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PGA Tour Pros’ Favourite Golf Courses

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm are among the biggest names in golf to have revealed their favourite golf courses.

Tiger Woods won two of his three Claret Jugs at the Old Course at St. Andrews and loves the place. “Playing at St Andrews is literally the best. It’s like going back in time. It’s one of the greatest walks coming up 18, to see the whole town there. Every great player that has ever played the game has played St Andrews. You can’t say that about any other golf course.”

Rory McIlroy, who wasn’t a fan in the past, has now come around to the hallowed venue: “The more you play it, the more you learn about the course and its nuances, the more you learn to appreciate it. Now it’s my favourite golf course in the world.”

Though he still loves the courses from his youth in Northern Ireland : “ Royal County Down , a gem of a links course. Known around the world, it regularly stands high in ‘top 100 courses’ guides, and rightly so.”

Brooks Koepka also revealed his love for the Old Course: “St Andrews, my favourite golf course in the world. I can play that every day and not get tired of it, it’s my favourite place in the entire world. The town is just so much fun.”

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler chose Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma as his favourite course, while No. 3 Jon Rahm said: “There are too many. Pine Valley would be at the top of the list, though.” Phil Mickelson named Pebble Beach as his final favourite golf destination: “For a golfer, Pebble Beach and the surrounding area is a must-visit.”

Viktor Hovland picked Real Club Valderrama , host of the 1997 Ryder Cup, as his favourite European course, though he recently set the course record at Lofoten Links in his native Norway , 95 miles above the Arctic Circle, and said: “It’s amazing how they can build a golf course in such a remote area and still have the course be really good. It’s pretty special.”

Justin Rose , asked by All Square to pick his top courses, had a special mention for Sunningdale Old Course in England : “It’s just how I see golf. You’re walking through a forest; it’s like a walk and you’re carrying your golf clubs. The aesthetics of it are unbelievable. It’s called heathland-style golf and it’s quite specific to that region, and this is how I see the game.”

Martin Kaymer also sat down with All Square and was asked about his favourite golf courses and his bucket-list venue. “I would say St Andrews because I’ve won there and it’s one of the most iconic golf courses.” His bucket-list course? “That must be Pine Valley . I would also like to play Cypress Point , but Pine Valley is apparently the number one golf course in America .”

Max Homa chose Riviera Country Club in his native California as the number one course he has played on tour, but has also in the past picked The National Golf Links of America . Matt Fitzpatrick opted for Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina because it suits his game, beating Augusta National into second place. “It’s my favourite course by a mile,” he said.

Going back a few years, what about golf’s true legends? 18-times major winner Jack Nicklaus named his Muirfield Village Golf Club , venue for the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour , after Muirfield in Scotland where he won the first of his three British Opens.

But the 73-time PGA Tour winner said Pebble Beach in California was his favourite: “I’ve always said, if I had one round of golf left to play, I’d play it at Pebble Beach. I think the Monterey Peninsula is probably the most unique place in the United States for golf.”

Gary Player picked St. Andrews as his number one followed by Augusta National and Trump Turnberry , while Tom Watson once said about Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Scotland, where he’s an honorary member: “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course”.

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10 Best PGA Tour Courses Picked by Pros

The top PGA Tour courses favored by professional golfers offer a perfect blend of challenging play, historic moments, and stunning vistas. Here are the courses that made the cut:

• Riviera Country Club - Rich history, classic design, and drivable par 4s
• Muirfield Village - Jack Nicklaus' masterpiece with elevation changes and water hazards
• Harbour Town - Demands accuracy over power with narrow fairways
• TPC Sawgrass - Famous for the iconic island green on the 17th hole
• Pebble Beach - Scenic beauty combined with a challenging layout
• Quail Hollow - Demanding course with Southern hospitality and the 'Green Mile' finish
• Aronimink Golf Club - Narrow fairways and fast, undulating greens
• Innisbrook's Copperhead Course - Tight fairways, bunkers, and the 'Snake Pit' stretch
• TPC San Antonio - Divisive course with narrow fairways and demanding greens
• TPC Scottsdale - Site of career-defining moments like Tiger's hole-in-one

Quick Comparison:

1. Riviera Country Club : A Pro Favorite

Riviera Country Club is a top pick among tour professionals due to its rich history and classic design. Let's explore what makes this venue a recurring favorite on the PGA Tour.

History and Rankings

Founded in 1926, Riviera Country Club has consistently challenged the world's best golfers with its 18 holes. It's ranked as one of the top 50 golf courses in the world and a top 25 in the United States.

Tournaments and Layout

Riviera has hosted numerous prestigious tournaments, including The Genesis Invitational. The club's natural layout, designed by George C. Thomas, is a standout feature. Thomas, an amateur architect, created the course free of charge.

Unique Features

Riviera's drivable par 4s and challenging greens make it a favorite among pros. The 10th hole is particularly notable, with bunkers protecting the green on its right, left, and back. The combination of deep bunkers and a skinny putting surface makes getting up-and-down difficult, even for the best shot-shapers in the world.

Atmosphere and History

The club's relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, along with its dedication to documenting its history, including its "Holes in One Club" and course records, make Riviera a beloved destination for golf enthusiasts. With its rich history, challenging layout, and welcoming atmosphere, it's no wonder Riviera Country Club is a pro favorite.

2. Muirfield Village : Jack Nicklaus' Masterpiece

Muirfield Village Golf Club, located in Dublin, Ohio, is a private golf club designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus. This course has been a favorite among professional golfers and enthusiasts alike, hosting the Memorial Tournament since 1976.

Course Features

What makes it special.

Muirfield Village demands attention and consideration on every shot, making it a quintessential shotmaker's course. The par 5s are reachable in two, but require precise execution to avoid water hazards and bunkers. The back nine is particularly renowned for its superior terrain, excellent risk-reward holes, and a memorable test of skill.

Awards and Accolades

Muirfield Village has consistently ranked among the top golf courses in the world, earning numerous awards and accolades. It has been rated as one of the top 20 golf courses in the United States and has hosted numerous high-profile tournaments, including the Memorial Tournament and the Presidents Cup.

3. Harbour Town: Accuracy Over Power

Harbour Town Golf Links is a course that demands accuracy over power, making it a favorite among professional golfers. Learn why its narrow fairways and distinctive layout appeal to precision-focused players.

Located in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Harbour Town Golf Links is a Pete Dye design that has been a staple on the PGA Tour since 1969. This course requires precision and strategy over brute strength, making it a great fit for professionals who value accuracy.

Harbour Town's unique layout winds through neighborhoods and features several holes along Calibogue Sound, providing a challenging and scenic test of golf. The course's emphasis on accuracy over power makes it a great fit for professionals who value precision and strategy.

Harbour Town Golf Links has consistently ranked among the top golf courses in the world, earning numerous awards and accolades. It has been rated as one of the top 20 golf courses in the United States and has hosted numerous high-profile tournaments, including the RBC Heritage and the PGA Tour.

4. TPC Sawgrass : The Iconic Island Green

TPC Sawgrass is famous for its island green on the 17th hole, but there's more to this course that pros love. Let's explore the features that make it a staple of the tour.

Located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, TPC Sawgrass is the home of the PGA Tour headquarters and has hosted the Players Championship annually since 1982. The course, designed by Pete Dye, is a modern masterpiece that demands precision and strategy from golfers of all levels.

TPC Sawgrass is a must-play for every serious golfer. The course offers a memorable experience, with many great holes that require the use of every club. The iconic island green on the 17th hole is a standout feature, but the entire course is a testament to Pete Dye's unique design philosophy.

TPC Sawgrass has consistently ranked among the top golf courses in the world, earning numerous awards and accolades. It has been rated as one of the top 10 golf courses in the United States and has hosted numerous high-profile tournaments, including the Players Championship.

5. Pebble Beach : Scenic Beauty and Challenge

Pebble Beach is a course that offers more than just stunning views; its challenging layout is a test for even the best golfers. Let's explore what makes it a favorite among tour professionals.

Located in Pebble Beach, California, this iconic course has hosted numerous high-profile tournaments, including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, Pebble Beach Golf Links boasts a rating of 8.56 and is known for its scenic beauty and challenging holes.

Pebble Beach requires a high level of skill and strategy. The course's scenic beauty, combined with its challenging layout, makes it a favorite among tour professionals. The course's iconic holes, including the 7th and 17th, are a testament to its unique design philosophy.

Many professionals have praised Pebble Beach, calling it their favorite place to play. Whether you're a professional or an amateur, Pebble Beach is an experience you won't soon forget.

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6. quail hollow: a demanding course.

Quail Hollow Club is known for its challenging course and Southern hospitality, making it a preferred stop for professionals, particularly for Rory McIlroy. Let's explore the features that make it stand out.

Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, Quail Hollow is a par-71 layout measuring 7,538 yards on the scorecard. The course is a mix of long holes and hilly terrain, with firm and fast playing conditions.

The course's challenging 'Green Mile' finishing holes, including the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes, are a testament to its demanding design philosophy. The 18th hole, in particular, is a tough one, requiring precision off the tee to avoid the creek on the left and produce a good angle into a green protected by water on the left and bunkers.

Many professionals have praised Quail Hollow, calling it one of the TOUR's more distinguished venues. Whether you're a professional or an amateur, Quail Hollow is a course that will test your skills and leave you with an unforgettable experience.

7. Other Pro Favorites

Beyond the top picks, courses like Aronimink and Innisbrook's Copperhead also earn high marks from the pros. Let's examine what these courses offer that earns them an honorable mention.

Aronimink Golf Club

Located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Aronimink Golf Club is a par-70 layout measuring 7,237 yards on the scorecard. The course is known for its:

Many professionals have praised Aronimink, citing its challenging design and excellent conditioning.

Innisbrook's Copperhead Course

Situated in Palm Harbor, Florida, Innisbrook's Copperhead Course is a par-71 layout measuring 7,340 yards on the scorecard. The course is famous for its:

Professionals appreciate Copperhead's demanding layout and the need for strategic play.

Both Aronimink and Copperhead offer a unique blend of challenge and playability, making them favorites among professional golfers. While they may not be as well-known as some of the other courses on this list, they are certainly worthy of recognition for their exceptional design and conditioning.

8. Courses with Mixed Reviews

Some PGA Tour courses receive mixed opinions from professional golfers. While they may not be as highly regarded as other courses, they still offer unique challenges and opportunities for players to test their skills.

TPC San Antonio : A Divisive Course

TPC San Antonio, home of the Valero Texas Open, is a course that polarizes opinions among professional golfers. Its narrow fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and demanding greens make it a challenging test of golf.

Other Courses with Mixed Reviews

Other courses that receive mixed reviews from the pros include Trinity Forest and TPC Louisiana. While they may not be as highly regarded as some of the other courses on the PGA Tour, they still offer unique challenges and opportunities for players to test their skills.

These courses may not be everyone's favorite, but they are still an integral part of the PGA Tour and offer a unique test of golf for the professionals who play them.

9. Non-Tour Courses Pros Love

While the PGA Tour features many incredible courses, some professional golfers have a special affinity for courses that aren't part of the regular tour schedule. These courses hold a revered status among golf professionals despite not being regular tour venues.

Iconic Courses

Two such courses are the Old Course at St. Andrews and Augusta National . The Old Course at St. Andrews is Tiger Woods' all-time favorite course, known for its rich history and challenging layout. Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament, is another course highly regarded by professionals for its iconic holes and challenging conditions.

These courses may not be part of the PGA Tour, but they are still an important part of the golfing world, and many professionals relish the opportunity to play them.

10. Career-Defining Courses

In professional golf, certain courses have become synonymous with career-defining moments. These courses have witnessed historic victories, dramatic comebacks, and unforgettable performances that have shaped the legacies of golf's greatest players.

TPC Scottsdale : A Course of Firsts

TPC Scottsdale has been the backdrop for numerous career-defining moments. From Tiger Woods' memorable hole-in-one in 1997 to Phil Mickelson's wire-to-wire victory in 2013, this course has consistently pushed players to their limits.

Other courses, such as the Old Course at St. Andrews and Augusta National, have also played a significant role in shaping the careers of professional golfers. These iconic courses have hosted numerous major championships and have been the site of many historic moments in golf.

By examining the courses that have played a significant role in shaping the careers of professional golfers, we can gain a deeper understanding of what makes a course truly special. Whether it's the challenging layout, the rich history, or the electric atmosphere, these courses have earned their place in the annals of golf history.

The Best of the Best

These top PGA Tour courses offer a unique blend of beauty, challenge, and history that resonates with professional golfers. From Riviera Country Club to Quail Hollow, each course has earned its place in the hearts of the sport's best players.

What Makes Them Special

By examining the characteristics that make these courses stand out, we can gain a deeper understanding of what makes a course truly special.

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These courses have hosted major championships and annual PGA Tour events, not to mention delivering memorable and distinctive playing experiences.

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If you were to ask avid golfers for a list of the greatest US courses, you’d assuredly receive responses that included Augusta National, Pine Valley, and Cypress Point. You’d likely also get votes for National Golf Links of America, Shinnecock Hills, Oakmont Country Club, and Merion Golf Club, to name just a few more. We’re not taking anything away from those heralded courses, but a list of golf destinations that are so exceptional—but also so guardedly private—that only their fortunate members and guests can enjoy them is rather limiting. In essence, it’s a collection of aspirational rounds that are just that: fantasies.

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That got us thinking. What would a top-25 list of US golf courses look like if we focused only on courses that the public can play? With that in mind, here is our list of the the best 25 US courses you can play. It’s a list that emphasizes layouts that have hosted major championships or annual PGA Tour events, as well as courses that deliver memorable and distinctive playing experiences. In some cases, we also included courses that provide golfers with an opportunity to humbly brag about their rounds after the fact. In the instances when a golf resort with multiple courses is listed, we tried our best to limit our selection to a single course from that property. Had we not, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort might occupy 20 percent of this list.

So, as the golf season kicks into high gear, we hope this group of recommendations help you schedule a few memorable rounds of golf on truly special courses. If you do, enjoy the experience and hit ’em straight!

Bandon Dunes Resort ( Pacific Dunes Course) , Oregon

Photo: Courtesy of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Considered by many to be Tom Doak’s first masterpiece, Pacific Dunes at Bandon Dunes Resort effectively put Mike Keiser’s premier golf property on the map. Not to take anything away from the resort’s eponymous debut course designed by David McLay Kidd, but Pacific Dunes made the golfing world take notice for two reasons. The first, according to Keiser, is strictly about numbers. “One course is a curiosity,” the 77-year-old golf developer has often said. “Two courses is a destination.”

In some respects, the second reason why Pacific Dunes first made an impact is also about numbers. The 6,633-yard course was the first modern layout to let the topography of the site dictate how the course’s routing took shape. As a result, the first six holes on the back nine feature three par 3s, two par 5s, and only one par 4. “I think many outsiders felt that it was very bold,” Keiser says of the decision to build a course with such an unconventional scorecard. “But Tom and I both felt that the routing fit the site perfectly.”

Bay Hill Resort ( Champion/Challenger Course) , Florida

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Most PGA Tour venues that are open to the public provide exciting, bucket-list rounds of golf explicitly because of the annual Tour events that they host, the famous shots that have been hit there, or sometimes the famous individual holes that those courses have become synonymous with. The Champion/Challenger course at Bay Hill Resort in Orlando, Fla., checks all of those boxes. Yet, Bay Hill Resort also warrants a visit for its association with one esteemed golfer (and the property’s owner): Arnold Palmer.

The golf course , originally designed by Dick Wilson in 1960, hosted a charity exhibition match in 1965, which Palmer won. It was his first time visiting and playing the course, and he was immediately enamored with it, so much so that in 1970 he took a 5-year lease on the property with an option to buy. In 1979, four years after taking ownership of the course, Palmer secured an annual PGA Tour event, now known as The Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Palmer’s presence can be felt all across the property thanks to photos, statues, and other mementos; yet, The King also left his fingerprints on the golf course via a sweeping renovation in 2009 that redesigned every green, reworked every bunker, and altered the layout of four holes, stretching the total yardage to 7,196. The course is typically open only to members and their guests; however, non-members who stay at the lodge are granted access to tee times.

Bethpage State Park ( Black Course), New York

Bethpage State Park

The sign posted on the wrought iron fence just behind the first tee box of the Black Course at Bethpage State Park tells you all you need to know: “Warning – The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.” That’s not hyperbole. The middle tees play just under 6,700 yards, yet the course rating is more than 3 strokes above par, while the layout’s slope rating comes in just a tick under 150. Even Jordan Spieth ranks the Black Course within the top five most difficult layouts that he’s ever played.

Despite all of the implied frustration that the sign and course ratings suggest, most golfers will be enamored by the prospect of playing a really difficult course—even if it comes at the expense of posting a good score. In that way, a round at Bethpage Black is badge of honor. Moreover, the course makes our list for being one of only six public golf courses that have hosted a US Open. If you should play it, prepare yourself for elevated greens defined by almost indistinguishable contours (meaning putts will break in directions that you might not expect). You should also be prepared for massive and, in some cases, steeply banked bunkers (some of the largest and most creative that A.W. Tillinghast, the course’s original architect, ever built).

In other words, prepare for a challenging round of golf. And if you’re not, you clearly didn’t read the sign.

Chambers Bay, Washington

Chambers Bay

When Chambers Bay hosted the US Open in 2015, much of the attention on the course focused on bumpy, irregular, and inconsistent putting surfaces—an unfortunate circumstance brought on by native Poa Annua grasses sprouting up across much of the fescue-seeded greens. Such rough conditioning sparked harsh criticism from many of the players competing in the major, which not only detracted from the event but also the golf course’s otherwise dynamic layout.

Since then, Chambers Bay’s superintendent and the team of groundskeepers have re-seeded the greens with the indigenous species of grass, which has allowed the course to shine—and to be appreciated—for what it is. After all, the young course (circa 2007) won its bid for the US Open for a reason.

Although many of the holes at Chambers Bay look and play like a traditional links course, the venue is unique in that it was built across an abandoned sand quarry. For that reason, the course feels like a fusion of links and mountain golf, which introduces a challenging juxtaposition of styles and strategies that golfers must navigate throughout their rounds.

Erin Hills, Wisconsin

Erin Hills Golf Course

Erin Hills, in central Wisconsin, is a young course with a lot of history. That is to say, the undulating topography upon which the course was built was formed thousands of years ago when glaciers receded from the area. Embracing the course’s natural landscape, Erin Hills’ founders cleverly crafted a slogan which gets right to the point: “a course 10,000 years in the making.”

The course hosted the US Open in 2017, which immediately put it on every enthusiastic golf traveler’s radar, but the layout is worthy of considerable praise even without that championship pedigree, largely due to the dynamic elevation changes that shape each hole. Notably, those ridges and hills weren’t manufactured when the course was built in the mid-2000s. “You would never have thought a course naturally shaped by glaciers would have such incredible elevation change on almost every hole,” says Jim Lombardo, Erin Hills’ head golf professional. “It’s remarkable.”

Stretching beyond 7,700 yards from the black tees, the course can be downright brutal, especially if golfers let their egos get in the way. “People who play too far back are in trouble off the tee all day long,” Lombardo acknowledges. “Even if you’re on the fence between two tee boxes, start with the ones that are a little closer. The course is hard enough as it is.”

Firestone Country Club ( South Course) , Ohio

Firestone Country Club

If you want to play a classic, tree-lined course that is as beautiful as it is challenging, not to mention one that exudes an air of exclusive and has seen some of the sport’s greatest players claim victory, you could try to secure an invitation to Augusta National. However, you could also opt for one of Firestone Country Club’s stay and play packages, which gets you access to the private club’s South Course, a venue that has hosted three PGA Championships and 19 World Golf Championship events.

The parkland layout meanders up and down and across rolling hills, and its pastoral setting can lull first-time visitors into a false sense of security. But make no mistake, the South Course at Firestone Country Club is deceptively difficult. “The South is a very strategic golf course that requires playing from the fairway,” says Tommy Moore, the club’s former director of golf. “If you just miss the fairway by a yard, it’s effectively a half-stroke or full-stroke penalty. It can be punishing, even if you’re just one or two steps off the fairway.”

Adds Jay Walkinshaw, Firestone’s general manager: “Physically, it’s not a challenging golf course. The South is very straightforward and lays out well in front of you, but it requires you to be mentally tough to play almost every shot. It’s a tough test of golf.”

Forest Dunes (The Loop), Michigan

Evan Schiller Photography

If you aspire to tee it up on the Old Course in St Andrews but can’t get across the pond, a round of golf on a Tom Doak-designed golf course here in the States is, in many respects, the next best thing. As a college student, Doak spent a year of independent study in the UK and Ireland, which included a summer caddying at the Old Course and also routinely picking the brain of its resident greenkeeper. During those months, Doak began to understand how subtle ridges and hollows—and the occasional overt mound—can infuse a golf course with character, creating a dynamic environment that can play differently every day.

In Roscommon, Michigan, The Loop embraces that ethos. The course’s minimalist design across firm and fast terrain makes it one of the few layouts in the United States that effectively emulate true Scottish links land. Equally significant, The Loop is one of the few (and the first) reversible courses in the country—it plays clockwise one day and counterclockwise the next. Not only does the course feature examples of classic golf architecture, such as Biarritz and Redan greens, it also encourages golfers to see and appreciate a singular piece of property from different perspectives one day to the next.

Gamble Sands, Washington

Gamble Sands Golf Club

When Gamble Sands opened in 2014, the American links course, set atop an expansive, sandy, desert-like plateau overlooking the Columbia River Valley, represented a shift in design philosophy for architect David McLay Kidd. Prior to that, Kidd had created a series of courses that were equally demanding and difficult, but he broke that mold with Gamble Sands.

Unlike many courses in the Pacific Northwest, which are defined—and sometimes feel constricted—by heavily forested corridors, Gamble Sands is distinctive for being treeless. Because of that, Kidd took the approach that bigger is better. The course features exceptionally wide fairways—to the point that the term “generous” doesn’t do them justice—equally sprawling greens, and it delivers breathtaking vistas.

At Gamble Sands, it’s not inconceivable to say that average players are likely to shoot their best scores. Such a declaration is supported by the fact that Kidd created player friendly ridges and contours that steer shots away from bunkers and other troublesome areas. Furthermore, those wide and firm fescue fairways allow balls to bounce and roll for a long time. Couple that with Eastern Washington’s thin desert air, and the conditions are right for players of all ability levels to hit massively long drives that also stay on the short grass. That’s a foolproof formula for success.

The Greenbrier ( The Old White Course) , West Virginia

The Greenbrier Golf Club

There aren’t many courses in the country that have routinely hosted a PGA Tour event, are open for public play, and have a deep history stretching back more than a century. The Old White course at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia is one of them. Designed by Charles Blair (C.B.) Macdonald, the course opened in 1914 and features several classic hole designs from the best links courses throughout the United Kingdom. The 8th hole, for example, was styled after North Berwick Golf Club’s famous “Redan” green; the 13th hole was modeled after the “Alps” at Prestwick; and the 15th hole bears a striking resemblance to the “Eden” hole on the Old Course in St Andrews.

The Old White garnered its name from a hotel that stood on the resort’s grounds from 1858 to 1922, but the course’s design and character cannot be attributed just to C.B. Macdonald. Seth Raynor, one of Macdonald’s contemporaries and associates, assisted in the layout’s original construction and returned during the 1920s to oversee a handful of renovations.

The 7,292-yard course hosted a PGA Tour event for a decade (from 2010 to 2019), but it also served as the venue for the US Women’s Amateur Championship in 1922.

Harbour Town Golf Links, South Carolina

The Sea Pines Resort/Rob Tipton

There aren’t many golf courses in the United States that host annual PGA Tour events—or occasional major championships—that are also open to the public. Harbour Town Golf Links, the headline-stealing course at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, is one of them. The 7,099-yard course, which has hosted a Tour event every spring since 1969, is a Pete Dye masterpiece in shot-shaping. It’s also one that requires all players, touring professionals and weekend hackers alike, to implement course management strategies from the moment they step onto the tee box of each hole.

For that reason, a round at Harbour Town Golf Links is much more than an opportunity to simply tee it up where the pros play. “This course forces you to play like the pros play,” says John Farrell, the resort’s director of golf. “Not just where the pros play, but like the pros play. You’ll be challenged in ways that you’re not always challenged, and you’ll hit every club in your bag.”

The Tour-like experience doesn’t conclude when resort guests walk of the 18th hole. When you play a round at Harbour Town, you also have access to the 4,000-square-foot professionals’ locker room located on the second floor of the stately clubhouse. “You’re a PGA Tour player for the day,” Farrell says, “and that doesn’t happen everywhere.”

Kapalua Resort ( Plantation Course) , Hawaii

Kapalua Resort

Remarkably, the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort, which opened in 1991, was Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw’s first completed design project together. Built up and down—and across—a series of steep volcanic slopes that at one time were home to windswept pineapple fields, the Plantation Course wowed resort guests from the moment it opened. Today, some 31 years later, the course still offers plenty of opportunities to hit heroic shots, while a handful of expansive fairways on holes playing downhill and with a favorable prevailing wind allow average players to grip it and rip it without much trepidation.

Coore and Crenshaw returned to the course a couple of years ago to renovate the layout, during which the greens and bunkers were rebuilt with better drainage, all of the tee boxes were laser-leveled, and the entire course was re-grassed. The latter point is the most noteworthy, as the re-grassing effort brought back the firm and fast playing conditions that initially defined the course’s playing experience.

Since 1999, the course has hosted the Sentry Tournament of Champions, a PGA Tour event held the first week of January. The pros often post final, four-day scores that flirt with (or exceed) 20 under par—an indication of the layout’s player-friendly design—but that only adds to its charm for the average golfer.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course), South Carolina

Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Host of two PGA Championships, an infamous Ryder Cup, and a pair of additional major championships for the PGA of America, the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort boasts a championship pedigree that warrants it being near the top of most avid golfers’ bucket lists. If you should be fortunate enough to tee it up on the almost 7,900-yard-long Pete Dye masterpiece, consider two numbers: 79.1 and 155. Those figures represent the course and slope ratings that the USGA assigned to the Ocean Course from its very back tees.

Fortunately, you won’t have to play from those tee boxes, but that doesn’t mean the course is much easier from any of the more forward tees. It’s simply shorter. “You can patch it together and get around on other courses,” said Brian Gerard, the director of golf at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. “But when you’re on the Ocean Course that’s a difficult patch. Simply put, it will expose your weaknesses.”

For visitors who have only seen it on television, the course comes alive in person, revealing steep and subtle slopes and contours on and around the greens that aren’t always captured or conveyed accurately by the TV cameras. According to Gerard, television broadcasts also don’t do justice to the locale or the course’s sense of place. “The Ocean Course shows very well on TV,” he says, “but you don’t really get the true effect of how it makes you feel until you’re standing on the property. When you get to number five, just standing on the tee and looking around … it’s amazing.”

Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley , Wisconsin

Brandon Carter

Stretching to almost 7,000 yards, Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley in central Wisconsin plays just as long as the resort’s first, namesake course designed by Coore & Crenshaw. Yet, Mammoth Dunes, a David McLay Kidd layout that opened in June 2018, delivers a unique playing experience thanks to generously wide fairways—some exceed 100 yards from edge to edge—and greens positioned into natural pockets in the terrain.

The impact that Mammoth Dunes has on the average golfer’s playing experience is less about providing forgiveness and more about instilling confidence. As Kidd explains, mid- to high-handicappers typically shoot better scores on the course because they hit better shots, and they hit better shots because what they see of the course reaffirms that they don’t have to be perfect to have success. The par-73 course is equally appealing to highly skilled players, since pinpoint accuracy is still required if those players want the best chance at a birdie. In that regard, Mammoth Dunes—which plays around expansive, 80-foot-tall sand dunes, old-growth oak trees, and a plethora of red pines—is the poster course for Kidd’s design philosophy, which emphasizes enjoyment over excessive difficulty.

“We don’t want you to score easily,” he explains. “But we’ll show you mercy if you stumble. You have to hit good shots to make birdie or better; but we’ll give you a chance if you hit a marginal shot, because making birdie is the best thing in golf, no matter how you do it.”

Payne’s Valley at Big Cedar Lodge, Missouri

Big Cedar Lodge

The newest golf layout at Big Cedar Lodge, Payne’s Valley, opened in 2020 and is the second US course designed by Tiger Woods but the first that is accessible to the public (his first US venture, Bluejack National, is a private course about 45 minutes outside of Houston that opened in 2016). Like Bluejack National, Payne’s Valley showcases the love affair that Woods has with the Old Course in St Andrews—the 15-time major champion often points to that historic Scottish layout as his all-time favorite course. Payne’s Valley feature’s wide fairways, low-cut rough that’s intended to keep balls in play rather than penalize golfers, and strategically placed hazards that will challenge good golfers but not require lesser-skilled players to hit shots near or over them.

“My favorite [style of] golf is to play it on the ground, which is links golf,” Woods says. “You can use the ground as your friend. So many of the different golf courses that I play around the world, that’s kind of been taken out of the game. Everyone’s forcing people to play the ball in the air.

“I want the ball running, I want it traveling, I want it moving on the ground,” Woods adds, “and this golf course allows us to do that.”

Pebble Beach Golf Links, California

Evan Schiller

When it comes to Pebble Beach Golf Links, not much needs to be said. The 7,075-yard layout, originally designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant in 1919, has hosted six US Opens, not to mention a celebrity pro-am event since 1947. So whether you want to walk in the footsteps of the world’s best players—names like Nicklaus, Palmer, Woods, and Watson—or world-renowned celebs, such as Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Clint Eastwood, and Bill Murray, the most famous golf course on Monterey Peninsula has you covered.

When it comes to successfully playing Pebble Beach Golf Links, the secret lies in having a stellar short game. After all, the average size of a putting surface at Pebble Beach is only 3,500 square feet, by far the smallest greens on the PGA Tour. “People say it all the time: These green are small,” says Casey Boyns, one of Pebble Beach’s longest-tenured caddies. “And they are. Even the big greens are small; and there’s so much slope that even the chips are hard.”

Beyond that, the course truly shines for its locale right along the edge of Carmel Bay. Just know that if you’re one of the first groups out in the morning, the rangers are going to be more focused on your pace of play, so if you’re hoping to take your time (and plenty of pictures) during your round, aim (or hope) for a mid-morning tee time.

PGA West ( Stadium Course) , California

You see plenty of vehicles driving around with bumper stickers brandished with a single number: 26.2. It’s a not-so-subtle way for people to let everyone around them know that they’ve finished a marathon, one of the most grueling tests that a distance runner can take on. In some respects, golfers who complete a round of golf on the Stadium Course at PGA West should take a similar approach, framing their scorecard as proof that they survived one of the more challenging courses anywhere. In fact, there was a time when a prominent golf publication ranked it inside the top 5 most difficult courses in the country.

This Pete Dye design is comprised of holes with foreboding names such as San Andreas Fault and Alcatraz, and those monikers aren’t hyperbole. San Andreas Fault, for example, is marked by a fault line of sorts—a long-running stretch of fairway bunkers down the left side that culminates in a greenside bunker that is better described as a canyon. The base of the bunker is almost 20 feet below the putting surface. Alcatraz, by contrast, is what you’d expect: a par three with an island green that plays more than 160 yards from the back tees.

Factor in that The Stadium Course at PGA West hosts an annual PGA Tour event and every other year serves as the final site for the Tour’s Qualifying School (aka Q School), and it’s easy to understand why the 7,300-yard layout is a course on most avid players’ bucket lists.

Pinehurst Resort (No. 2 Course), North Carolina

From a golf standpoint, the No. 2 course has shone brightly as Pinehurst’s crown jewel since the mid-1930s. Spread out over 196 acres, the course is widely considered to be architect Donald Ross’s pièce de résistance . No. 2 benefited from a comprehensive restoration by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2010, during which 26 acres of lush Bermuda rough was replaced with natural waste areas and native sandscapes. According to Coore, the course in its restored form now looks and plays in a manner that would please its original designer.

“Pinehurst is a throwback to what golf was when it was a game played in nature and not a botanical garden,” Coore explains. “If you play a course like No. 2, most often every round something memorable is going to occur. That memorable moment may be really happy and positive, and it may be the exact opposite. There’s that element of unpredictability. It’s the element of the unknown. That’s the thrill. It’s what’s captured people’s imaginations for hundreds of years about playing golf.”

Beyond those experiences, golf travelers who make their way to the sand hills of North Carolina and play the No. 2 course can also revel in the thrill of playing a course that has hosted three US Opens and was recently named the first anchor site for that major championship.

Sea Island Resort ( Seaside Course) , Georgia

Simply put, passionate golfers who have never been to Sea Island are missing out. The coastal vacation destination in southern Georgia is home to multiple private golf clubs with exceptional practice facilities—hence why so many PGA Tour pros call the island community home. But Sea Island is also home to a classic resort community with three noteworthy courses of its own, the most prolific of which is the Seaside Course.

Although the course was re-designed by Tom Fazio several years ago, its roots can be traced back to 1929. It was then, during golf’s golden age of design, that Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison initially laid out the course. Today, the Seaside Course is the most dramatic layout of the three at Sea Island Resort, and it artfully marries manicured fairways and greens (in the Tom Fazio tradition) with plenty of dunes and native areas planted with tall, wispy maritime grasses and wildflowers.

The coastal course can be mighty challenging when the winds blow, and even in benign conditions the layout is no pushover. But then, resort guests who tee it up on the course likely know to expect that. After all, a course like Seaside wouldn’t annually hosts a PGA Tour event each fall if it didn’t have some bite.

Shadow Creek, Nevada

MGM Resorts

NFL Hall of Famer (and golf enthusiast) Jerome Bettis describes Shadow Creek as “North Carolina majesty in the middle of the desert.” It’s an apt description, though we also see a lot of Augusta National in the place, which makes sense given that Tom Fazio designed and built the course in 1989 and the longtime golf architect allegedly has had a hand in renovating the site of the Masters for years.

Regardless of what comparisons spring to mind, it’s clear—and likely undisputable—that Shadow Creek delivers one of the finest and most memorable going experiences anywhere. As an MGM Resorts Entertainment Destination, the course is available for guest play but only for those who are also guests of an MGM Resorts International property. Fortunately, that’s not a very limiting criteria in Las Vegas, since 13 properties are branded with the MGM Resorts insignia. Those who are lucky enough to play this course will be whisked to and from the club via limousine and upon arrival, they’ll be greeted by their caddie for the day.

Just how special is a round at Shadow Creek? Consider the perspective of PGA Tour player and Las Vegas resident, Ryan Moore: “Anyone who gets invited to go play Shadow Creek has to go. It’s one of the top five golf courses on the planet. The course is unbelievable—it’s an amazing facility and in great shape. It will be one of the best golfing experiences you’ll ever have.”

Spyglass Hill, California

Pebble Beach Company

There are few guarantees in life, but one of them is knowing that if an avid golfer is making a trip to Pebble Beach, they’re most excited about playing the resort’s eponymous golf course. By contrast, Spyglass Hill doesn’t get quite as much love or attention, but it should. In fact, many who have played all of the resort’s golf courses will argue that Spyglass is the best layout out of them all.

Initially conceived by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in collaboration with the Northern California Golf Association, the course was designed to resemble two exclusive (and iconic) courses on the East Coast: Pine Valley and Augusta National. The course opens in the dunes just off of 17 Mile Drive and transports golfers up into the hills of Monterey Peninsula. Along the way, players are likely to spot plenty of wildlife, including blacktail deer, and they’ll be better protected from strong gusts that blow off the bay. “You’re out there in these backwoods and it’s like it’s its own world,” says Casey Boyns, one of Pebble Beach’s longest-tenured caddies. “It’s a different feel and a different vibe [compared to Pebble Beach Golf Links]. It’s quieter.”

Streamsong Resort ( Red or Blue Course) , Florida

Streamsong Resort,  Photo: Larry Lambrecht

The first two courses at Streamsong Resort were simultaneously designed and built, and they shine equally bright in part because they share the same general piece of property. In fact, when golf architect Tom Doak and the course design duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw each visited the property to survey the land and draft a proposed routing of their courses, they found that certain proposed holes for one routing worked better with the other layout and vice versa. In the end the two courses—Red, designed by Coore & Crenshaw, and Blue, designed to Doak—intersect and overlap at numerous points, yet both deliver unique playing experiences. They even look different, which is a remarkable achievement.

Additionally, the Red and Blue courses at Streamsong are bucket-list golf experiences for the dynamic, untraditional Floridian terrain upon which they’re built. Because Streamsong Resort was constructed upon a site that was previously a phosphate mine, the topography is unnatural; however, the stacked mounds and trenches created by that former mining operation naturally revegetated over time, giving the site a more organic appearance. “If you brought me in blindfolded,” says Doak, “Florida would’ve been the last state that I would’ve guessed I was in.”

Torrey Pines ( South Course) , California

Torrey Pines

Since its inaugural tournament in 1895, golf’s US Open Championship has been contested at only six non-private golf courses. The South Course at Torrey Pines has welcomed the esteemed major championship on two occasions (most recently just last year), which by itself makes the 7,015-yard layout a bucket-list destination for golf (the course can stretch to 7,802 yards, but only golfers receiving special permission can play from those very back tees). However, the 65-year-old course, which also hosts an annual PGA Tour event in late January or early February, deserves to be on your bucket list for reasons beyond its major championship connections.

For starters, the South Course at Torrey Pines offers sweeping views of the Pacific and the southern California coastline. Many of its holes also introduce dramatic approach shots to greens that were recently repositioned closer to the edges of several canyons thanks to redesign efforts led by architect Rees Jones, who conditioned the course for its two major championships. And while avid golfers are likely to fixate on the professional events that have been played at Torrey Pines (and how the pros played each hole), it’s important that they remember that the course was also designed to be a fun and playable experience for golfers of average ability. That means mid- to high-handicap players won’t always need to attack the greens through the air. They can hit bump-and-run shots that bounce and roll up onto the putting surfaces. “On a number of holes, they can access the green on the ground,” Jones says. “The pros don’t do that.”

TPC Sawgrass ( Stadium Course) , Florida

Aside from Augusta National and Pebble Beach Golf Links, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass may be the most famous golf course in the United States by virtue of the fact that the 7,245-yard layout has hosted The Players Championship every year since 1982. “What I love about the Stadium Course is that it feels like I’m challenging history throughout a round,” says Tom Alter, the vice president of communications for the PGA Tour. “If I remember certain players having a similar shot during The Players Championship in the past, I can compare how I did against some of the greatest players in the world.”

The championship course is noteworthy for not favoring a particular playing style—a characteristic that is evidenced by the varied list of PGA Tour pros who have won The Players Championship over the years. That being said, golfers who exercise restraint and don’t try to overpower the golf course off the tee will typically have the greatest success. You’ll also want to settle your nerves when you reach the course’s iconic 17th hole. That tee shot will be the most important one of your round. “When people hear that you played the Stadium Course,” Alter says, “the first question that everyone asks is, ‘How did you do on 17?’”

Whistling Straits ( The Straits Course) , Wisconsin

Destination Kohler

When Herb Kohler hired Pete Dye back in the late 1990s, tasking him with the design and construction of The Straits course at Whistling Straits, the resort’s owner and developer gave Dye a single marching order: “Make it look like Ballybunion.” Dye obliged, bringing in more than 10,000 truckloads of sand. In the process he took a flat parcel of land that had once supported a military airstrip and transformed it into a dynamic golf course that emulated the rugged, windswept links of southwestern Ireland.

Even though the 7,790-yard championship golf course hugs the shores of Lake Michigan, those waters are very rarely in play. Instead, The Strait’s course primary defense—aside from the strong winds that often blow off the lake—are its bunkers. Want proof? Consider the par-5 11th hole, aptly named Sand Box. There are more bunkers on that one 645-yard hole than there are across all 18 holes of The River course, another championship layout that Dye designed and built for Kohler back in the late 1980s.

Visitors who are lucky enough to play The Straits course not only get the opportunity to experience such a memorable (though difficult) round of golf, they also get the chance to play a course that has hosted three PGA Championships and, most recently, the Ryder Cup in 2021.

Yale Golf Course, Connecticut

For decades, the Yale Golf Course was a tough track to get on—you had to be a current student or faculty member at the university, a member of the club, or a guest of a member. You might not think that a university’s golf course would have much clout, but the 6,409-yard layout is historic, one that exists as the byproduct of a collaboration between C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor, two golden age course architects who collectively are responsible for the design of more than a dozen of the most prestigious and heralded golf courses in the country.

The once-private course opened for play in 1926, but only within the last year or so has it opened its gates to non-members with the caveat that those aspiring golfers complete a request form. What can those first-time players expect? Wide rolling fairways that lead to expansive greens guarded by deep bunkers. The course is also home to the first Biarritz green in the United States, and many consider it to be one of the finest examples of the template green outside of the original design in France.

Heralded as one of the finest collegiate courses in the nation, Yale Golf Club has earned such accolades almost from the moment it opened for play. Prestigious sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind described the course this way in 1937: “A back-breaking job over an untouched plot of rugged land whose hazards and greens have the kind of dimensions that one would have expected of Michelangelo.”

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Wonder No More: Myrtle Beach’s 20 Best Courses Ranked By PGA Professionals

What is the best golf course in Myrtle Beach? It’s a question everyone asks, but few have tried to answer with anything other than individual opinion. We decided to change all that. MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com surveyed the Grand Strand’s most knowledgeable constituency – PGA professionals – and asked them to rank Myrtle Beach’s 20 best courses. More than 50 local pros completed the poll, providing the most comprehensive ranking of Myrtle Beach golf courses ever assembled. Sure Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and many others have previously rated area courses, but the results were determined by a select few people. These rankings are based on the votes of a large and educated electorate. Here are Myrtle Beach’s top 20 courses, according to folks who know the area best, local PGA professionals:

No. 20 Long Bay Golf Club – The Jack Nicklaus design is tough but memorable. Waste bunkers, mounding and the Golden Bear’s creativity combined to make this one of Myrtle Beach’s premier inland layouts.

No. 19 Willbrook Plantation – Located in Pawleys Island, the Dan Maples design is occasionally overshadowed by high profile neighbors like Caledonia, True Blue and Heritage, but locals know how good the course is.

No. 18 Arcadian Shores – A 2017 renovation project transformed the layout. If you are surprised to see Arcadian Shores here, you haven’t played the course in the last 18 months.

No. 17 Rivers Edge – The seven holes that play along the Shallotte River are stunning. It’s a bit of a drive from downtown Myrtle Beach, but regardless of where it’s located, Rivers Edge is a must-play layout.

No. 16 Pine Lakes Country Club – The Granddaddy was Myrtle Beach’s first course and remains one of its most revered. A Craig Schreiner-led redesign in 2009 helped ensure the course maintained its lofty standing in the market.

No 15 Thistle – The 27-hole facility, with its Scottish-inspired design, has always been popular, and the clubhouse might be the Grand Strand’s best.

No. 14 Heritage Club – Only surprise about Heritage’s spot on the list is that it’s not higher. The scenery is stunning, the layout is demanding, and the greens are, arguably, the area’s most challenging.

No. 13 Barefoot Love – The first entry from Barefoot Resort is the acclaimed Love Course, a layout Golf Magazine ranks among its “Top 100 You Can Play.” It highlights the strength of Myrtle Beach as a destination that the Love Course and Heritage are this “low.”

No. 12 Arrowhead Country Club – This was our first surprise, not so much because Arrowhead made the list but because it was this high. The Raymond Floyd design is a 27-hole facility that plays along the Intracoastal Waterway.

No. 11 Pawleys Plantation – This is one of the area’s most memorable layouts. The Jack Nicklaus design will challenge every aspect of a player’s game, and six of the final nine holes play along a tidal saltwater marsh.

No. 9 Dye Course at Barefoot Resort – The longtime host of the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am, the Dye Course is as challenging as architect Pete Dye’s reputation would suggest.

No. 8 Fazio Course at Barefoot Resort – There isn’t a signature hole or defining trait that pushes the Fazio Course near the top of the heap. It’s just an outstanding layout from start to finish.

No. 7 True Blue – This Mike Strantz design is currently ranked among Golf Magazine’s Top 100 You Can Play and Golf Channel travel guru Matt Ginella has it among his personal top 50, so this might seem a little low to some. Either way, True Blue in unquestionably one of the area’s best.

No. 6 TPC Myrtle Beach – Earlier this year, Links magazine wrote of TPC, “I don’t think I’ve seen lusher, greener, or more perfect conditions.” What more needs to be said of a layout that has hosted the Senior PGA Tour Championship and been Dustin Johnson’s home course?

No. 5 Prestwick Country Club – This course has always been a favorite of Myrtle Beach insiders but finishing this high was shocking, nonetheless. That being said, our pollsters left little doubt as to their affinity for the Pete and P.B. Dye design. We can’t call Prestwick underrated any longer.

No. 3 Tidewater Golf Club – Tidewater has long been on the short list of Myrtle Beach’s best courses. With eight holes that play along either the Intracoastal Waterway or Cherry Grove, Tidewater is the area’s most scenic track.

No. 2 Caledonia Golf & Fish Club – If traveling golfers were voting, Caledonia might top the list, but the highly acclaimed Mike Strantz design had to “settle” for second. This is a consensus top 100 public course that never fails to live up to lofty expectations.

No. 1 Dunes Golf & Beach Club – Myrtle Beach’s most storied course was the runaway winner, collecting 24 first place votes. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. classic has hosted the U.S. Women’s Open and six Senior PGA Tour Championships, among numerous other events. A semi-private layout, the Dunes Club is Myrtle Beach’s best golf course.

Get the Best Pricing on the Top 20 Myrtle Beach Golf Courses Ranked by PGA Professionals by Clicking the Image Below

Related Courses:

Long Bay Golf Club

Willbrook Plantation Golf

Pine Lakes Country Club

Thistle Golf Club

Rivers Edge

Heritage Club Golf Course

Barefoot Resort – Love Course

Arrowhead Country Club

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club

Myrtle Beach National – King’s North Course

Barefoot Resort – Dye Course

Barefoot Resort – Fazio Course

True Blue Golf Club

TPC Myrtle Beach

Prestwick Country Club

Grande Dunes Resort Club

Tidewater Golf Club

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club

Dunes Golf & Beach Club

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‘Wasn’t My Favorite’ - PGA Tour Pros Give Mixed Reviews Of Tiger Woods Course

El Cardonal at Diamante generated plenty of differing comment from a number of PGA Tour professionals after the recent World Wide Technology Championship

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The Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante may have played host to an extraordinary week of golf on the PGA Tour, but some professionals among the World Wide Technology Championship field were still struggling to pay the course many compliments on their journey home.

South African Erik van Rooyen claimed an emotional victory in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico after blasting a final round of 63 to claim the title on a stunning 29-under par.

In a week where scoring was considerably lower than a regular PGA Tour event across the board, van Rooyen was one of nine players to finish the tournament at -20 or better. And while the eventual champion recorded a superb nine-under on Sunday, Andrew Putnam - who finished in a tie for fifth - went one better as one of two players to card a 10-under round on the final day along with Austin Cook.

On his X account - formerly Twitter - Putnam revealed that the scoring was so comfortable, he was not stopped for a single question by the media despite an extraordinary effort.

He said: "You know the course is easy when you shoot -10 to be top 5 and you don’t get 1 question from the media when you leave scoring. Straight to packing your bags up and leaving the course thanks Mexico for a fun vacation week of golf! @PGATour"

You know the course is easy when you shoot -10 to be top 5 and you don’t get 1 question from the media when you leave scoring. Straight to packing your bags up and leaving the course 😂 thanks Mexico for a fun vacation week of golf! @PGATOUR November 6, 2023

Putnam was not the only man in the field to vent his frustration over the way the week unfolded. In a post on his Instagram, Kelly Kraft initially called El Cardonal "one of the worst" courses he'd seen in his days as a professional before later changing it to say the layout was "not one of his favorites."

The American finished the tournament in 71st on eight-under - 21 shots behind winner van Rooyen - after only managing to card one round in the 60s.

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Kraft's updated Instagram post read: "Best part about this week was having my family here and watching the  @rangers  win the World Series!! About the golf, not sure where to start.

"All I will say is the  @pgatour  could do a better job at picking courses to host these events. In my opinion this wasn’t my favorite course, and I’ve played on tour for a little while. Better luck next week 👊. Side note, I will say that  @wwt_inc  did a great job with what they had. Thanks for the hospitality!"

A post shared by Kelly Kraft (@kellykraftgolf) A photo posted by on

While there was plenty of comment on just how straightforward scoring appeared for most, not everyone enjoyed four days of plain sailing - as Thomas Detry found out on Thursday.

Although he ended the week in a tie for 38th, the Belgian found trouble near the end of his first round when his tee shot into the middle of the par-3 16th rolled off the front edge of the green and into a steep native area below. The 30-year-old watched his ball just fail to find the top shelf before dribbling backwards and over the collar of rough that protected the putting area.

Some fans criticised the course's design as the main contributing factor to the seemingly harsh penalty while others claimed the set-up was wrong and ultimately cost Detry a shot.

Scores may be low, but Tiger’s design is not messing around this week. Just ask @tomdetry pic.twitter.com/tXr35De9DS November 2, 2023

Prior to the tournament beginning, Woods said of his set-up choice: "This course is going to remind people of the old-style California courses. We will use the existing arroyos that traverse the site and well-placed bunkers to create definite strategic choices and carries off the tees. 

"I set up the golf strategy to make golfers think and make choices. Angles of approach are going to be very important and will dictate the type of shots you should consider. I love this kind of golf."

Thoughts on TW design course El Cardonal at Diamanté:-I’m not a massive course design junkie like Zac Blair and others so this is a pretty basic breakdown lol. -I always find it funny that famous players that became course designers end up designing courses that fit their… pic.twitter.com/GKpm09c5Pa November 1, 2023

Meanwhile, Michael Kim - who ultimately finished in a tie for 23rd - shared a highly-detailed and balanced pre-tournament view on the layout last Wednesday. The 2018 John Deere Classic winner felt Woods had designed a course which "fit his own game", something "famous players" often do when turning their hand to design.

Kim also labelled the fairways at El Cardonal as "generous to say the least," going on to say they "could be some of the widest fairways on tour, if not the widest." The 30-year-old also called the greens "pretty wild" with "LOTS of back stops," although he did mention there was a mix of different shapes to the putting surfaces.

Before stating scoring would be "pretty low" ahead of the event beginning, Kim said the course is quite long but contains "almost no rough to speak of" and "would be very interesting if it got windy" - something that did not occur.

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. An improving golfer who still classes himself as ‘one of the worst players on the Golf Monthly team’, Jonny enjoys playing as much as he can and is hoping to reach his Handicap goal of 18 at some stage. He attended both the 150th and 151st Opens and is keen to make it an annual pilgrimage.

Bryson DeChambeau, who wasn't picked for last year's Ryder Cup, said he supported Keegan Bradley's appointment as captain of Team USA

By Joel Kulasingham Published 10 July 24

Team Europe's 2014 Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley believes it would harm the US team if skipper Keegan Bradley were to play at Bethpage Black

By Jonny Leighfield Published 10 July 24

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Aussies on Tour: Micheluzzi stuns with second at BMW International

Victorian David Micheluzzi has taken a big step towards securing his future on the DP World Tour with a runner-up finish at the BMW International Open in Germany.

Just two weeks after leaving the KLM Open in despair at the state of his game, Micheluzzi led after Round 1 at Golfclub München Eichenried in Munich and stayed in the hunt until the very end.

Two strokes back at the start of Round 4, Micheluzzi (68) was unable to rein in Scotsman Ewan Ferguson (68), finishing tied with Englishman Jordan Smith (70) in second spot for his best result in his rookie season.

The 2022/2023 Order of Merit winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Micheluzzi has now moved up 63 spots to 57th in the Race to Dubai standings, the top 110 at season’s end to earn full status for 2025.

“It’s amazing how things can change so quickly in this game,” Micheluzzi said in an Instagram post.

“Two weeks ago, after the second round in Amsterdam, I had no idea where things were at and I came third last.

“I wanna say a huge thank you to (caddie) Ben Brewer for putting up with my s***; he is a big reason why things have changed so quickly!”

Birdie Birdie Eagle Take a bow, David Micheluzzi! He's in the clubhouse at -16. #BMWInternationalOpen pic.twitter.com/TovGVmz1GC — DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 7, 2024

Producing the type of finish that became commonplace in his three-win season on home soil, Micheluzzi signed off on his best finish on the DP World Tour with a birdie-birdie-eagle finish, his 3-wood to six feet on the last one of the shots of the week.

Travis Smyth led the way for the 19 Aussies in action at the International Series Morocco but it was a Kiwi in Ben Campbell who left with the second Asian Tour victory of his career.

American John Catlin looked to have the title secured when he led by three with three holes to play but Campbell produced a stunning eagle-birdie finish to tie Catlin at 15-under and send it to a playoff.

It would take just one extra hole to decide the outcome, Campbell converting his birdie chance from 10 feet as Catlin missed from a similar range to complete a stunning comeback.

“I didn’t have my best out there today and I just kept saying to Mike (his caddie), I’ve just got to find something and just stay patient,” said Campbell.

“I went flag hunting on 16 and leaked it right, and hit a great bunker shot there. I said to Mike, if I can find a birdie-eagle, you never know. So I did that, and then to hole a putt like that in the playoff, it’s always good.”

A 63 in Round 2 was the cornerstone of Brad Kennedy’s tie for 12th at the Japan Professional Golf Championship while a pair of 66s on the weekend earned Jason Day a tie for 23rd at the John Deere Classic.

Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

PGA TOUR John Deere Classic TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois 1          Davis Thompson          63-67-62-64—256       $US1.44m T23      Jason Day                    69-67-66-66—268       $83,600 MC       Harrison Endycott        68-71—139

DP World Tour BMW International Open Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany 1          Ewen Ferguson            67-64-71-68—270       €392,710.62 2          David Micheluzzi          66-70-68-68—272       €199,820.41 T17      Ryan Fox (NZ)               69-71-70-69—279       €29,876.81 MC       Sam Jones (NZ)            69-73—142 MC       Andrew Martin             72-71—143 MC       Tom Power Horan        68-75—143 MC       Haydn Barron               70-75—145 MC       Jason Scrivener            73-72—145 MC       Daniel Hillier (NZ)         73-74—147

Asian Tour International Series Morocco Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Red Course), Morocco 1          Ben Campbell (NZ)       68-70-68-71—277       $US360,000 Won in sudden-death playoff T5        Travis Smyth                 69-69-70-73—281       $74,300 T28      Kazuma Kobori (NZ)     66-77-71-74—288       $16,560 T37      Wade Ormsby              71-75-71-73—290       $12,820 T42      Lachlan Barker              72-74-72-73—291       $10,900 T49      Doug Klein                   74-71-72-76—293       $8,433.33 T62      Justin Warren               74-72-79-70—295       $5,800 69        Harrison Crowe            76-70-73-82—301       $4,600 MC       Scott Hend                   71-76—147 MC       Todd Sinnott                78-69—147 MC       Jed Morgan                 77-70—147 MC       Andrew Dodt               73-75—148 MC       Maverick Antcliff          74-74—148 MC       Deyen Lawson             74-74—148 MC       Kevin Yuan                   76-73—149 MC       Aaron Wilkin                71-79—150 MC       Sam Brazel                   76-76—152 MC       Zach Murray                72-81—153 MC       Jack Thompson            76-78—154 MC       Marcus Fraser              80-75—155 WD      Brendan Jones             80

Ladies European Tour Aramco Team Series – London Centurion Club, London 1          Leona Maguire             66-72-73—211 €69,435.75 T42      Momoka Kobori (NZ)   74-76-74—224 €2,368.53 T51      Kirsten Rudgeley          78-73-75—226 €1,706.14 MC       Stephanie Kyriacou      71-83—154 MC       Whitney Hillier             80-76—156

Japan Golf Tour Japan Professional Golf Championship Fuji Country Kani Club (Shino Cse), Gifu 1          Yuta Sugiura                65-66-65-72—268       ¥30m T12      Brad Kennedy              70-63-70-70—273       ¥3.18m MC       Michael Hendry           68-76—144

LET Access Series PGA Championship Gothenburg Albatross GolfKlubb, Sweden 1          Natacha Host Husted   70-72-69—211 €6,400 T10      Kelsey Bennett             71-81-68—220 €1,020 T15      Wenyung Keh (NZ)       72-75-75—222 €840 MC       Munchin Keh (NZ)        77-82—159 WD      Hanee Song (NZ           80

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Picture-perfect greens on display at Mactaquac as organizers prepare for PGA Tour Americas tournament

It's an orchestra of lawn trimmers, mowers and golf carts at Mactaquac Provincial Park in Mactaquac, N.B., as organizers prepare to welcome over 150 professional golfers to their greens.

Mactaquac is one of two additional stops on the PGA Tour Americas this year - the other is in Brazil.

Melanie Deveau, assistant deputy minister for parks, tourism, sport and recreation with the Government of New Brunswick says it was golfers who recommended the course to PGA officials.

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“They needed another tournament spot,” she said. “And it was recommended and they called and said, ‘Are you willing to do this?’ They came and checked it out, and here we are.”

It’s the first time a PGA-level tournament has come to New Brunswick. Officials say there was a stop in 1992, but it was a lower level.

And it’s not a one-off – PGA officials have signed a five-year agreement at Mactaquac.

She says June’s heat wave didn’t impact them too much, and staff have been working around the clock to ensure they remain flawless.

Qualifiers begin Wednesday at West Hills Golf in Fredericton, and the Explore NB Open officially begins on Thursday until July 14 in Mactaquac.

The province estimates the tournament will create $2-3 million in economic spin-off for the area. While they’ve signed for five years, Deveau’s hoping it will continue beyond that.

“This is just the beginning of what comes next,” she said.

Tournament director Mark Dunbar says if you like golf, Mactaquac will be the place to be to see world-renowned talent.

“It's an opportunity for people to get out to see, you know, the future stars of the PGA tour,” he said. “I think there's been 97 graduates from the PGA Tour Americas that have gone on to the PGA tour, representing 35 wins at the PGA tour level, most recently, even last weekend.”

The purse is $225,000.

“These guys are really, really good. A lot of them are just recent graduates out of universities, top NCAA universities, and they're going to see some shots some length that they're not used to seeing in their average round with their friends at the golf course,” he said.

There’ll be food, drinks and other activities, and there are still some campsites available to book at the provincial park. They’re not limiting ticket sales, which run $17.25 for general admission/day.

The park is staying open over the weekend to all golfers, but officially closes Sunday afternoon.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.

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The top 100 players on the PGA Tour, ranked

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

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

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

100. Andrew Landry

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

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

99. Taylor Pendrith

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

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

98. Jason Day

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

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

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

97. Denny McCarthy

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

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

96. Hudson Swafford

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

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

Jared C. Tilton

95. Adam Schenk

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

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

94. Adam Hadwin

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

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

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

93. Luke List

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

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

92. Henrik Norlander

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

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

91. Robert Streb

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

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

90. Troy Merritt

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

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

89. Aaron Rai

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

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

Steve Dykes

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

88. Brendan Steele

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

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

87. Davis Riley

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

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

86. Chris Kirk

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

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

85. Lanto Griffin

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

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

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

84. Matt Kuchar

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

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

Alex Goodlett

MORE: Even Matt Kuchar is chasing speed with his swing

83. Bubba Watson

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

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

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

82. Adam Long

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

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

81. Jhonattan Vegas

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

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

Mike Ehrmann

80. Pat Perez

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

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

79. Emiliano Grillo

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

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

78. Joel Dahmen

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

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

Kevin C. Cox

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

77. Lee Westwood

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

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

76. Cameron Young

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

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

MORE: 7 unsung heroes of the PGA Tour fall season

75. Sahith Theegala

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

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

Sam Greenwood

74. Cameron Davis

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

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

73. Tom Hoge

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

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

72. Matt Wallace

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

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

71. Ian Poulter

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

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

70. Harold Varner III

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

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

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69. Charley Hoffman

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

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

68. Alex Noren

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

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

67. Cameron Champ

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

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

66. Keith Mitchell

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

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

65. Keegan Bradley

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

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

64. Garrick Higgo

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

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

63. Branden Grace

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

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

62. Kevin Streelman

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

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

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

61. Aaron Wise

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

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

60. Rickie Fowler

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

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

Gregory Shamus

59. Brian Harman

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

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

58. Ryan Palmer

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

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

57. K.H. Lee

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

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

56. Seamus Power

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

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

55. Cameron Tringale

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

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

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54. Stewart Cink

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

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

Patrick Smith

53 . Harry Higgs

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

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

52. Phil Mickelson

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

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

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51. Russell Henley

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

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

50. Sergio Garcia

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

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

49. Shane Lowry

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

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

Warren Little

48 . Justin Rose

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

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

47. Mito Pereira

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

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

46. Kevin Kisner

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

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

45. Maverick McNealy

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

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

44. Tommy Fleetwood

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

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

43. Erik van Rooyen

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

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

​​ 42. Lucas Herbert

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

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

41. Sebastian Munoz

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

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

Tom Pennington

40. Adam Scott

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

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

39. Si Woo Kim

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

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

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38. Mackenzie Hughes

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

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

37. Matt Fitzpatrick

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

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

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36. Paul Casey

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

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

35. Webb Simpson

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

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

34. Matthew Wolff

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

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

MORE: Matthew Wolff details depths of his mental health struggles

33. Corey Conners

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

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

32. Carlos Ortiz

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

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

31. Tyrrell Hatton

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

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

30. Billy Horschel

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

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

29. Talor Gooch

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

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

Cliff Hawkins

MORE: Talor Gooch finishes excellent fall with breakthrough win

28. Marc Leishman

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

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

27. Louis Oosthuizen

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

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

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

26. Max Homa

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

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

25. Joaquin Niemann

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

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

24. Kevin Na

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

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

23. Patrick Reed

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

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

MORE: Patrick Reed confronts his image and his critics

​​ 22. Will Zalatoris

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

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

21. Sungjae Im

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

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

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

20. Abraham Ancer

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

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

19. Cameron Smith

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

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

Stacy Revere

18. Harris English

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

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

17. Daniel Berger

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

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

16. Jason Kokrak

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

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

15. Hideki Matsuyama

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

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

Atsushi Tomura

14. Jordan Spieth

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

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

13. Tony Finau

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

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

12. Brooks Koepka

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

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

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

11. Scottie Scheffler

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

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

10. Sam Burns

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

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

9. Dustin Johnson

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

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

8. Bryson DeChambeau

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

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

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

7. Xander Schauffele

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

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

6. Viktor Hovland

Age: 24 / owgr: 7 / ’22 fedex cup: 5.

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

5. Rory McIlroy

Age: 32 / owgr: 9 / ’22 fedex cup: 9.

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

4. Justin Thomas

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

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

3. Patrick Cantlay

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

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

2. Collin Morikawa

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

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

1. Jon Rahm

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

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

Donald Miralle

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With most of pga tour's best in scotland, here's a look at the field for the isco championship, share this article.

New name, same tournament, same stakes.

The 2024 ISCO Championship is set to begin Thursday from Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The event is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour and is the opposite-field event from the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.

Vincent Norrman picked up his first PGA Tour victory last year in the former Barbasol Championship, beating Nathan Kimsey in a playoff.

This year, there are numerous past PGA Tour winners in the field, as well as Michael Thorbjornsen, who finished No. 1 in the PGA Tour University standings for 2024, and Luke Clanton, the amateur who has made the cut each of the past two weeks on Tour.

The purse is $4 million, and the winner will earn 300 FedEx Cup points. Also up for grabs is a spot in the Open Championship to the highest-finishing golfer who isn’t already exempt.

Here’s a look at the field for the 2024 ISCO Championship:

Field for the ISCO Championship (July 11-14): pic.twitter.com/rhtIXDxwAZ — PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) July 5, 2024

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The First Look: Genesis Scottish Open

The First Look

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The PGA TOUR is co-sanctioning the Genesis Scottish Open for the third straight year, with roughly 75 TOUR pros alongside a similar number from the DP World Tour.

It’s prime time for players to start making important moves to achieve their respective goals for this season, with battles for FedExCup Playoffs and Presidents Cup spots in the headlights for many.

Rory McIlroy will return to defend at The Renaissance Club and will tee it up for the first time since the U.S. Open. No one has successfully defended their title at the Genesis Scottish Open, with McIlroy looking to end that drought – and win for the third time on TOUR this season.

An impressive field will once again test their mettle at a links layout, which will certainly pose ample questions across four competition days.

Here’s everything else you need to know as the PGA TOUR returns to Scotland.

FIELD NOTES: Rory McIlroy will return to defend his title at the Genesis Scottish Open – returning to the PGA TOUR for the first time since falling just short at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. McIlroy won last year’s Genesis Scottish Open in his debut at The Renaissance Club, and his approach shot on the 18th hole has been memorialized with a plaque from the club. There has never been a repeat winner of the Genesis Scottish Open … Will Zalatoris is set to tee it up after withdrawing from the Rocket Mortgage Classic due to a hip injury … Last year’s runner-up Robert MacIntyre returns to action in his home country in hopes of doing one better this time around – and now as a PGA TOUR winner at this year’s RBC Canadian Open … Xander Schauffele looks to continue his tremendous 2024 campaign as he heads across the pond. Schauffele has 11 top-10 finishes in 16 events this year, including a win at the PGA Championship. He has notched five straight top-15 finishes on the PGA TOUR and won the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open … Reigning FedExCup champ Viktor Hovland is back in action as he looks to make a late-season run into the Playoffs. Hovland finished T25 at last year’s Genesis Scottish Open … With this event co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, there are roughly 75 DP World Tour pros teeing it up this week including Rasmus Højgaard (along with brother Nicolai ) and Alex Fitzpatrick (along with brother Matt ) … Sunday’s breakthrough winner, Davis Thompson , looks to continue his fine run of play across the pond. Thompson has notched three straight top-10 finishes including his record-setting win at the John Deere Classic, where he set a tournament scoring record (28-under 256) at TPC Deere Run.

Rory McIlroy’s clutch play leads to win at Genesis Scottish Open

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Tom Kim, who finished tied for sixth last season at the Genesis Scottish Open, returns to action at The Renaissance Club. Kim has two top-10s this season including a playoff loss at last month’s Travelers Championship. Kim finished third in his Genesis Scottish Open debut … Scotland’s David Law will tee it up at his home country’s open for the second straight year. Law won on the DP World Tour in 2019 after a celebrated amateur career … Boise State sophomore Cole Rueck won the 2024 Collegiate Showcase at Riviera Country Club in February to earn a start at the Genesis Scottish Open (with the Genesis Invitational now a Signature Event on the PGA TOUR schedule). Rueck, of the University of Oregon, was the 2023-24 Mountain West Individual Champion and was a 2023-24 All-Mountain West selection … Three spots were awarded to KPGA pros: Sanghyun Park, Jeong Woo Ham and Junghwan Lee … Major champions Stewart Cink and Gary Woodland round out the sponsor exemptions.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: After last week’s John Deere Classic each of the players in the TOUR TOP 10 retained their exact spots … Last season’s Genesis Scottish Open winner, McIlroy, stands No. 3 but trails leader Scottie Scheffler by 3,323 points. Schauffele (who won the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open) remains at No. 2 … Byeong Hun An – who tied the 18-hole scoring record at The Renaissance Club last season – continues to be the only player inside the TOUR TOP 10 each week so far in 2024.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points

Flyover: The Renaissance Club | 2023

COURSE: The Renaissance Club, par 70, 7,237 yards. This will be the sixth edition of the Genesis Scottish Open hosted at the Tom Doak club, opened in 2007, located between North Berwick and Muirfield, both iconic Open Championship layouts. The Renaissance Club’s 18 holes were carved out of 300 acres of pine forest but kept several trees in strategic fairway and greenside positions. Five years after the course opened, a land swap arrangement with The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield) allowed the club to build three new holes along the coastline.

72-HOLE RECORD: 262, Bernd Wiesberger (2019)

18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Bernd Wiesberger (Round 2, 2019), Byeong Hun An (Round 1, 2023)

LAST TIME: McIlroy hit what he said would go down as “one of the best shots” he’d hit in his career to win the Genesis Scottish Open by one shot after a final-hole birdie. McIlroy roasted a 2-iron into the wind to just 10 feet on No. 18 at The Renaissance Club to add one final circle on his scorecard – after making birdie on the penultimate hole of the championship, too. The birdie-birdie finish wrapped up a 2-under 68 for McIlroy to top Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyre, whose 64 Sunday was the day’s low round. McIlroy made four bogeys on his first nine in the final round to go out in 2-over 37, but he found his form on the back side, making four birdies including the two in a row to close out his day. MacIntyre put in a valiant effort but fell just short (he has since become a TOUR winner at this year’s RBC Canadian Open, and he was also part of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team last fall). David Lingmerth, Scheffler and An (who tied the 18-hole tournament scoring record with a first-round 61) ended up tied for third.

How to follow (all times ET)

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 10:30–11 a.m. (Golf Channel – world feed), 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (Golf Channel).
• Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.–12 p.m. (Golf Channel), 12–3 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: A combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio :

• Thursday-Friday: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

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Golf 2024 Official World Golf Rankings

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