet, Scott has a good chance of making 1 out of every 2 putts for birdie.

Putts made from over 20 feet per round

We all remember that long putt we made to save par or better yet that 30 foot birdie putt to win the money game against your friends.

No surprise that Jordan Spieth is right up there at the top of the leaderboard in this statistic.

Patrick Cantlay is technically the leader in this category with 2.3 putts made over 20 foot per round.

Spieth ranked 2nd in this category with 2.2 putts made over 20 foot per round.

Justin Rose is also high on the leaderboard for make percentage from 20 feet or beyond. He sank 10% of his 20 foot putts overall, and when he was on the green in regulation that stat jumps to 28%.

How to Track Your Putting Statistics

Start by giving yourself a couple blank lines on the scorecard for writing in putting stats. Then transfer these stats over to a spreadsheet or an app like 18Birdies so you can keep data digitally on your smart phone.

During practice I like to pull up notes on my phone and log putting stats for different drills I complete.

For example, if I do the make 100 putts from 3 feet drill, I’ll write down “99/100 – 3 feet” and then “70/100 – 6 feet” so I can compare my stats later on in future practices.

Golf Round Stats to Track on Scorecard

• Putts made at various distances
• Total putts per round
• Total 3 putts
• Birdie putt conversion rate

To some these putting stats might sound confusing, but if you take the time to read through it and process what they are portraying then they might actually give you perspective to use with your own putting skill level.

It is important to have realistic goals and expectations of your golf game, as having unrealistic expectations will only add pressure and anxiety to your mental game, causing worse performance.

These statistics can also add value to your practice regime. Knowing how many putts the best players in the world make from a certain distance can provide you with a good goal to work towards.

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What Percentage of Putts Do Pros Make? TV Does Not Tell the Story

Written by Graeme Hay | Last Updated: 12/03/2024

Watch the TV coverage of the PGA Tour for any length of time and you would be forgiven for thinking that the top pros hardly ever miss a putt.

Player after player seems to be rolling the ball in from any distance you care to think of and certainly rarely if ever appears to miss the short putts which cause us regular amateurs countless sleepless nights.

But what is the reality when it comes to the percentages of putts that the pros make?

On average PGA Tour pros make 99% of 2-foot putts, 96% of 3-foot putts, 88% of 4-foot putts and 77% of 5-foot putts according to strokes gained pioneer, Mark Broadie. From 10 feet their one putt percentage is 40%, 23% from 15 feet, 15% from 20 feet, 7% from 30 feet, 4% from 40 feet, 3% from 50 feet and 2% from 60 feet.

But hang on a second I hear some of you say, and especially those of you who sometimes keep an eye on the putting statistics on the PGA Tour website.

PGA Tour stats show pros make almost 100% of putts from inside 3 feet.

Well that stat is also true but that’s the per cent of putts they make when the ball is 3 feet or less from the hole. So it includes all the tap ins from right next to the hole in addition to those which are exactly 3 feet away.

To get a better view of how good the pros are at putting from various distances it is a much better idea to see how they get on from specific distances and if you look closely you will find that although they are indeed great putters amateurs by comparison are not that bad at putting themselves.

Putting from inside 10 feet is very different than putting from 10 feet. The PGA Tour average is 88% inside 10 feet, and just 40% from 10 feet. In 1 of 10 rounds tour pros hole 100 percent of their putts from inside 10 feet. https://t.co/qUgY9oOt1a — Mark Broadie (@MarkBroadie) May 1, 2018

Pros Do Not Make As Many Putts As You May Think

The best golf pros in the world playing on the PGA Tour are great putters. There is no question about it.

But if you watch too much golf on TV you may think that they almost never miss a short putt and are regularly rolling in long putts from all over the green.

And as a result you could find yourself expecting to hole most of the 15-foot putts you face on your regular rounds and for certain all of your putts from 10 feet and under because that is what the pros seem to be doing every week.

A closer analysis of the stats of the percentage of putts the pros make from 2 feet all the way to 90 feet, shown in the table below, however will show that they do not hole quite as many as you may think they do.

This data, taken from the official PGA Tour stats and the book ‘Every Shot Counts’ (Amazon link) – written by the pioneer of the ‘strokes gained’ metrics first adopted by the PGA Tour in 2011, Columbia Business School Professor Mark Broadie – highlights clearly the pros do not one putt as often as TV coverage may suggest.

And if you look at a standard 72-hole PGA Tour tournament as a whole you will find that on average pros make only 4.4 putts from over 10 feet and 1.2 putts from over 20 feet per event .

So despite what impression the TV highlights give you that means the best players in the world are only in reality making 1 putt from over 10 feet a round and only 1 putt from 20 feet across the 72 holes of a complete tournament.

So the next time you start giving yourself a hard time for missing that third or fourth 10 to 15 foot putt just remember that the pros would likely have missed them too more often than not.

My buddy: ▶️"Man I had a bunch of 15 footers today that I should have made." Me: ▶️"PGA Tour pros average one made putt per round from 13'3" or longer." #ManageYourExpectations — Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner) December 18, 2021

[Editor’s note – If you are interested in what putting stats and others are really important to help you improve we would highly recommend the book ‘Every Shot Counts‘ (Amazon link) by Professor Mark Broadie.  Check out the review of it here .]

Pros Are Great Putters but Amateurs are Good Too

While all the data shows that the pros do not make as many putts as you may think they are clearly fantastic putters and the best putters in the world.

However traditional golf stats have often proved misleading in explaining why the pros are so much better than regular amateur players.

The old adage of “you drive for show but putt for dough” has been drummed into generations of amateur golfers and allowed the impression to build that it is the short game – chipping and putting – which explains the difference in capability between players.

The reality however – exposed by Professor Broadie and others – is that it is the long game that is more important and that simple fact is almost explained by itself when you look at how many putts the pros average compared to amateurs.

On average PGA Tour pros take 28.92 putts per round according to the official Shotlink data. By comparison typical 90 scoring golfers average 33.4 putts per round but this overstates the skill difference according to strokes gained pioneer, Mark Broadie, because amateur putts typically start further from the hole than pros.

And when you think also that pros are playing on the best putting surfaces in the world it again serves to highlight that putting is not the key thing that explains the mountainous gap in ability between pros and amateur golfers.

After all looking at the average putting stats per round shows it only explains less than 5 strokes of difference between a pros average score and an average 90 scoring golfer and I can’t imagine many regular amateurs accepting close to only 5 strokes for a matchplay game against a PGA Tour pro!

“A 90-golfer will beat a pro in almost 10% of rounds. An 80-golfer’s SGP (Strokes Gained Putting) will beat a pro’s almost 20% of the time. And a scratch golfer will putt better than a pro more than 30% of the time. Amateur golfers aren’t bad putters!” Mark Broadie, Columbia Business School professor and pioneer of the ‘strokes gained’ metrics adopted by the PGA Tour

In his fantastic book, Every Shot Counts, Professor Broadie again details the comparative percentages of how many putts the average 90 golfer makes to let us clearly see amateurs are actually not that bad when it comes to putting even when compared to the pros.

Focus on the Number of 3 Putts Pros Make

When it comes to explaining the difference between the putting of the best putters in the world on the PGA Tour and that of us regular golfers it is best not to focus on the number of putts the pros make but rather on the number of putting mistakes they do not make.

And when we are talking about putting mistakes we are focusing exclusively on the dreaded 3-putt!

Whether you are a professional golfer or a weekend hacker 3-putts are scorecard killers and it is when we come to counting how often pros 3 putt compared to amateurs that we see where the real difference lies.

PGA Tour pros 3-putt only 0.51 times per round according to PGA Tour Shotlink stats. From 5 feet their 3-putt percentage is 0.4%, 0.7% from 10 feet, 1.3% from 15 feet and 2.2% from 20 feet. On longer putts of 30 feet that rises to 5%, 10% from 40 feet, 17% from 50 feet, 23% from 60 feet and 41% from 90 feet.

And the key difference when it comes to comparing the putting of the pros to the average 90 scoring golfer is almost lost when you look at the basic data.

For example if you take a quick look at the average number of putts per hole comparison between a PGA Tour player and an average 90-scoring golfer in the graph below there does not appear to be a lot in it from all distances.

That is true but the crucial thing to look at is when those lines start going over the vital regulation ‘2 putts per hole’ mark on average.

For the 90-scoring amateur the dreaded 3-putts start to happen more often to drive that average up over the regulation at just over 16 feet from the hole while for the PGA Tour pros the average 2-putt range is 35 feet.

Given the PGA Tour pros don’t start ending up further than 35 feet from the hole on average until their approach shots are measuring over 200 yards that just shows how often they will manage to avoid adding those highly damaging 3-putts to their scorecards.

So rather than focusing on the question of how many putts the pros make it is probably better for all recreational golfers to focus on the stat of how often pros 3-putt as it by trying to match them in the latter statistic that will most quickly make a difference in your scores.

Because even for the pros 3-putt avoidance is key compared to one putt success.

Three-wiggles are bad for business. pic.twitter.com/Mjxt9Z2ef6 — Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner) November 30, 2021

Final Thought

If you are looking to improve your golf, and looking at the stats of the pros for some guidance, it is absolutely vital that you are clear where pros’ gains are coming from and which parts of your game may benefit from you looking more closely at them.

And when it comes to putting if you only do one thing simply stop counting the number of putts you take per round and start counting the number of times you 3-putt instead.

For the average golfer reducing the number of times they three-putt is the quickest way to take strokes off their score and the best way to do that is to reduce the length of your second putt from those all important mid-range distances of 11 to 30 feet.

Speed control is one of the two fundamentals of putting and it is key to helping you to get the ball closer to the hole with that first putt and avoid those damaging 3 putts.

[Editor’s note – If you are interested in finding out the other best golf stats to measure to help you improve your game check our article the 10 best stats to keep track of here .]

[Note – Just so you know, and we are upfront as an affiliate program participant, Golfing Focus, at no cost to you, earns from qualifying purchases made through links on this page.]

Other top articles related to this post:

• What Putters do the Pros Use? Top 100 PGA Tour Player Guide
• How Often Do Pros Hit Driver? Not As Much As You Think!
• Is a Putter Fitting Worth it? It Removes a Variable or Three
• Good Putting Numbers – It’s About 3 Putts Not Putts per Round
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Golf Science – Putting Numbers that Might Surprise You

The one golf shot everyone can make, and make successfully, is, of course, the putt. As the putter never rises very far from the ground, all a golfer needs to do is make a small movement back and a small movement through, and plonk, the ball is in the hole!

Perhaps that is why golfers, from rank beginners to the best of the professionals, feel and look very, very disappointed when they miss the hole by a thread. One case in point is Jordan Spieth, who looks disappointed whenever he misses any putt at all, even a long, sidehill, downhill putt.  

While putts-missed frustration is based on golfers’ expectations, the reality of what they should expect is quite different. What, really, are the odds of making a putt?  

According to research by Mark Broadie, a professor at Columbia University who is responsible for the ‘strokes gained” concept, on average PGA TOUR pros make 99% of 2-foot putts, 96% of 3-foot putts, 88% of 4-foot putts and 77% of 5-foot putts.

  From 10 feet, the pros’ one-putt percentage is 40%, 23% from 15 feet, 15% from 20 feet, 7% from 30 feet, 4% from 40 feet, 3% from 50 feet and 2% from 60 feet. Also, according to Broadie, putting from inside 10 feet is very different than putting from 10 feet. The PGA TOUR average is 88% inside 10 feet, and just 40% from 10 feet. Only in one of 10 rounds do tour pros hole 100 percent of their putts from inside 10 feet.

And most recently, in 2021/22, Tour pros made an average 99% of putts that were 3ft or less. The number dropped slightly for 4ft putts, to 92%, while 81% of 5ft putts were successful, and 70% of 6ft putts were holed. That falls to around 61% of 7ft putts, 54% of 8ft putts and 45% from 9 feet.

So what should an average golfer do to improve their odds of holing more putts? The main difference comes from more practice. Good practice, naturally. Golfers should not just practice short putts but long putts, too – those that are often referred to as “lag” putts. In general, to improve putting, it is easier and makes more sense to reduce the number of three putts than to increase the number of single putts.  

The three aspects to good putting are – a good and repeating stroke, good distance control and good direction judgment or green-reading skills.  

Information abounds about how to read greens, from plumb-bobbing (which Dave Pelz of Putting Bible says does not work) to using AimPoint concepts to understand slope on a putt.  

With respect to the stroke itself, the main requirements are for putter-ball contact to be centered, with a square face, no deceleration through impact and a slight rise angle (club face moving upwards by about 2° or so). This is something that a golfer must work to improve, and there are two camps with regard to the best stroke to deliver consistent results – an in-to-out-to-in stroke or a straight back and through one. Ideally, golfers should experiment with a couple of styles (as recommended by famous putting gurus like Dave Pelz, Geoff Magnum and Craig Farnsworth).

The concept of speed or distance control is perhaps the most important and yet one that can only be learned from practice, which would improve hand-eye coordination. There are many phrases that tell golfers to never leave a putt short, such as “never over never in,” but how to know how hard and how fast to hit a putt?

Literally, the only thing that can improve this most important aspect of putting is putting in the reps. And making sure the stroke is a repeating one.

One very comforting point that Dave Pelz makes is that great putters are made, not born. Of the 15 aspects or building blocks that he believes matter for the execution of good putts, he says that most golfers are usually good at many of them. The 15 aspects (building blocks) that together result in good putting, are aim, path, touch, rhythm, ritual, feel, face angle, stability, attitude, routine, putter fitting, power source, impact pattern, flow lines and green-reading.  

Pelz also says that putting is both an art and a science. So, golfers, the best way to improve your putting – the one part of everyone’s game that can be on par with everyone else’s – is by … putting!

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Opinion & Analysis

Do you actually understand “strokes gained” stats here’s a breakdown.

In 2011, the PGA Tour introduced ShotLink, which is a real-time scoring system that captures data points on all shots taken during PGA Tour events. ShotLink measures the distance from the hole, as well as categorizing shot types like tee, fairway, rough, sand, and green.

Mark Broadie, a professor at Columbia Business School, took the data from ShotLink and helped develop a new way to analyze putting performance. This new statistic was called “strokes gained: putting,” and it measures the number of putts a golfer takes relative to the PGA Tour average from that same distance. Strokes gained putting recognizes that sinking a 20-foot putt represents a better performance than sinking a three-foot putt, even though they both count as a single putt and a single stroke on the scorecard.

This was revolutionary because golfers no longer had to rely on the number of putts per round to understand their putting performance. Strokes gained also provided a unified way to measure an individual golfer against his opponents on the PGA Tour.

In 2016, the same concept used for strokes gained: putting was applied to other areas of the game. The PGA Tour developed new statistics including “strokes gained: off-the-tee,” “strokes gained: approach-the-green,” and “strokes gained: around-the-green.” This expansion allowed a PGA Tour golfer to precisely see where he excels and where he needs to improve.

What is strokes gained

In the most simple terms, “strokes gained” is a way to measure a player’s performance compared to the rest of the field. It also allows you to isolate different parts of a player’s game. In order to understand the statistic, you have to know that the PGA Tour has historical data from ShotLink that has calculated the average number of strokes needed to hole out from every distance and location on a course. Below I have included four scenarios to better illustrate the idea of strokes gained.

The scenarios below show how strokes gained could work on a single hole. Remember most strokes gained statistics are the aggregate of all the holes for a players round.

Scenario No. 1: Driving

You are playing a 450-yard par 4. The PGA Tour scoring average for a par 4 of that length is 4.1 strokes.

You hit a drive that ends up in the fairway, 115 yards from the hole. The PGA Tour scoring average from in the fairway, 115 yards out is 2.825 strokes. In order to calculate strokes gained: off-the-tee you use the formula below

(PGA Tour average for the hole) – (PGA Tour average left after your drive) – 1 = strokes gained: off-the-tee

Next, plug the numbers from the scenario above into this formula to calculate the s trokes gained: off-the-tee

4.100 – 2.825 = 1.275 – 1 = 0.275 s trokes gained: off-the-tee

Since you hit your drive in the fairway 115 yards from the hole you gained .275 strokes off the tee from the average PGA Tour player.

Scenario No. 2: Approach Shot

Let’s take the same drive from the first scenario. You hit a drive on a par 4 that ends up in the fairway, 115 yards from the hole. The PGA Tour scoring average from in the fairway 115 yards out is 2.825. You hit your approach shot on the green 10 feet from the hole. The PGA Tour scoring average from on the green 10 feet from the hole is 1.61 strokes.

(PGA Tour average from your approach) – (PGA Tour average for your putt) – 1 = strokes gained: approach-the-green

2.825 – 1.61 = 1.215 – 1 = . 215 s trokes gained: approach-the-green

Since you hit your approach shot to 10 feet you gained .213 strokes from the average PGA Tour player.

Scenario No. 3: Putting

Continuing the scenario from example scenario No. 2. You have a 10-foot putt left for birdie which you make.

(Your # of Putts) – (PGA Tour average from that distance) = strokes gained putting

1 putt – 1.61 = .61 strokes gained putting

Since you made that 10-foot putt you gained .61 strokes from the average PGA Tour player.

Scenario No. 4: Total for the hole:

To calculate strokes gained total use the formula below:

Strokes gained off-the-tee + Strokes gained approach-the-green + strokes gained around-the-green + strokes gained putting= strokes gained total

0.275+. 215+0+ .61=1.1 Total Strokes Gained on that hole

This makes sense because the PGA Tour average for the hole was 4.1 and you made a 3.

Definitions of Strokes Gained Statistics

• Strokes gained: off-the-tee: Measures player performance off the tee on all par 4s and par 5s. This statistic looks at how much better or worse a player’s drive is then the average PGA Tour player.
• Strokes gained: approach-the-green: Measures player performance on approach shots and other shots that are NOT included in strokes gained: around-the-green and strokes gained: putting. It does include tee shots on par 3s.
• Strokes gained: around-the-green: Measures player performance on any shot within 30 yards of the edge of the green without measuring putting.
• Strokes gained: putting: Measures how many strokes a player gains (or loses) on the greens compared to PGA Tour average.
• Strokes gained: tee-to-green:  Strokes gained: o ff-the-tee + strokes gained: approach-the-green + strokes gained: around-the-green
• Strokes gained: total: Strokes gained: off-the-tee + strokes gained: approach-the-green + strokes gained: around-the-green + strokes gained: putting

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18 Comments

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Sep 4, 2018 at 12:55 pm

All approach shots 10 feet from the hole aren’t created equal.

Justin Dohnson

Sep 4, 2018 at 12:53 pm

The comment section, a quick reminder of people’s inability to comprehend what they read.

Sep 3, 2018 at 8:21 pm

All you need to understand is the lowest score in golf wins….the rest of stats is unnecessary.

Sep 4, 2018 at 12:14 pm

If you understand the concept of Strokes Gained (which based on all the prior comments it seems most do not) it can be very valuable teaching you which areas are costing you strokes in relation to your peers.

Sep 3, 2018 at 9:33 am

I have read similar explanations before this one and none of them register with me. It seems to me that it still all comes down to putting. The driver example given is meaningless if you cannot capitalize on it. Same with approach/around the green. I think Broadie should have stopped with the putting stat and left it at that.

Sep 3, 2018 at 11:38 am

Read Mark book, “Every Shot Counts”. It shows that putting isn’t as important for the good players as you think. Wants really more important is being able to drive it far and straighish and being to hit iron shots close to the hole. Look at player like Dustin Johnson who in the past his putting stroke has held him back (this year he is putting really good for him), yet he still won 4 times on tour last year. Why, well he is one the longest on tour and he hit his irons and wedge really tight, his birdie putts are going to be alot easier to make than say a Kevin Kisner. Kisner is one of the better putters on tour, though he is outside the top 150 in both driving and iron play; perfect examples for why he struggling this year; sure he is making alot putts, though those putts are for par, unlike DJ who putts are for birdie. Look Brandt Snedcker, he too has been struggling with his iron play all year, though still being able to putt. The stat that stood out the most when he cruise to a win 3 weeks ago was his ball striking. Sure you cant Putt awful and still win (Vijay did use to do it and Hideki does it know), but it is becoming very difficult to win on tour when you are not hitting iron shots close to the hole. Look at Jason Day, he had 9 wins between 15-16 despite being one the worst iron players on tour, he though was one the best putters from outside 25 feet. Though eventually you can’t keep making those putts, the pressure is going to weigh you down eventually. That is why he has only won since those two great season.

Sep 4, 2018 at 1:28 pm

Back in the ’80s/early ’90s there was a PGA Tour player named Tim Simpson who was a legendary ball-striker. Comparisons to the all-time greats were happening. But his putting skills were absolutely woeful, to the point where jokes were made about it.

When lowest score wins, it all comes down to putting/short game. The rest is an exercise that may be useful to help PGA Tour players work on their weak spots but that is about all it is good for. Strokes gained is getting undue attention as a useful yardstick.

Sep 3, 2018 at 9:20 am

Your Scenario #3 Putting equation doesn’t work for me. If I took 3 putts to finish from 10 feet strokes gained would = 2.61. What am I missing?

Sep 3, 2018 at 9:15 pm

The number should read -.61. With your scenario the number should be +1.39. So you were +1.39 from that distance. You want a negative number.

Apr 12, 2019 at 2:32 am

No.. this is wrong. It’s strokes GAINED. You don’t want a negative number.

Scenario 3 is incorrect because the author wrote it backwards. It should be 1.61 – 1 for the gain of .61 strokes.

Sep 2, 2018 at 11:01 pm

This is such an unrealistic example for the average golfer, they are never going to play a 450 yard par 4 and hit it 335 yards in the fairway and hit it to 10 feet from 115 yards afterwards, get out of here.

Sep 3, 2018 at 7:37 pm

There aren’t stroked gained stats for average golfers; when is the last time you’ve seen shotlink out on the muni?

Sep 2, 2018 at 8:48 pm

Game Golf will calculate this for you.

Sep 2, 2018 at 5:28 pm

Trey, I believe the Strokes Gained Putting stat must help certain ball strikers more than others due to their approach shot skills. As an example, Rose, Day, Stenson will hit the right part of the green with his precise irons and their respective 20 foot putt is in a better (possibly easier) position than another player’s 20 foot putt. I think equating all 20 foot putts is where this stat is somewhat flawed or susceptible to its problems. It should factor in the speed and break to really determine what the average pro putter would do. I look at many of the past top 20 SGP players and see many players that you would not want putting for the win. I know this is subjective, but Rose, Day, and Stenson are great ball strikers that I feel their respective SGP stat being higher has ball striking influences due to them leaving the ball in the right place vs the less precise ball strikers. If you subjectively look at the list each year, you can see some really good examples of this. Please don’t take my comments overboard, I think the SGP stat is good, just not 100 % effective at evaluating putting skill (imo).

Johnny Penso

Sep 2, 2018 at 7:20 pm

I think what you’re missing is that it’s not meant to be an accurate statistic from shot to shot but in the aggregate. On a particular hole or putt, yes there will be all kinds of differences in lies, stances, ball position, green undulations etc. but over time, with enough data points, that will all even out as the variation is generally random in nature.

Sep 2, 2018 at 12:35 pm

Is there a place to find average strokes for approach and putt distance for scratch golfers? I loaned my copy of the book out…

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Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.

Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.

The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.

Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions. 

Past Winners at Harbour Town

• 2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
• 2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
• 2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
• 2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
• 2019: CT Pan (-12)
• 2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
• 2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
• 2016: Branden Grace (-9)
• 2015: Jim Furyk (-18)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).

Key Stats For Harbour Town

Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

• Scottie Scheffler  (+1.27)
• Tom Hoge  (+1.27)
• Corey Conners  (+1.16)
• Austin Eckroat  (+0.95)
• Cameron Young  (+0.93)

Good Drive %

The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

• Brice Garnett  (88.8%)
• Shane Lowry  (+87.2%)
• Akshay Bhatia  (+86.0%)
• Si Woo Kim  (+85.8%)
• Sepp Straka  (+85.1%)

Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs

Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.

SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:

• Xander Schauffele  (+2.27)
• Scottie Scheffler  (+2.24)
• Ludvig Aberg  (+2.11)
• Brian Harman  (+1.89)
• Sungjae Im  (+1.58)

4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)

Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.

SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds

• Jordan Spieth  (+1.11)
• Taylor Moore  (+1.02)
• Wyndham Clark  (+0.98)
• Mackenzie Hughes  (+0.86)
• Andrew Putnam  (+0.83)

5. Greens in Regulation %

The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.

Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:

• Brice Garnett  (+75.0%)
• Scottie Scheffler  (+69.9%)
• Corey Conners  (+69.0%)
• Shane Lowry  (+68.3%)
• Patrick Rodgers  (+67.6%)

6. Course History

Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up. 

Course History over past 24 rounds:

• Patrick Cantlay  (+2.34)
• Cam Davis  (+2.05)
• J.T. Poston  (+1.69)
• Justin Rose  (+1.68)
• Tommy Fleetwood  (+1.59)

The RBC Heritage Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)

• Shane Lowry
• Russell Henley
• Scottie Scheffler
• Xander Schauffele
• Corey Conners 
• Wyndham Clark
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Cameron Young
• Ludvig Aberg  

2024 RBC Heritage Picks

Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)

With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.

Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).

Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.

Tommy Fleetwood +3000 ( FanDuel )

I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past.  In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.

The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.

Cameron Young +3300 ( FanDuel )

Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.

Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.

Corey Conners +5500 ( FanDuel )

Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.

In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.

Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.

Shane Lowry (+7500) ( FanDuel )

When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.

Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks. 

Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.

Lucas Glover +12000 ( FanDuel )

This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at. 

Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.

Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.

Vincenzi: The 6 biggest takeaways from the 2024 Masters

The 2024 Masters offered up plenty of excitement throughout the week with Scottie Scheffler delivering when it mattered to live up to his pre-tournament favorite tag. With the year’s opening major now in the books, here are my six biggest takeaways from the 2024 Masters.

Scheffler In a League of His Own

In the most impressive way possible, Scottie Scheffler won the Masters without having his absolute best stuff. For the week, Scottie ranked 19th in Strokes Gained: Approach, which is a category the number player in the world typically dusts the rest of the field in. After a strong approach day on Thursday, the 27-year-old lost strokes to the field on approach on Friday and Saturday, before gaining on Sunday. The iron performance was more than solid, but it was an all-around game that helped Scheffler get it done around Augusta National.

For a year or more, the narrative around Scheffler has been, “With his ball striking, if he can just putt to field average, he’ll be unbeatable.” At Augusta, his ball striking came back down to earth, but his touch around the greens and ability to manage the golf course demonstrated why he is the best player on the planet right now. For the week, Scheffler ranked 1st in the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 24th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

For the time being, there is a major gap between Scottie Scheffler and the second-best player in the world, whoever that may be.

The Future is Now

Ludvig Aberg went into his first back-nine at the Masters with a legitimate shot to win the tournament. When he teed it up on the treacherous 11th hole, he was one behind Scottie Scheffler, who had just stuck one to a few feet on the 9th. By the time he approached his tee shot, which was perfectly striped down the left side of the fairway, he was two behind. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old got too aggressive with his approach at the 11th and found the water, making double bogey. Ludvig rebounded nicely and finished the event in solo second place.

With the Masters now in the rearview, it’s never been more evident that Ludvig Aberg is no longer an “up-and-comer” — he has arrived. The Swede has been an integral part of a winning European Ryder Cup team and has now contended at Augusta National. With a calm demeanor, a picture-perfect swing, and a build and stature that appears as if it was built in a lab, Ludvig Aberg is already amongst the world’s best. I’d be extremely surprised if he wasn’t in the mix at next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Nostalgia Wins

I try to avoid as many cliches as possible, but there’s something about the Masters that brings out the sentimentality in me. Tiger Woods strategically making his way around Augusta National without all of the physical tools that made him arguably the most dominant athlete in the history of sports will always be riveting, regardless of what score he shoots. Woods made it interesting until a tough stretch of holes on Saturday, but he ultimately wore down, shooting 16 over for the week in difficult conditions. It’s remarkable that the 15-time major champion was able to put together a few solid rounds of golf despite barely playing any competitive golf in 2024. As long as Woods tees it up at Augusta, we will all continue to be mesmerized by it.

Verne Lundquist’s 40th and final Masters Tournament was also a must-watch aspect of the event. The iconic voice of Lundquist and his calls throughout the years still give me chills each time I hear them. Verne is an icon of the game and will be missed in future renditions of the Masters.

The Masters also brings another element that is unique to the tournament. Former champions turn back the clock to battle with the golf course again which creates some amazing stories. There are a few that stick out this year and were an absolute pleasure to witness. 61-year-old Vijay Singh made the cut for the first time since 2018 and shot a pretty incredible even-par, 72 on Sunday. 58-year-old José María Olazábal made the cut as well, reminding us why fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm sought his valuable advice prior to his Masters victory in 2022.

Regardless of who wins, the Masters always delivers.

Bryson Moves the Needle

Plenty will disagree with me on this point, but outside of Tiger Woods, and potentially Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, no one moves the needle in golf as much as Bryson DeChambeau. The uniqueness in which Bryson approaches the game has always been fascinating, and if he gets near the top of the leaderboard at any major championship, whether it’s to root for him or against him, people are interested.

It began on Monday with a pretty bizarre story of DeChambeau using 3D-printed irons that got just got cleared for use by the USGA when the week began. It once again felt like a storyline that would only be possible with a character as eccentric as Bryson. He then raced off to a first-round lead in tough conditions, reminding the world of what made him such a great golfer to begin with. He made some mistakes on the weekend, but still finished a career best T6 at The Masters.

Bryson is more than just quirky; he is a former U.S. Amateur Champion and U.S. Open who I believe will contend for more majors in the future. I will continue to root for DeChambeau, but I’m perfectly content with the fact that plenty will root against him, and I encourage those people to do so. That’s what makes it fun.

LIV Walks Away Empty-Handed

Last year, there were a multitude of questions about LIV players coming into the year’s first major. They had played very limited tournament golf, and critics of LIV questioned whether the 54-hole events were enough to sharpen the players enough to compete against the best in the world on the biggest stage.

The results were fascinating, with LIV players all over the leaderboard. Brooks Koepka held the 36- and 54-hole lead, with Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed finishing T2 and T4, giving LIV three golfers in the top-4 of the leaderboard.

This season, with even more time removed and with some more massive additions to the roster, the intrigue surrounding LIV players at Augusta was once again palpable. While some players, including Bryson DeChambeau, exceeded expectations, I can’t help but walk away from the Masters feeling underwhelmed by the performance of the LIV players.

Brooks Koepka finished runner-up last season and is a certified major championship killer. The 5-time major champ was never involved and simply didn’t have it at Augusta. Dustin Johnson put together a putrid performance, shooting 13 over for his two rounds, making it fair to wonder if his days of contending at major championships are over as he rapidly approaches his 40th birthday.

Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann were both players who were amongst the favorites this week, but Rahm was faced with the daunting duties of defending champion and Niemann proved he was still not quite ready to master the quirks of Augusta National, bleeding strokes both around and on the greens.

To be fair, when all was said and done, LIV had four players in the top twelve at The Masters. Tyrrell Hatton stormed the leaderboard early on Sunday, finishing T9 and earning himself an invite back to Augusta next season. Cam Smith and Patrick Reed put together gritty performances, which isn’t too surprising considering the fact that they both absolutely love Augusta National, but neither ever felt a real threat to win. There’s no doubt the players on LIV are good, and that’s why some encouraging leaderboard positions aren’t enough. They needed to contend.

With no players part of the storyline on Sunday, I view the first major of the year as a disappointment for LIV. The players will head into next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla with a lot to prove.

Rory’s Struggles Continues

Rory struggling at Augusta National is no surprise at this point. The four-time major champion has now had 10 attempts to complete the career grand slam and has never had a chance to win. His T2 in 2022 was deceiving, the Northern Irishman stormed the leaderboard on Sunday, but was never in contention, and never got within three shots of the winner, Scottie Scheffler.

I didn’t expect Rory to win, but I have to admit that this year felt a bit different. McIlroy played the week prior to the Masters, which he typically doesn’t do, and finished third at the Valero Texas Open. He gained 7.56 strokes on approach and 2.0 strokes off the tee, which told me that his visit with world-renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, after the Players Championship paid dividends.

McIlroy also approached the media quite differently. He cut his pre-tournament press conference short after only 10 minutes and seemed to be laser-focused on just playing golf.

Despite the different approach to the Masters, the results were the same. McIlroy struggled over the course of the week, finishing T22 (+4) and never sniffed a decent weekend position on the leaderboard. It’s back to the drawing board for McIlroy, and I have doubts that he will ever figure it out at Augusta.

Vincenzi: The 8 best prop bets for the 2024 Masters

We’ve finally reached The Masters and excitement is at an all-time high. The world of golf has been fractured for the better part of two years, but for a week at Augusta National, all of the outside noise will disappear. All of the best players in the world will be together seeking to make history.

• RELATED:   Vincenzi’s 2024 Masters betting preview: Niemann to play star role at Augusta National

In addition to betting on The Masters champion. This is one of the few weeks of the year where there are so many more markets to explore, with value to be had in plenty of different categories.

Throughout this article, I’ll discuss all of my favorite props and players for the 2024 Masters.

Placement Bets:

Tony finau top 5 +750 (draftkings):.

I badly wanted to include Tony Finau in my outright betting selections, but I simply ran out of room on my card. Additionally, it’s slightly difficult to see him hitting the putts necessary to win the Masters on back nine on Sunday. However, I do strongly believe he will play great golf this week at Augusta National.

In his past 24 rounds, Finau ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Approach is always amongst the best drivers of the golf ball in the game. Back in 2019, Finau had a great chance to win The Masters. I expect him to be hanging around over the weekend once again in 2024.

Gary Woodland Top 20 +550 (DraftKings), Gary Woodland to make the cut -110 (DraftKings):

Last season, Gary Woodland had his best ever finish at The Masters in his eleven tries. The 39-year-old finished T14 and played incredibly steady across all four rounds.

In Woodland’s most recent start at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, he struck the ball incredibly well. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach (+8.8) and Strokes Gained: Ball Striking (+10.0).

Gary has been working with Butch Harmon and absolutely flushing the ball both in tournaments and during practice.

Woodland appears to be healthy once again and in a great place physically and mentally. If he can build off his impressive performance at Augusta last year, he can place inside the top ten in 2024.

Additionally, the make the cut number on Woodland seems generous considering the number of players who miss the cut will be relatively small this week. Woodland is striking it well enough to make the cut even if he’s hindered by a balky putter once again.

Thorbjorn Olesen Top 20 +400 (FanDuel):

The Thunder Bear, Thorbjorn Olesen, made his Masters debut in 2013 and finished an incredibly impressive T6 for the week. In the two additional starts he’s made at Augusta National since then, the Dane has continued to be incredibly solid, finishing T44 and T21.

This week, Olesen heads into the week playing some good golf. He gained 3.8 strokes on approach and 5.52 strokes around the green at last week’s Valero Texas Open on his way to a strong T14 finish. Back in January, he won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on the DP World Tour.

Olesen has the skill set to be successful at Augusta and seems primed for a good performance this week.

Top Nationalities:

Sergio garcia top spanish player +280 (draftkings):.

I believe Sergio Garcia can get into contention this week with the way he’s striking the ball in addition to his good vibes with a refurbished version of the Scotty Cameron that he used at the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah.

I am slightly concerned about the emotional letdown he may face after losing in a playoff at LIV Miami, but I believe a veteran and former Masters champion should be able to regroup and focus on an event far more meaningful.

This is essentially a tournament head-to-head with Jon Rahm at +280. While Rahm deserves to be respected this week, the history of the lack of success of defending champions at The Masters is difficult to ignore.

Joaquin Niemann Top South American Player -230 (FanDuel):

While I hate paying this much juice, I don’t see a world in which Joaquin Niemann isn’t the top South American this week at The Masters. Joaco comes in playing better golf than anyone in the world not named Scottie Scheffler and has a serious chance to win the green jacket.

He only needs to beat two players: Emiliano Grillo and Camilo Villegas.

Tournament Head-to-Heads:

Justin thomas -110 over collin morikawa.

JT isn’t having his best season but is playing a lot better than he is getting credit for at the moment. In the past three months, there are only six players on the PGA Tour who have averaged 1.7 Strokes Gained: Tee to Green or better. Justin Thomas (+1.7) is one of the six and is currently tied with Rory McIlroy (+1.7).

Morikawa, on the other hand, has been extremely poor with his irons, which is incredibly uncharacteristic for him. I can’t help but feel like something is completely off with the two-time major champion.

Tony Finau -110 over Wyndham Clark

I explained in the placement section why I’m so high on Tony Finau this week. With how well he’s striking the ball, it seems as if his floor is extremely high. I’m not sure if he can make the putts to win a green jacket but I believe he will be in the mix similarly to 2019 when Tiger Woods emerged from a crowded pack of contenders.

Clark is a debutant, and while some debutants have had success at The Masters, it certainly poses a challenge. I also don’t believe Augusta National suits Clark as well as some of the other major championship venues.

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The hole truth: You don’t putt like a tour pro

• Author: Gary Van Sickle

The yips is an affliction that affects some golfers.

Putting is an affliction that affects all golfers. Almost all golfers, anyway.

You say you putt great? Bully for you. Check back in 30 years and let me know.

Allow me to exaggerate to make a point: Average golfers know that we can’t hit it like the PGA Tour pros. They’re Happy Gilmores come to life, what with Matthew Wolfe’s official 388-yard drive during the U.S. Open ’s final round and Bryson DeChambeau’s launch monitor that showed a drive with a 400-yard carry . Some of us need multiple swings to cover 400 yards.

The gap between how well tour pros putt and how average hacks putt might be bigger than the afore-mentioned distance gap. Did I say gap ? I meant gorge .

The putting-gorge gap might not seem as obvious. You and I can come close to making 20-foot putts, and we often do – come close, that is. Tour players make 20-footers on a ridiculously regular basis. In the 2019-20 PGA Tour season, three players holed more than 31 percent of their putts from 15-20 feet: Anirban Lahiri, Vincent Whaley and Ian Poulter. That’s almost one out of three.

Your make percentage from that distance probably is closer to one out of 20, and that’s even if you keep putting from the same spot and learn the line. You and I don’t burn the cup’s edge from 20 feet as often as tour pros make it.

That old PGA Tour slogan had it right: These Guys Are Good . If the rest of us had a slogan, it might be, These Hacks Are The Opposite of Good . Or maybe a less-polite version.

Of course, I can’t prove my hypothesis, although watching almost any Thursday afternoon Golf Channel tournament telecast ought to do it. For proof, I need statistics. I need data. The PGA Tour compiles gigabytes of data. You and I have a broken-down old caddie named Jack Squat. (Zero data, in other words.)

So how can we compare our skill levels? As an experiment, I asked a dozen or so colleagues, golf pals and assorted strangers to keep track of a simple putting statistic: add the total length of the putts that they made for 18 holes. For example, if I hit a putt from 30 feet that stops a foot short and tap it in, I get credit for 1 foot of holed putts.

It’s a flawed stat (as most putting stats are) because it’s based too much on where a golfer’s putting originates. But it’s a simple number to keep and requires minimal effort, which I figured was the most I could expect from my volunteers, and PGA Tour computers keep this number for the pros.

I was curious: How many feet of putts does an average amateur make? In a lot of rounds, it feels as if I didn’t hole a putt longer than 3 feet, and if I did, it probably was my second putt.

The results of my unscientific survey were limited, because my gung-ho volunteers kept forgetting to keep track until the third post-round beverage. But the results proved my theory, which is that we suck at putting relative to tour players.

I contributed six rounds of data. My total lengths of putts made were, in chronological order, 34, 100, 80, 45, 42 and 48. The same guy who put up 34 feet one day put up 100 feet the next day? Yes, probably because I went to a private club with smoother, quicker greens instead of playing the super-slow greens at the mangy public course I normally frequent. Plus, holing putts of 30, 20 and 16 feet accounted for nearly two-thirds of my total. I accidentally made a couple of bombs in the 80-foot round, too. Remove the 100- and 80-foot totals and I averaged about 43 feet per round, or 2.4 feet per hole. Yeah, that sounds more like it: unimpressive.

My volunteers submerged in similar boats. One fellow – let’s call him Marcus (I promised anonymity to all involved) – had totals of 38 and 50 feet at his home courses. His average: 44 feet. He does, in fact, battle the yips, but golfing purist that he is, refuses to give in. “If Steve Stricker putted for me, I’d shoot 80 or better most of the time because I’m on or near 16 of 18 greens,” he said. “I hit good bunker shots, fair chips, poor lag putts and worse 5-footers.”

I feel his pain. A mid-double-digit handicapper we’ll call Randy provided two fivesomes’ worth of scores. He personally posted 44 and 59 feet (an average of 51.5 feet). Bill led the group with 72 and 53 (average: 62.5). Leo and Kevin each had one round over 70 feet but also one in the upper 40s. The group’s 10-round average was 55.6 feet.

Then there’s the long-time friend who’s my age (approaching ancient) whom I’ll call Rocco. He contributed four rounds: two in the mid-50s, one at a mere 27.5 and one with 66 feet in which he didn’t play the last three holes on account of darkness. The 27.5-foot total wasn’t helped by a chip-in, he said. “When you suck, I don’t know why it’s always a surprise,” he said.

Rocco averaged 51.4 feet and epitomized the volunteers as a group. In our tiny sampling of 26 rounds, we averaged 51.8 feet of putts holed per round.

I did not include data from John in Wisconsin, whose two regular foursomes (featuring players ranging from 11 to 23 handicaps with nicknames such as Rum Head, The Beav, Pork Face, Mr. Merengue and one I can’t print) play four-man scrambles against one another. Playing in a scramble skews putting stats because the fourth person putting already has seen three putts on the same line and has a big advantage. It’s a different kind of sample, and I didn’t want to mix apples with pork faces, but I like the way John’s group has figured out how to maximize its fun.

“I seriously can’t remember the last time we had individual scorecards,” John said. “I’ve been playing with these boys for 25 years, and we haven’t played a single hole that didn’t involve a wager. You could lose $25 or $30 on a bad day, but, of course, the winners usually take a loss after picking up the bar tab.”

One scramble team holed putts of 182 feet, 138 of it on four ocean-liners. The other team totaled 79 feet. You can guess which team picked up the bar tab. John’s group plays 95 percent of its golf on public courses. “While half the guys could comfortably belong to a private club,” he said, “you could never live that down.”

So how did our amateurs stack up versus the PGA Tour players? Not very well.

The average total of putts holed per round on the PGA Tour for 2019-20 was 72.8 feet. The leaders were Kristoffer Ventura, 87 feet 9 inches; Denny McCarthy, 85-4; and Michael Gellerman, 83-8. Andy Ogletree ranked first at the end of the year in this season’s stats at 99 feet 7 inches.

Only four of our 26 hacker-round totals exceeded the tour average of 72.8 feet. The reality was, we averaged 20 fewer feet of putts holed per round than the pros.

Twenty feet is a lot. If he weren’t careful, a fellow could three-putt from that distance.

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• Instruction and Playing Tips

PGA Tour Putts Gained/Make Percentage Stats

By iacas , July 24, 2011 in Instruction and Playing Tips

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twilliams16

is this for pga players?

Originally Posted by twilliams16 is this for pga players?

R9 with 757 Speeder mp 57 3-pw project x 6.0 flighted Vokey* 56* 60* Monza Corsa Putter

"Golf is an entire game built around making something that is naturally easy - putting a ball into a hole - as difficult as possible." - Scott Adams Mid-priced ball reviews: Top Flight Gamer v2 | Bridgestone e5 ('10) | Titleist NXT Tour ('10) | Taylormade Burner TP LDP | Taylormade TP Black | Taylormade Burner Tour | Srixon Q-Star ('12)

• 5 years later...

Have these numbers been updated for 2016?

From the land of perpetual cloudiness.   I'm Denny

They were updated last year. 8 feet is the 50% point.

Maybe someone can find a good chart. If not I'll try to remember to add it tomorrow.

http://www.pgatour.com/news/2016/05/31/strokes-gained-defined.html

• 1 year later...

I played with someone over the weekend that told me he needed to improve his 10 footers. He said he's not expecting to be PGA Tour level, but he wants to be closer to 50% because right now he's more like 40% and he needs to be better if he wants to make more birdies.

I asked him what he thought the make % from 10' is on tour and he said 70%. He didn't believe me when I told him tour players average 50% from 8'.

This guy is going to spend extra time working on his putting when his putting isn't the skill that's holding him back, all because of misinformation. And no, I don't believe he's 40% from 10', but that's not really the point. He's not going to get a good return on that investment.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

My Swing Thread

22 minutes ago, billchao said: I asked him what he thought the make % from 10' is on tour and he said 70%. He didn't believe me when I told him tour players average 50% from 8'.

I asked my uncle once, "At what distance do you think PGA Tour players make or miss 50% of their putts?". He said, 15 FT or so. I told him it was 8-9'.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.  fasdfa dfdsaf 

I told the same thing to 20´s hadicapers at my club when they get really ungry after they miss a 10 footer.

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Here is the most productive height on the PGA Tour in the last five years

There is almost a foot-long variance in the height of PGA Tour winners in the last five seasons. Austin Cook, Satoshi Kodaira, Andrew Landry, Brian Harman, David Lingmerth and Tim Clark have won on the Tour at 5-7, while Patton Kizzire has done the same at 6-5.

We wondered what the most productive height on the PGA Tour has been in the last five years and what the average height is for players who have won events. To find out, we analyzed 235 PGA Tour events since the start of the 2014 season and tracked the height of the winner for each event.

Here is what we found:

The most productive height on the PGA Tour in the last five seasons is 6 feet tall. There have been 50 events (21.3% of the PGA Tour events examined) since the start of the 2013-14 season that were won by 22 different players who are 6-feet tall.

MORE: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson announce The Match

Jason Day did the heavy lifting for the group, winning 12 PGA Tour events, including five in 2015, while Patrick Reed (five) and Brooks Koepka (four) are also among the most successful active 6-foot golfers.

The second-most successsful height on the PGA Tour during the timeframe examined is 5-10 with 39 PGA Tour wins. Justin Thomas is the primary contributor to that win total with nine PGA Tour victories in the last three years, followed by Rory McIlroy's eight wins in the last five seasons.

The sweet spot for golfers is from 5-10 to 6-4. Golfers of each height in that range have combined for at least 15 wins since the start of the 2014 season, while there's a fall-off on either side of the range. Golfers who are 5-9 have collectively won 11 events in the last five seasons, while Patton Kizzire's two wins in that time span are the only ones by a player who is 6-5.

MORE: Watch Dustin Johnson use Jack Nicklaus' old clubs

The average height for the winners of the 235 PGA Tour events studied is roughly 71.8 inches, or nearly 6 feet tall.

While 6-0 is the most productive height on the PGA Tour, the "tail" of success skews taller, meaning the graph of the data (above) shows more success for golfers who are 6-1 through 6-4, than between 5-11 and 5-7. PGATour.com's Cameron Morfit wrote about the influx of taller players, and Brian Harman, here .

The most successful "tall" golfer currently is Dustin Johnson , who has 12 PGA Tour victories since the start of the 2013-14 season. Tony Finau is the only other 6-4 player who has won a Tour event in the last four years.

PGA of America

The PGA of America is one of the world's largest sports organizations, composed of PGA of America Golf Professionals who work daily to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

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Ranking The Field

PGA Championship 2024: Power rankings for the entire field at Valhalla

Can anyone beat Scottie Scheffler ? Another major week is upon us, and word is unclear whether the Schefflers have welcomed their first baby into the world. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka have also won in their last starts ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship. There's so much to pack as this star-studded field descends upon Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, the host for the 106th PGA Championship .

Just 30 days ago, Scheffler separated himself from the field at Augusta National and captured his second Masters green jacket. He hasn’t lost since then, and he brings that streak to our season’s second major championship.

RELATED: PGA Championship DFS picks 2024: Why Brooks Koepka is an easy bet at Valhalla

It has been 10 years since we visited Valhalla, when McIlroy was victorious —but it's also the site of his last major championship given his 10-year winless drought. Of course, the defending PGA champion is Brooks Koepka, and just like he did last year, he has won in his last start on LIV. Below you will read my rankings of the top 70 players in the field. Below them, the competitors are broken into segments. Included are all of the relevant facts and figures you will need to win your PGA Championship pool, outright or prop bets or PGA Pro club contest!

Valhalla Golf Club

Louisville, ky.

• 100 Greatest
• Best In State

I have designed these rankings to be a fantastic reference tool. Take a moment to peruse the key in case any of the information below is baffling. Then dive right in and bookmark this article link. You are going to need it Monday through Sunday to ensure all of your trifectas in Louisville lead you to collect at the window on Sunday night!

• Age: Self-explanatory and gives great perspective. Some of these guys are older than you think. Did you know Jordan Spieth is 30?!
• Odds to win: These are the futures odds listed for each player across multiple domestic betting boards.
• OWGR/Data Golf: Let’s face the facts, the OWGR is incomplete. To give us a better top line view of player performance, I also included the Data Golf rankings .
• Player trend: This list is meant to be an immediate reference tool for next week. Quite simply, what direction is a player’s game heading since the Masters. Up is good, down is bad and everyone loves emojis.
• PGA Championship appearances/cuts made: The number of times a player has competed in the tournament along with the number of successful cuts made.
• Best PGA Championship finish: Again, another quick reference tool. In the past 10 years, eight of the PGA champions have finished inside the top 8 prior to winning. (Exceptions: Justin Thomas, 18th and Collin Morikawa as a rookie.) PGA Championship experience counts!
• Notes: A quick summary for each player to pique or deter your interest in his chances to win or play well in the 106th PGA Championship.

More PGA Championship coverage

Nos. 126 and beyond

The PGA Championship has such incredible depth and the task of ranking each player is really fun. The "126 and beyond" section is covered in Corebridge Financial Team members, global qualifiers and past champions. I recommend you Google a couple of the names in this group. CFT member PGA Professional Tracy Phillips is 61 years old! Ben Polland just won the PGA Professional National Championship.

Each major has a unique aspect to the field: the Masters and its amateur invitees, the U.S. Open and Open Championship qualifiers, and the PGA Championship has its amazing stories of the PGA of America's members who fulfill their dream by making this field. Will there be another “Block Party?," set into motion by another incredible storyline from a pro? We sure hope so.

Rich Beem, Josh Bevell (CFT), Evan Bowser (CFT), Preston Cole (CFT), Tyler Collet (CFT), John Daly, Matt Dobyns (CFT), Larkin Gross (CFT), Jared Jones (CFT), Takumi Kanaya, Jeff Kellen (CFT), Kazuma Kobori, Ben Kohles, Kyle Mendoza (CFT), Shaun Micheel, Jesse Mueller (CFT), Zac Oakley (CFT), Adrian Otaegui, C.T. Pan, Tracy Phillips (CFT), Ben Polland (CFT), Braden Shattuck (CFT), John Somers (CFT), Josh Speight (CFT), Jesper Svensson, Ryan van Velzen, Jimmy Walker, Jeremy Wells (CFT), Tim Widing, Wyatt Worthington II (CFT) and Y.E. Yang.

RELATED: Michael Block on his 'Year of Blockie!'

Nos. 101-125

David Puig played in a number of Asian Tour events and earned victories in Malayasia in February and Singapore in October during off weeks from LIV. The 22-year-old earned a special invitation to the PGA Championship.

How Foo Yeen/R&A

The process of building these rankings can create some very interesting comparisons. Who would have thought three years ago Phil Mickelson would win the PGA Championship at Kiawah at nearly 51 years old? A few slots lower, we have the even more unbelievable saga of Michael Block at Oak Hill . Both he and Brad Marek are the only two Corebridge Financial Team members in the field who have made the cut at a PGA Championship. Three more past champions populate this segment: Jimmy Walker, Jason Dufner and Martin Kaymer. Kaymer has two top-20 finishes in his last two LIV starts.

101. KH Lee, 102. Phil Mickelson, 103. Brad Marek (CFT), 104. Lee Hodges, 105. Brice Garnett, 106. Sebastian Soderberg, 107. Ben Griffin, 108. Alex Smalley, 109. Thirston Lawrence, 110. S.H. Kim, 111. Francesco Molinari, 112. Alexander Björk, 113. Nick Dunlap, 114. Charley Hoffman, 115. Sami Valimaki, 116. Martin Kaymer, 117. Peter Malnati, 118. Lucas Herbert, 119. Jason Dufner, 120. Michael Block (CFT), 121. Luke Donald, 122. Andy Ogletree, 123. Camillo Villegas, 124. David Puig (above), 125. Grayson Murray.

A 2024 PGA Championship Fantasy Preview

Nos. 71-100.

Taylor Pendrith won his first PGA Tour title two weeks ago at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, then backed it up with a T-10 last week at Quail Hollow.

Tim Heitman

Rickie Fowler, Taylor Pendrith ( above ), Billy Horschel, Emilaino Grillo and Erik Van Rooyen have all won on the PGA Tour since the last PGA Championship, and they all could make some noise. U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland is in the final year of his major exemption. The modern game is amazing, and the next generation of talent keeps pushing everyone. To win this week, you must possess great driving and excellent approach capabilities from long range. A few of these guys will supplant the lower ranked players and make the cut—can you predict who they might be?

71. Mackenzie Hughes, 72. Taylor Pendrith, 73. Adrian Meronk, 74. Adam Hadwin, 75. J.T. Poston, 76 . Andrew Putnam, 77. Zac Blair, 78. Keita Nakajima, 79. Maverick McNealy, 80. Emiliano Grillo, 81. Thomas Detry, 82. Billy Horschel, 83. Padraig Harrington, 84. Doug Ghim, 85 . Victor Perez, 86. Aaron Rai, 87. Rasmus Højgaard, 88. Beau Hossler, 89. Thorbjorn Olesen, 90. Gary Woodland, 91. Vincent Norrman, 92. Justin Rose, 93. Matt Wallace, 94 . Rickie Fowler, 95. Eric Cole, 96. Ryo Hisatsune, 97. Chris Gotterup, 98. Jordan Smith, 99. Alejandro Tosti, 100. Adam Svensson.

Ranking the top 70 players (with write-ups for the top 50)

70. andrew svoboda.

Age: 44 Odds to win: 500-1. OWGR/Data Golf: N/A, Corebridge Financial Team Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: Rookie Best PGA Championship finish: N/A

69. Jake Knapp

Brennan Asplen

Age: 29 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 51. Data Golf: 98. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: Rookie Best PGA Championship finish: N/A

68. Keith Mitchell

Age: 32 Odds to win: 100-1. OWGR: 78. Data Golf: 63. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 34th (2022)

67. Brendon Todd

Age: 38 Odds to win: 200-1. OWGR: 64. Data Golf: 60. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 5. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish: 17th (2020)

66. Tiger Woods

Age: 48 Odds to win: 100-1. OWGR: 801. Data Golf: N/A. Player trend: ❓ PGA Championship appearances: 22. Cuts made: 17. Best PGA Championship finish: Won (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007)

65. Robert MacIntyre

Age: 27 Odds to win: 180-1. OWGR: 84. Data Golf: 223. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 49th (2021)

64. Cam Davis

Age: 29 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 62. Data Golf: 78 Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 3. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 4th (2023)

63. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Age: 29 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 54. Data Golf: 24. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 30th (2021)

62. Mark Hubbard

Age: 34 Odds to win: 200-1. OWGR: 79. Data Golf: 74. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 2. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish: 51st (2020)

61. Kurt Kitayama

Age: 31 Odds to win: 100-1. OWGR: 48. Data Golf: 67. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 3.| Best PGA Championship finish: 4th (2023)

60. Min Woo Lee

Age: 25 Odds to win: 65-1. OWGR: 34. Data Golf: 47. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 2. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 18th (2023)

59. Tom Hoge

Age: 34 Odds to win: 100-1. OWGR: 60. Data Golf: 39. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 4. Best PGA Championship finish: 9th (2022)

58. Erik van Rooyen

Age: 34 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 66. Data Golf: 71. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish: 8th (2019)

57. Patrick Rodgers

Age: 31 Odds to win: 250-1. OWGR: 77. Data Golf: 82. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 2. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 29th (2023)

56. Nick Taylor

Age: 36 Odds to win: 300-1. OWGR: 26. Data Golf: 77. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 3. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 68th (2015)

55. Lucas Glover

Age: 44 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 35. Data Golf: 45. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 12. Cuts made: 6. Best PGA Championship finish: 5th (2009)

54. Denny McCarthy

Age: 31 Odds to win: 180-1. OWGR: 31. Data Golf: 19. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 4. Best PGA Championship finish: 29th (2023)

53. Luke List

Age: 39 Odds to win: 250-1. OWGR: 67. Data Golf: 83. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 5. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 6th (2019)

52. Chris Kirk

Age: 38 Odds to win: 130-1. OWGR: 22. Data Golf: 31. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 9. Cuts made: 5. Best PGA Championship finish: 5th (2022)

51. Nicolai Højgaard

Age: 23 Odds to win: 130-1. OWGR: 36. Data Golf: 85. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 2. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 50th (2023)

50. Talor Gooch

Jason Butler

Age: 32 Odds to win: 100-1. OWGR: 644. Data Golf: 35. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish: 20th (2022)

An elite amongst strokes gained/social media leaderboards, Talor Gooch’s play over the last two LIV seasons garnered a special exemption into the PGA Championship field, and he warrants serious consideration. Gooch has 15 top-15 finishes in 20 events and three wins.

49. Austin Eckroat

Age: 25 Odds to win: 250-1. OWGR: 50. Data Golf: 65. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: Rookie Best PGA Championship finish: N/A

A 2024 PGA Tour winner, Austin Eckroat’s ball-striking is built for big courses. He’s ranked sixth in the Valhalla field for strokes gained T2G.

48. Dean Burmester

Age: 34 Odds to win: 65-1. OWGR: 130. Data Golf: 38. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 3. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish : 54th (2023)

Dean Burmester ranks third on the individual LIV season-long standings. That’s ahead of Brooks, DJ, Talor Gooch and Tyrrell Hatton. He has a win and six top-15 finishes in six starts.

47. Ryan Fox

Age: 37 Odds to win: 130-1. OWGR: 61. Data Golf: 143. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 5. Cuts made: 4. Best PGA Championship finish: 23rd (2023)

Ryan Fox’s style of play fits a PGA Championship. He possesses incredible power and a competitive short game. Those are two keys that led to a top 25 at Oak Hill a year ago and a top-40 finish at Augusta National last month.

46. Russell Henley

Age: 35 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 18. Data Golf: 12. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 10. Cuts made: 7. Best PGA Championship finish: 12th (2015)

Russell Henley is ranked 18th in the world and even higher via Data Golf. Henley’s ability to do everything well earned him three top-10s in 10 starts this season. The former University of Georgia Bulldog has 11 top-10s at majors in his career, including 2021 at Torrey Pines (a decent comp course), where he was the 54-hole co-leader before fading on Sunday.

45. Alex Noren

Age: 41 Odds to win: 80-1. OWGR: 57. Data Golf: 22. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 11. Cuts made: 7. Best PGA Championship finish: 22nd (2020)

Alex Noren has won 10 times on the DP World Tour. Two weeks ago in Dallas, he finished third for his sixth top-25 result in a row. The Swede can compete in birdie-fests as well as events where he needs to grind out pars, where he can rely on a stellar short game.

44. Patrick Reed

Age: 33 Odds to win: 65-1. OWGR: 92. Data Golf: 55. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 10. Cuts made: 8 Best PGA Championship finish: 2nd (2017)

Last month, Patrick Reed finished 12th at the Masters and continues to play well in majors. Another top-20 result at Oak Hill a year ago was fueled by one of the world’s best short games.

43. Stephan Jaeger

Age: 33 Odds to win: 100-1. OWGR : 92. Data Golf: 55. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 1. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 50th (2023)

Stephan Jaeger is the only player to beat Scottie Scheffler in the past two months. Jaeger has picked up nearly 17 yards of distance off the tee in the past two years, making him one of the leading off-the-tee players—and he couples that with a very good short game, which should be a good combination at Valhalla.

42. Adam Schenk

Age: 32 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 45. Data Golf: 41. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 2. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 41st (2022)

Adam Schenk finished 12th at the Masters last month. Schenk struggled earlier in 2024 but is now showing the form that led to a ninth-place finish at the 2023 Tour Championship and consistent play this spring.

41. Matthieu Pavon

Age: 31 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 20. Data Golf: 54. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: Rookie Best PGA Championship finish: N/A

Matthieu Pavon is the only player on the PGA Tour ranked top 20 in strokes gained/approach and putting—two key skills for success at Valhalla. The Frenchman’s victory at Torrey Pines proves he has the potential to show some form in majors.

40. Si Woo Kim

Orlando Ramirez

Age: 28 Odds to win: 75-1. OWGR: 44. Data Golf: 21. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 8. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish: 13th (2020)

Si Woo Kim is an elite ball-striker. Kim has gained positive strokes off the tee in 29 straight measured events. Wet Kentucky rough is going to present a serious challenge to the contenders, but Si Woo hits fairways and has a stellar short game.

39. Tom Kim

Age: 21 Odds to win: 65-1. OWGR: 23. Data Golf: 57. Player trend: ↘️ PGA Championship appearances: 3. Cuts made: 0. Best PGA Championship finish: N/A

Tom Kim has tons of talent, but a lack of ball speed makes him feel as if he’s stuck in the mud. Over his past five starts, Kim continues to lose strokes to the field across the board. Valhalla’s length might be too much for Tom as just making the cut has been difficult for him at the PGA Championship.

38. Shane Lowry

Age: 37 Odds to win: 45-1. OWGR: 41. Data Golf: 49. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 12. Cuts made: 9. Best PGA Championship finish: 4th (2021)

Shane Lowry has five top-25 results in his past six PGAs. Fresh off an Irish team win with Rory McIlroy at the Zurich Classic last month, Lowry’s putter might feel inspired by his countryman’s karaoke. When Shane shines with the flatstick, he contends.

37. Brian Harman

Age: 37 Odds to win: 65-1. OWGR: 9. Data Golf: 25. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 9. Cuts made: 5. Best PGA Championship finish: 13th (2017)

Brian Harman faces a narrow path to the top of the leaderboard in domestic major championships where rough is prevalent due to his lack of ball speed and distance. The defending Open champion is world class in other components, but 7,600 yards of soaking wet Valhalla rough will probably put too much of a reliance on his fantastic flatstick.

36. Sam Burns

Age: 27 Odds to win: 50-1. OWGR: 27. Data Golf: 27. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 3. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish: 20th (2022)

Sam Burns had a strong start to 2024 with four top 10s prior to the Masters. That early season ball-striking has left Burns. A missed cut at the Masters leaves him below his usual major ranking. Maybe his new baby will inspire a great off-the-tee week. He shook off the rust nicely at Quail Hollow.

35. Keegan Bradley

Age: 37 Odds to win: 200-1. OWGR: 19. Data Golf: 56. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 13. Cuts made: 11. Best PGA Championship finish: Won (2011)

Keegan Bradley’s game was built for PGA Championships. The Boston bomber won the PGA in his first try and has missed the cut only twice in 13 starts. If you’re looking for a value pick in DFS or prop bets, or a sneaky pool pick, Bradley’s a worthwhile shout.

34. Byeong Hun An

Age: 32 Odds to win: 80-1. OWGR: 32. Data Golf: 43. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 7. Cuts made: 4. Best PGA Championship finish: 22nd (2022)

Ben An was not in last year’s PGA Championship—he was ranked 140th in the OWGR but has ascended quickly in 2024. Fresh off another strong result at Quail Hollow, Ben is a fantastic sleeper pick to contend in Kentucky. His strength is driving and that will certainly help him differentiate. Keep this name to yourself prior to picking in your PGA betting pools.

33. Jason Day

Age: 36 Odds to win: 40-1. OWGR: 24. Data Golf: 48. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 14. Cuts made: 11. Best PGA Championship finish: Won (2015)

Jason Day has been a very good PGA Championship player throughout his career. He has six top 10s in this championship and a win (2015). In his past five starts, Day has been gaining over a stroke on the field with his driver. That’s good for two reasons, first that level of off-the-tee play will be an advantage. Two, if Jason continues to play like this, he will make the cut, and we will get to see all four of his outfits this week!

32. Adam Scott

Age: 43 Odds to win: 80-1. OWGR: 53. Data Golf: 29. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 22. Cuts made: 17. Best PGA Championship finish: 3rd (2006, 2018)

Adam Scott has played above the tour average in 2024. Going into Valhalla, his driver and putter have been hot. That combination is the key. In Scott’s last five starts he’s gaining nearly two strokes on the field with his flatstick and another two off the tee. Forty is the new thirty for a man who has six career top 10s in this championship.

31. Harris English

Age: 34 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 47. Data Golf: 36. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 7. Cuts made: 5. Best PGA Championship finish: 19th (2020)

Harris English finished top 25 at both The Players and the Masters. He’ll need to enhance his iron game this week to get serious on Sunday, but that driver and putter should surely have him playing the weekend.

30. Viktor Hovland

Age: 26 Odds to win: 30-1. OWGR: 7. Data Golf: 10. Player trend: ↘️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 4. Best PGA Championship finish: 2nd (2023)

Viktor Hovland is the season’s biggest mystery. The reigning FedEx Cup champion has worked with more coaches in 2024 than he has top-20 results. A textbook fit for the PGA Championship with his long-iron acumen and accurate driving, Hovland has some serious work to do. Viktor is an amazing talent and will draw attention at these high odds but were he to win I’m not sure the mystery would really be solved.

29. Tyrrell Hatton

Age: 32 Odds to win: 55-1. OWGR: 17. Data Golf: 8. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 9. Cuts made: 7. Best PGA Championship finish: 10th (2016, 2018)

Tyrrell Hatton’s consistent ball-striking makes him an excellent pick at Valhalla. This Kentucky championship will require great approach play, long/accurate driving and opportunistic putting—three skills Hatton continues to display on the LIV circuit. Don’t miss this pick if you’re looking for a solid middle-tier contender.

28. Jordan Spieth

Age: 30 Odds to win: 35-1. OWGR: 21. Data Golf: 37. Player trend: ↘️ PGA Championship appearances: 11. Cuts made: 9. Best PGA Championship finish: 2nd (2015)

As always, if you’re backing Jordan Spieth, be prepared for an epic roller-coaster. In his past five cut events, Spieth has missed the weekend four times! The issue is approach play. Even though he started the week off well at Quail Hollow, it was another average showing—I’m not sure this is the year for the Career Grand Slam.

27. Tommy Fleetwood

Age: 33 Odds to win: 45-1. OWGR: 11. Data Golf: 13. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 9. Cuts made: 6. Best PGA Championship finish: 5th (2022)

Tommy Fleetwood’s iron game is off. Fleetwood played well at Augusta National, and then he was awful at Harbour Town. Those two weeks are a perfect microcosm for his year. Tommy may take us all by surprise like he did last month down Magnolia Lane, but backing him in good conscience would mean ignoring the obvious issues he has been facing.

26. Taylor Moore

Age: 30 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 55. Data Golf: 58. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 1. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 72nd (2023)

Taylor Moore has successfully navigated every cut in 2024 (11 events). Moore’s success stems from great driving and a very solid short game. In his last five events, he’s gaining an average of four strokes on the field. This is another name most casual golf fans won’t know. This might be your sneakiest option in a PGA Championship pool to gain an edge on the rest of your participants.

25. Akshay Bhatia

Age: 22 Odds to win: 100-1. OWGR: 33. Data Golf: 33. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: Rookie Best PGA Championship finish: N/A

Akshay Bhatia is one of a handful of players entering the 106th PGA with two wins in the last year. The approach game is absolutely electric. In a world class field, this wonderkid is ranked top 10 SG/tee to green and gaining nearly five shots against the field with his iron game (on average). Bhatia will make birdies, and if scoring counts in your contest, then I suggest you consider the 22-year-old.

24. Corey Conners

Age: 32 Odds to win: 65-1. OWGR: 52. Data Golf: 34. Player trend: ↘️ PGA Championship appearances : 5. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 12th (2023)

Major championships are the best time to earn points for the Presidents Cup team. Corey Conners is looking to lead that International squad this September in his home country. The PGA is the best fit for his game, and I believe we will all see that this week. Ranked third in GIRs, Conners’ consistency is key during weeks where accuracy matters so much.

23. Joaquin Niemann

Age: 25 Odds to win: 46-1. OWGR: 91. Data Golf: 7. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 6. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 23rd (2022)

Joaquin Niemann has a very rocky relationship with the weekend at the PGA Championship. With two LIV wins and six top 10s in seven events he’s earned a good look on your outright card. He’s one a few guys in this middle tier who can win.

22. Sungjae Im

Age: 26 Odds to win: 55-1. OWGR: 38. Data Golf: 53. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 5. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish: 17th (2021)

Sungjae Im is trending in the right direction. At the RBC Heritage and Wells Fargo, Im looked like the Sungjae of old. That’s important because we need key components to our friendly pools and DFS games. Im has never been a household name, but fans know his ball-striking history. The trend is your friend here as Im impresses us for the third time in a row.

21. Cam Smith

Age: 30 Odds to win: 30-1. OWGR: 56. Data Golf: 28. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 8. Cuts made: 7. Best PGA Championship finish: 9th (2023)

Very little about Cam Smith’s game fit going into Oak hill last year. He finished ninth. Never a good choice soon after fishing season, we’ve hit May and Smith’s success is picking up. Cam has finished second in two of his past three LIV starts.

20. Dustin Johnson

Maddie Meyer

Age: 39 Odds to win: 35-1. OWGR: 379. Data Golf: 62. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 14. Cuts made: 10. Best PGA Championship finish: 2nd (2019, 2020)

I always believed Dustin Johnson would win a PGA Championship. The best player in the world for some time, his power and touch just fit perfectly. Years removed from those days, I still think there’s one more major run in him. Of the four annual options, the PGA still makes the most sense. We saw signs last year at Oak Hill and LACC. With a LIV win in Las Vegas a couple months ago, he has my attention.

19. Max Homa

Age: 33 Odds to win: 35-1. OWGR: 10. Data Golf: 15. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 5. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 13th (2022)

I asked Max Homa at The Players why he’s such a good fit at TPC Sawgrass. He replied, “because my misses are small.” Small misses and a positive putter are the keys this week in Kentucky. If Homa get build on the “major” momentum from the Masters, I think Valhalla makes great sense for golf’s greatest tour ambassador.

18. Sahith Theegala

Age: 26 Odds to win: 40-1. OWGR: 12. Data Golf: 14. Player trend: ⬆️ PGA Championship appearances: 1. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 40th (2023)

In six signature events this season, Sahith Theegala has two runners-up and a sixth place. Theegala finished ninth at The Players and got that first career win under his belt in the fall. Short game has always been the 26-year-old’s strength, but the ball-striking this season is vastly improved, and in turn, so have the results. He’s a new name for major championship contention—one we will hear for years to come.

17. Sepp Straka

Age: 31 Odds to win: 150-1. OWGR: 25. Data Golf: 42. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 3. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 7th (2023)

I don’t even want to write this because it will alter the PGA Championship betting odds. Sepp Straka is a huge sleeper this week. Not because he finished top 20 in three of his past four majors. Not because he’s an elite driver. Not because of his accurate long iron game and fabulous flatstick. The reason I love Sepp is Zoysiagrass. The fairways at Valhalla are Zoysia, and Straka’s record on this particular type of grass are proven.

16. Matt Fitzpatrick

Age: 29 Odds to win: 40-1. OWGR: 14. Data Golf: 16. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 8. Cuts made: 4. Best PGA Championship finish: 5th (2022)

Matt Fitzpatrick is gaining an average of four strokes on the field in his past five starts. That won’t scare Scottie Scheffler, but it’s very good. What I like about Fitzpatrick in major championships is how well-rounded he is. If you love backing players like Cantlay and Schauffele, then Matt should catch your eye. Especially when you consider he comes with much more favorable odds.

15. Tony Finau

Age: 34 Odds to win: 45-1. OWGR: 28. Data Golf: 30. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 9. Cuts made: 8. Best PGA Championship finish: 4th (2020)

Tony Finau is a tee-to-green machine. A scorecard of 7,600 yards gives Tony an edge. Few players in the field can keep up with Finau’s ball speed. As a result, off the tee and approaches over 200 yards favor him. Finau’s issue is the flatstick. If the forecast remains wet, and the course plays super long, take Tony. His added length and accuracy will help bolster a lineup even with his faulty flatstick.

14. Hideki Matsuyama

Age: 32 Odds to win: 35-1. OWGR: 15. Data Golf: 17. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 11. Cuts made: 11. Best PGA Championship finish: 4th (2016)

Hideki Matsuyama has been given the wagering world a lot of headaches lately. A very late WD at the start of Wells Fargo last week was just another example of the Matsuyama madness. Here’s why: If he’s healthy, Hideki is a real threat to win. Leverage your betting card or PGA pool on team Japan and you might just be saying sayonara.

13. Justin Thomas

Age: 31 Odds to win: 30-1. OWGR: 29. Data Golf: 20. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 8. Cuts made: 7. Best PGA Championship finish: Won (2017, 2022)

All pressure is self-induced. Will the PGA Championship in JT’s home state be too much? I don’t believe it will. Thomas’ ball-striking has been solid all season after a sketchy 2023 campaign. JT has five top-15 results in nine starts for 2024. He’s ranked 11th tee to green and ninth on approach. If those analytics don’t impress you, he has also won two of these.

12. Will Zalatoris

Age: 27 Odds to win: 35-1. OWGR: 30. Data Golf: 51. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 2. Cuts made: 2. Best PGA Championship finish: 2nd (2022)

Will Zalatoris has played in two PGA Championships. He finished eighth and runner-up, losing to Thomas in a playoff at Southern Hills. Zalatoris is another whose game matches the PGA Championship character. You must be a great driver, incredible long iron player, and above average scorer. In majors, Zalatoris continues to contend because he knows how to do all three. Will’s lone tour win came at nearby TPC Southwind. Two similar designs, they both have Zoysiagrass fairways. Ball-strikers love that blade, watch out for Will.

11. Cameron Young

Age: 26 Odds to win: 40-1. OWGR: 16. Data Golf: 26. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 2. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 3rd (2022)

In his past eight majors, Cameron Young has five top 10s. Few players can boast that kind of elite record. Young uses his incredible power and accuracy to tame the toughest tracks. The New York native also has two top 10s in his past three starts. Valhalla will be a brutal test, and he can separate when the long game really matters. A bad pick for a regular birdiefest, back this slugger in Louisville.

10. Collin Morikawa

Andrew Redington

Age: 27 Odds to win: 25-1. OWGR: 13. Data Golf: 9. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 4. Best PGA Championship finish: Won (2020)

I loved seeing Collin Morikawa back in the mix at the Masters. The 2020 PGA champion has the long iron accuracy to contend on any major course. With soft conditions looming, those approach skills will help him differentiate himself. In his four PGA starts, Morikawa has gained an average of 10 strokes on the field. The best player of his age group on these tests is back in the conversation.

9. Patrick Cantlay

Age: 32 Odds to win: 31-1. OWGR: 8. Data Golf: 6. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 7. Cuts made: 6. Best PGA Championship finish: 3rd (2019)

A major comparison course for Valhalla is Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village Golf Club. Patrick Cantlay is an annual contender at the Memorial. Architects have traits, and Jack’s course characteristics can be seen clearly in both. Cantlay has been very average by his standards this season. Patrick must make a push here. His major resume needs a couple of wins and what better place to break through than a course your completely comfortable on.

8. Bryson DeChambeau

Age: 30 Odds to win: 31-1. OWGR: 117. Data Golf: 18. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 6. Cuts made: 4. Best PGA Championship finish: 4th (2020, 2023)

Very few courses actually fit Bryson DeChambeau. In many ways, that must be very frustrating. Valhalla is a DeChambeau-style design. Soft conditions mean it will fit him even more. The longest player in the game will attack this course like Winged Foot in 2020 where he won the U.S. Open. The beauty of Bryson will also be his gameplan and touch. An excellent putter can allow him to score in ways others just cannot. That advantage is why he led at Augusta and even more why a PGA Championship will be his next major.

7. Wyndham Clark

Age: 30 Odds to win: 25-1. OWGR: 3. Data Golf: 11. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 3. Cuts made: 1. Best PGA Championship finish: 75th (2021)

Wyndham Clark’s return to Wells Fargo could have been better. Clark also missed the cut at the Masters after an unbelievable start to the season. Fact is, Wyndham is part of the outright winner conversation because of his ability complement raw power with world class touch. On the PGA Tour, he has been a top three player with Schauffele and Scheffler. Can Clark contend again in a big spot? I say yes. Honestly, I really don’t even feel like we have witnessed Wyndham’s full potential. If he goes there this week, he’s one a few who can keep pace with Scottie.

6. Ludvig Åberg

Age: 24 Odds to win: 16-1. OWGR : 6. Data Golf: 3. Player trend: 🔥 PGA Championship appearances: Rookie. Best PGA Championship finish: N/A

The best player to have never played in a major championship rolled up to Magnolia Lane and finished runner-up. I’m not concerned about Ludvig Åberg’s knee and the WD last week at Wells Fargo. This is a rookie! Last year in college, he would have played seven or eight events a semester. He’s played 24 tournaments and a Ryder Cup since leaving school less than a year ago. If anything, this week of rest shows he understands what is most important. Take a break before the big week. Åberg has every skill needed for a deep run this weekend and we all know it.

5. Xander Schauffele

Age: 30 Odds to win: 16-1. OWGR: 4. Data Golf: 2. Player trend: ⬆️ PGA Championship appearances: 7. Cuts made: 5. Best PGA Championship finish: 10th (2020)

What does Schauffele’s disappointing Sunday at Quail Hollow mean for Quail Hollow? Well, for the second time in 2024, he let a 54-hole lead slip away. Xander backers will say that Rory just outplayed him, but even par on a Sunday in a signature event won’t ever get the job done. Schauffele is one of the most well-rounded players in the field. He will be part of the Sunday conversation, but unfortunately just like last week, it’s likely he’ll record his ninth top-10 finish of 2024 but stay winless since July 2022.

4. Jon Rahm

Age: 29 Odds to win: 14-1. OWGR: 5. Data Golf: 5. Player trend: ➡️ PGA Championship appearances: 7. Cuts made: 6. Best PGA Championship finish : 4th (2018

Imagine how angry Jon Rahm must’ve been after his performance at the Masters. We were fuming after making him No. 1 in these rankings and backing him, but we know the Spaniard was running way hotter. I believe Rahm is still a member of the big three at the top. Throughout his career, he has dominated on courses like Valhalla. Torrey Pines, Muirfield Village, Riviera and Augusta National are great examples. There’s no doubt Rahm’s adjustment to life on LIV is a work in progress, but rest assured it is major season and there won’t be any DJs dropping beats at Valhalla.

3. Rory McIlroy

Age: 35 Odds to win: 12-1. OWGR: 2. Data Golf: 4. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 15. Cuts made: 14. Best PGA Championship finish: Won (2012, 2014)

There’s no doubting McIlroy is a generational talent who over his entire career has gained over six strokes on average against the field. He’s also riding in hot off the commanding win at Quail Hollow, a strong comp course with the elite off-the-tee and long-iron game required, and a team win in New Orleans. McIlroy is habitually at the top of major leaderboards, no matter the venue, with has seven top 10s in his last nine. When it comes to major No. 5 on Rory’s resume, don’t stop believin’.

2. Brooks Koepka

Age: 34 Odds to win: 16-1. OWGR: 37. Data Golf: 50. Player trend: ↗️ PGA Championship appearances: 11. Cuts made: 11. Best PGA Championship finish: Won (2018, 2019, 2023)

Brooks Koepka has successfully defended two major championships. Koepka just won LIV Singapore two weeks ago. Brooks has six top 10s and three wins in his last nine PGA Championships. Oak Hill is an excellent comp course for Valhalla. Another interesting comp that really catches my attention is the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club. Koepka captured that title on the same exact agronomy as we will see this week in Kentucky. He’s confident, he will be comfortable, and quite honestly can beat Scottie Scheffler.

1. Scottie Scheffler

Age: 27 Odds to win: +450 OWGR: 1. Data Golf: 1/1 Player trend: 🔥🔥 PGA Championship appearances: 4. Cuts made: 3. Best PGA Championship finish: 2nd (2023)

In his past five starts, Scottie Scheffler is gaining an average of 15 strokes against the field! Not since the days of Tiger Woods have we seen such ball-striking supremacy. Unless there’s a conflict due to the birth of baby Scheffler, there’s no reason why Scottie would not win. Scheffler beat one player by four and the rest of the field by seven last month at a very difficult Masters. He’s gaining 15 strokes on everyone per tournament. If there’s one pick to win the 106th PGA Championship it has to be the undisputed number one player in the world.

Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith's winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_ .

2024 PGA Championship sleeper picks: Here's who might break out at Valhalla

The average height of the PGA Championship winner? Five-foot-nine. 

The most successful astrological sign? Capricorn. 

Did the champion wear a baseball hat? About half did.  

This week, as the year's second major tees off at Valhalla, going about trying to pick a sleeper can be laborious, simply because we are skipping past the obvious contenders and scrolling down to the underdogs, whose odds number tend to match their warts tally. Digging is demanded in this exercise - and the good folks at sportshandle.com have, should you believe in their data. 

Their complete research can be found here , where you'll find the following on previous champions - which may help you unearth a gem:

- Average age 

- Country of birth 

- State of birth, should the winner have been born in the U.S. 

- Average height, as noted above 

- Average weight 

- The most common first-name initial 

- The most common birth month 

- The most common star sign, as noted above 

- Whether they attended college 

- Whether they wore a short-sleeved golf polo shirt on the final day 

- The color of their shirt on the final day 

- The most common clothing sponsor 

- Whether they wore a baseball hat on the final day 

Good stuff. With that, let's continue to mine. Below, members of our staff have each made a long-shot selection to assist you with your own weekly picks , whether those are for a low-stakes office fantasy league, or (legal!) big-bucks bets with a sportsbook. It's an enjoyable endeavor for us. Deploy it as you wish. 

On to our analysis.

2024 PGA Championship sleeper picks to watch 

Ryan barath.

Sleeper pick: Jake Knapp, +15,000. Jake absolutely smashes the golf ball, and that will be a huge advantage at Valhalla. He had a good showing a couple of weeks ago at the Byron Nelson, and he's already won this year, so I'm willing to bet that he could have a sleeper's chance in Louisville.

Adam Christensen 

Sleeper pick: Sam Burns, +6,600. His early season form has disappeared the past few events, but Burns has the type of game that can thrive at Valhalla. If he can be above average with his mid-irons and wedges, he will put himself into the mix on the weekend. 

James Colgan 

Sleeper pick: Jake Knapp +15,000. I feel like Knapp has some shock factor in his game, and any of us who've been paying attention to the week-to-week proceedings of the PGA Tour know he can certainly score.

Dylan Dethier   

Sleeper pick: Akshay Bhatia, +10,000. He's been consistently good and for one week was notably great. He's also made it clear: He's hunting majors. I wouldn't be shocked to see him in the mix.

Emma Devine

Sleeper pick: Jason Day, +5,500. With a handful of top-10 finishes under his belt this year, I think it’s about time Day hoists up that trophy, rocking those sweet Malbon pants.

Nick Dimengo    

Sleeper pick: Cameron Young, +4,000. I'm still convinced that the 27-year-old Young is the best young golfer in the game, and his previous finishes in majors give me confidence that he'll get one of his own soon. With a T9 at this Masters, Young has now placed within the top 10 in five majors in his career, along with two T3 finishes. Now it's time to finish the job.

Connor Federico  

Sleeper pick: Justin Thomas, +4,000. You're welcome to disagree that these 40-1 odds make Thomas a long-shot pick, but he's certainly worth a mention. Thomas missed last year's playoffs and hasn't won an event since the 2022 PGA Championship, but what better place to get his career back on track than in his hometown of Louisville? Justin just got his very own hometown hero award this week, so here's to hoping he can turn that into positive momentum on the golf course.

Jack Hirsh 

Sleeper pick: Sahith Theegala, +5,500. Theegala is the highest-ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings this season without a victory this year. He's already proven he can win on Tour with his win in Napa last fall. Would love to see Team Theegala take over Louisville as the 26-year-old takes his next step with his first major title.

Jessica Marksbury

Sleeper pick: Sahith Theegala, +5,500. This feels like a very nice price for Sahith! He's had five top-10s in 12 events this year, including two runner-ups. And as our betting expert Brady Kannon noted last week, as of the Wells Fargo, Theegala is coming up big in all the important categories, including SG: Off the Tee, Greens in Regulation Gained and Scrambling. He seems due for a big one, and this could be the week.

Zephyr Melton 

Sleeper pick: Dean Burmester, +10,000. Burmester is having a sneaky good season this year playing on the LIV circuit with three top 10s, including a win in Miami, as he sits third in the season-long standings. It remains to be seen if his game will hold up under major pressure, but it's impossible to argue with his form.

Nick Piastowski 

Sleeper pick: Nicolai Hojgaard, +12,500. I love these odds. He'll contend. 

Sleeper pick: Sahith Theegala. +6,600. I'd be surprised if Scheffler's newborn baby doesn't nab at least a T25, but since I don't see those odds on the board, I'll go with another youngster with a ton of natural talent who has acquitted himself well in a few majors already. Theegala is the real deal. Just a matter of time before he wins a biggie. He's a tempting play at this number.

The post 2024 PGA Championship sleeper picks: Here's who might break out at Valhalla  appeared first on Golf .

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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP ’24: Capsules of 10 key players at Valhalla

FILE - From left are golfers Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods. The 106th PGA Championship is scheduled to be played at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., May 16-19. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - From left are golfers Ludvig Aberg, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy. The 106th PGA Championship is scheduled to be played at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., May 16-19. (AP Photo/File)

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A capsule look at 10 key players going into the PGA Championship, which starts May 16 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Listed in predicted order of finish:

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER

Country: United States.

World ranking: 1.

Worldwide wins: 11.

Majors: Masters (2022, 2024).

Best PGA Championship finish: Runner-up at Oak Hill in 2023.

Backspin: Scheffler has won three of his last four starts, including his second Masters. The exception was a runner-up finish in Houston. A decent putting week means he’ll be in contention. A good putting week usually means an easy win. But he comes into the PGA Championship off a three-week break for the birth of his first child.

BROOKS KOEPKA

World ranking: 37.

Worldwide wins: 16.

Majors: PGA Championship (2018, 2019, 2023), U.S. Open (2017, 2018).

Best PGA Championship finish: Won at Bellerive in 2018, Bethpage Black in 2019 and Oak Hill in 2023.

Backspin: Koepka restored his reputation as “Big Game Brooks” last year by winning his fifth major in seven years. He wasn’t a factor in his three majors since winning at Oak Hill. But he won a LIV Golf event in Singapore that was sure to boost his confidence.

RORY MCILROY

Country: Northern Ireland.

World ranking: 2.

Worldwide wins: 35.

Majors: PGA Championship (2012, 2014), U.S. Open (2011), British Open (2014).

Best PGA Championship finish: Won at Kiawah Island in 2012 and Valhalla in 2014.

Backspin: McIlroy can’t come to a major without being reminded of what he hasn’t done. His PGA Championship title at Valhalla in 2014 was the last time he won a major. The Masters was another letdown for him. At least he comes to Valhalla having won the team event in New Orleans with Shane Lowry.

LUDVIG ABERG

Country: Sweden.

World ranking: 6.

Worldwide wins: 2.

Majors: None.

Best PGA Championship finish: Making his PGA Championship debut.

Backspin: Aberg is starting to be anointed as the biggest threat to Scottie Scheffler and this is only his second major appearance. He was runner-up to Scheffler in his major debut at the Masters. He was in the mix the next week. Rough-framed fairways would seem to suit him with his length and accuracy off the tee.

JORDAN SPIETH

World ranking: 21.

Majors: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), British Open (2017).

Best PGA Championship finish: Runner-up at Whistling Straits in 2015.

Backspin: This will be Spieth’s eighth attempt at trying to complete the career Grand Slam and join the most exclusive group in golf. The good news for Spieth is expectations have rarely been this low. He is getting next to nothing out of his game. He has missed the cut in four of his last five tournaments that had a 36-hole cut, including the Masters.

Country: Spain.

World ranking: 5.

Worldwide wins: 20.

Majors: Masters (2023), U.S. Open (2021).

Best PGA Championship finish: Tied for fourth at Bellerive in 2018.

Backspin: Rahm has gone 13 months without winning, and he is 0-for-7 on LIV Golf since he defected in December to the Saudi-funded league. He was lucky to make the cut at the Masters. But an angry Rahm can also be a dangerous one in the majors.

World ranking: 10.

Worldwide wins: 7.

Best PGA Championship finish: Tied for 13th at Southern Hills in 2022.

Backspin: The last piece of the puzzle for Homa is the majors and he showed up in a big way at the Masters. He challenged all the way until a bad break on the par-3 12th at Augusta National but came away believing his game can stack up to the biggest tests.

JUSTIN THOMAS

World ranking: 29.

Worldwide wins: 15.

Majors: PGA Championship (2017, 2022).

Best PGA Championship finish: Won at Quail Hollow in 2017 and Southern Hills in 2022.

Backspin: This is a rare occasion where a player has a hometown major. Thomas has gone winless since his second PGA Championship title two years ago, though his game is never as far off as it looks. The test will be not to try too hard before a home crowd. This will be his third tournament with new caddie Matt Minister.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU

World ranking: 117.

Majors: U.S Open (2020).

Best PGA Championship finish: Tied for fourth at Harding Park in 2020 and at Oak Hill in 2023.

Backspin: DeChambeau has played well enough to win twice on LIV Golf, but more telling are the majors. He opened with a 66 at the PGA Championship last year and was on the fringe of contention in the final round. He shared the 36-hole lead at the Masters last month until a slow slide. Cleaning up a few mistakes could go a long way.

TIGER WOODS

World ranking: 801.

Worldwide wins: 93.

Majors: Masters (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019), PGA Championship (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007), U.S Open (2000, 2002, 2008), British Open (2000, 2005, 2006).

Best PGA Championship finish: Won at Medinah (1999, 2006), Valhalla (2000) and Southern Hills (2007).

Backspin: Woods won at Valhalla in 2000 when he was 24 and healthy. He has not played since making the cut and then finishing in last place at the Masters, and the PGA Championship will be only his third tournament this year. A fifth PGA title would tie the record held by Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.

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Akshay Bhatia’s Valhalla history gives him confidence ahead of PGA Championship

“Did you chunk it?”

All Akshay Bhatia could do was shake his head at the ridiculous question from his friend after the round. Sixteen-year-old Bhatia had just sunk a near-impossible 40-foot chip for an eagle. And this was not your average hole out. Bhatia did it on the 72nd hole of the 2018 Junior PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. A downhill slider from just long of the par 5, which he reached in two.

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It is not an exaggeration to say that Bhatia left himself with one of the most precarious chips possible around the horseshoe-shaped green complex. And with the clubhouse leader one shot ahead, Bhatia needed an up-and-down birdie to tie and move into a sudden-death playoff.

He did one better instead.

“It was one of the clutchest moments of my career,” Bhatia said three weeks before the PGA Championship’s return to Valhalla for the fourth time.

Earlier today, Akshay Bhatia won the #JuniorPGA at @ValhallaGolf … by doing this! pic.twitter.com/MeITpo4ufH — PGA of America (@PGA) August 4, 2018

The chip was airborne for less than a yard — hence the inquiry about it being an accidental mishit — before it softly landed on the putting surface and picked up speed. The lefty retracted his wedge into his right hand like a knight returning his sword to his sheath as he watched his ball head directly toward the cup. It was all part of Bhatia’s plan.

“I hit it exactly how I wanted to,” Bhatia said. “It was one of those chips where you just have to tap the golf ball and it’s going to feed down to the hole.”

The teenage golf sensation triumphantly pumped his clenched fists as the ball fell over the hole’s edge, family and friends joining him in celebration around the green. With the improbable chip-in, Bhatia defended his 2017 Junior PGA title, becoming the first back-to-back champion in the event’s 48-year history. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have all played in the prestigious junior tournament. Sam Burns and Trevor Immelman have won it. Bhatia is the only player who has come out on top twice.

He might not have known it then, but the confidence Bhatia mustered to visualize and execute that shot epitomizes exactly why he came out on top on that sticky afternoon in Louisville. It also explains how he made it back to Valhalla six years later, this time as a PGA Tour player making his first PGA Championship start.

He stands a couple of inches taller, and a few additional pounds support his recognizable lanky physique. His signature eyeglasses have shape-shifted from nerdy rectangles to sleek, rounded frames. A few more trophies stand on his shelf at home in Wake Forest, N.C. Bhatia is ready as ever to compete in his third major, at the same venue that started it all: The Kentucky course awaits another flash of brilliance from the former golf prodigy.

Full-circle moments are starting to feel like regularly scheduled programming for Bhatia.

Last month, the 22-year-old clinched his second PGA Tour victory at the Valero Texas Open in a one-hole playoff against Denny McCarthy to earn the final Masters invitation up for grabs. He was the last player to be added to the field at Augusta National, but his entry had another significance.

That week Bhatia became the first Drive, Chip & Putt Finals alum to tee it up in the Masters, 10 years after participating in the competition for 7-to-15-year-olds hosted annually at Augusta National.

Friday morning, he found himself next to Tiger Woods on the practice green.

“Tiger came up to me and said congrats,” Bhatia said. “He joked around with me and gave me a nickname. The first time I met him, it was just a handshake in line with a bunch of other junior golfers. For Tiger Woods to recognize me as a player and a person is something I’ll cherish as a memory from my first Masters.”

He made the cut in his Masters debut and finished tied for 35th.

Threads continue to string themselves together throughout Bhatia’s career, with Valhalla being the latest example. The trend won’t stop here. Why? Bhatia has been winning and succeeding at the game’s highest levels for a long time.

Bhatia’s journey to his current position as the No. 33-ranked player in the world, per DataGolf.com, was unconventional. But Bhatia wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Already gaining significant traction on the amateur golf scene as a middle schooler, Bhatia’s parents, Sonny and Renu, knew they had a special talent on their hands. Renu took on additional work outside of her 9-to-5 corporate planning job to continue supporting her son’s dream of becoming a professional golfer. Sonny traveled with Bhatia to tournaments across the country. Bhatia took advantage, honing his craft nonstop.

The accolades kept coming. When Bhatia won tournaments, he’d ask his coach at the time, George Gankas, what he could have done to win by more. He would speak about getting bored when playing so well, always searching for a new skill to perfect on the course. Bhatia’s relentless, never-satisfied attitude was innate. His parents decided to transition Bhatia to online home school starting in sixth grade.

Most elite junior golfers in the U.S. have sights set on verbal commitment offers from Stanford, Texas or another top-tier Division I golf program. Bhatia had a different vision, and his parents were on board, despite his older sister Rhea enjoying college golf at Queens University of Charlotte. Bhatia wanted to skip college and turn professional as soon as he completed online high school, and that’s exactly what he did. A path that American juniors rarely dare to take was the only option Bhatia ever truly considered.

A 17-year-old Bhatia turned pro at the 2019 Sanderson Farms Championship. Already growing a social media following for his junior dominance and powerful swing, Bhatia received seven sponsor exemptions to PGA Tour events. He missed all seven cuts. Bhatia wasn’t sitting in a classroom, but he was learning.

He didn’t earn a fast track to the PGA Tour by succeeding in those coveted sponsor exemptions, like college stars Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa had done that summer. Instead, Bhatia had to grind it out on the mini-tours. He encountered all sorts of unforeseen hurdles: His mental game was in disarray and the onset of the pandemic limited his competitive schedule. Many questioned his decision to forgo an NCAA career.

Traveling the country as a sub-21-year-old presented its challenges. While competing on the Korn Ferry Tour, Bhatia was forced to drive a U-Haul to the Wichita Open because he was too young to rent an SUV.

Finally, Bhatia made his first PGA Tour cut and found a groove. He won a Korn Ferry Tour event in 2022. He secured special temporary member status on the PGA Tour by early 2023. Bhatia parlayed the opportunity into his maiden PGA Tour victory at the opposite-field Barracuda Championship that July, where he sunk a 15-foot putt to force a playoff.

He captured his second victory on tour at the Valero in a similar fashion. After Bhatia made the turn with a comfortable six-shot lead, Denny McCarthy charged, making eight birdies on the back nine to shoot a back-nine 28. Bhatia again faced a putt that would determine his fate: He drained an 11-footer for birdie to enter a playoff, and the ensuing fist pump was so forceful it nearly threw out his bad shoulder. He won in sudden-death play.

Bhatia’s winning instinct took over. He executed the task at hand when it mattered the most. Sound familiar?

“I always go back to those three moments I’ve had,” Bhatia said, “Barracuda, Valero and Valhalla. Those are all shots I needed to make and I was able to do it three times. It shows me that I can dig deep and truly embrace the moment when a lot of people can’t.”

Near ACE for Akshay Bhatia on 17. 😨 📺: Golf Channel & @peacock | @WellsFargoGolf pic.twitter.com/yxJGidZqeC — Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 11, 2024

That summer at Valhalla, Bhatia was in the middle of his most successful junior golf season. The No. 1 junior in the world at the time, Bhatia was busy claiming victory after victory. He began winning the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, just 20 miles from Augusta National. A few weeks later, he claimed the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic title by 10 shots, his sixth victory on the elite junior tour.

Then it came time to chase junior golf’s pinnacle achievement: the U.S. Junior Amateur, a match-play format tournament with a 36-hole championship match, hosted at Baltusrol Golf Club in 2018. It was no surprise when Bhatia made it to the finals. But that Sunday Bhatia was outplayed. Fellow 16-year-old Michael Thorbjornsen defeated Bhatia in a thrilling back-and-forth battle, winning 1 up on the final hole.

The loss stung, but Bhatia pressed on. The Junior PGA — where he had won the year prior by shooting a record-breaking 61 — was the next major junior event on his schedule.

Bhatia remembers bits and pieces of his historic week in Kentucky in 2018. He recalls studying the hole locations from the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, when Rory McIlroy won his last major championship. When the tournament began, Bhatia recognized the pin positions from his pre-tournament research. He felt like he suddenly had a leg up on the rest of the field.

Bhatia can grudgingly recount shooting a 4-over 76 in the second round. He needed a pep talk from his coach, Chase Duncan, in the car. The next day he fired a 7-under 65 to take a share of the lead heading into Sunday.

Then came the eagle hole-out that cemented his status as a junior golf legend.

“We were expecting him to get it up and down, no question,” said Canon Claycomb, a current member of the University of Alabama men’s golf team who finished top five at the Junior PGA. “The chip was so hard. We were all kind of joking, ‘He’s gonna make this’ because he had just killed everyone all year.”

But Bhatia knows he is the same in many ways. He’ll always be the fearless competitor who got up and down from jail on the 18th green at Valhalla for the win.

The shot was far from a “chunk” that got lucky. It was the chip that started it all.

(Top photo: Logan Riely / Getty Images)

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Gabby Herzig is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering golf. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a breaking news writer for Sports Illustrated’s golf vertical and a contributing editor at Golf Digest. She is a graduate of Pomona College, where she captained the varsity women’s golf team.