pga tour statistics driving distance

Game Changers

How driving distance has changed over the past 40 years on the pga tour.

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Year - average distance (yards) | leader - leader's average.

• 2023 - 297.2 | Leader: Rory McIlroy - 326.6
• 2022 - 299.8 | Leader: Cameron Champ - 321.4
• 2021 - 295.3 | Leader: Bryson DeChambeau - 320.8
• 2020 - 296.4 | Leader: Bryson DeChambeau - 322.1
• 2019 - 293.9 | Leader: Cameron Champ - 317.9
• 2018 - 295.29 | Leader: Trey Mullinax - 318
• 2017 - 292.79 | Leader: Rory McIlroy - 316.7
• 2016 - 291.06 | Leader: J.B. Holmes - 314.5
• 2015 - 290.21 | Leader: Dustin Johnson - 317.7
• 2014 - 289.85 | Leader: Bubba Watson - 314.3
• 2013 - 288.00 | Leader: Luke List - 306.3
• 2012 - 290.07 | Leader: Bubba Watson - 315.5
• 2011- 291.14 | Leader: J.B. Holmes - 318.4
• 2010 - 287.49 | Leader: Robert Garrigus - 315.5
• 2009 - 288.07 | Leader: Robert Garrigus - 312
• 2008 - 287.74 | Leader: Bubba Watson - 315.1
• 2007 - 289.08 | Leader: Bubba Watson - 315.2
• 2006 - 289.35 | Leader: Bubba Watson - 319.6
• 2005 - 288.88 | Leader: Scott Hend- 318.9
• 2004 - 287.32 | Leader: Hank Kuehne - 314.4
• 2003 - 286.30 | Leader: Hank Kuehne - 321.4
• 2002 - 279.84 | Leader: John Daly - 306.8
• 2001 - 279.35 | Leader: John Daly - 306.7
• 2000 - 273.18| Leader: John Daly - 301.4
• 1999 - 272.45 | Leader: John Daly - 305.6
• 1998 - 270.63 | Leader: John Daly - 299.4
• 1997 - 267.67 | Leader: John Daly - 302
• 1996 - 266.49 | Leader: John Daly - 288.8
• 1995 - 263.55 | Leader: John Daly - 289
• 1994 - 261.84 | Leader: Davis Love III - 283.8
• 1993 - 260.36 | Leader: John Daly - 288.9
• 1992 - 260.52 | Leader: John Daly - 283.4
• 1991 - 261.44 | Leader: John Daly - 288.9
• 1990 - 262.75 | Leader: Tom Purtzer - 279.6
• 1989 - 261.81 | Leader: Ed Humenik - 280.9
• 1988 - 263.50 | Leader: Steve Thomas - 284.6
• 1987 - 262.50 | Leader: John McComish - 283.9
• 1986 - 261.58 | Leader: Davis Love III - 285.7
• 1985 - 260.18 | Leader: Andy Bean - 278.2
• 1984 - 259.61 | Leader: Bill Glasson - 276.5
• 1983 - 258.65 | Leader: John McComish - 277.4
• 1982 - 256.89 | Leader: Bill Calfee - 275.3
• 1981 - 259.66 | Leader: Dan Pohl - 280.1
• 1980 - 256.89 | Leader: Dan Pohl - 274.3

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How Driving Distance Has Evolved on the PGA Tour

• BY Sean Fairholm
• Mar 1st 2024
• Read all comments

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In case you haven’t heard, driving distance has been a major discussion topic within golf over the past few years. 

We have our own opinions for what increased hitting distances mean for the game of golf, but we thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at driving distance numbers in golf’s modern era. 

It’s clear that a mix of better technology, better athletes and more pristine agronomy have paved the way for where we stand now—but how exactly did it evolve to reach this point? 

The Early Years of Recorded Distances

The PGA Tour has kept driving distance stats dating back to 1980 when Dan Pohl led with a 274-yard average. 

While methods for tracking distance have grown more advanced over the years because of ShotLink, the PGA Tour has continued to use only two holes per round to measure driving distance. They are both holes where players are basically guaranteed to be using a driver off the tee. 

“Care is taken to select two holes which face in opposite directions to counteract the effect of wind,” the PGA Tour states. “Drives are measured to the point at which they come to rest regardless of whether they are in the fairway or not.”

In 1980, Tour players averaged 256 yards per drive—about 44 yards shorter than last season. 

Only one PGA Tour player from the 2022-2023 season (Brian Stuard) would have ranked behind Pohl. Said another way, Pohl would have been second-to-last for driving distance on Tour last season. 

Of course, Pohl and his fellow competitors were using persimmon drivers and hitting balatas. That accounts for a significant chunk of the difference. 

There was little increase in driving distance throughout the 1980s. Tour average was between 256 and 263 yards every year and there were no meaningful trends in driving distance leaders. 

The top driving distance leader in that decade was a familiar name: Davis Love III. He averaged nearly 286 yards per drive in 1986, about 25 yards ahead of Tour average. 

1980 — Average: 256.89 | Leader: Dan Pohl (274.3)

1981 — Average: 259.66 | Leader: Dan Pohl (280.1)

1982 — Average: 256.89 | Leader: Bill Calfee (275.3)

1983 — Average: 258.65 | Leader: John McComish (277.4)

1984 — Average: 259.61 | Leader: Bill Glasson (276.5)

1985 — Average: 260.18 | Leader: Andy Bean (278.2)

1986 — Average: 261.58 | Leader: Davis Love III (285.7)

1987 — Average: 262.50 | Leader: John McComish (283.9)

1988 — Average: 263.50 | Leader: Steve Thomas (284.6)

1989 — Average: 261.81 | Leader: Ed Humenik (280.9)

Late 1990s’ Distance Boom

Average Tour driving distance stayed stagnant from 1990 to 1995, between 260 and 263 yards. 

Everything was status quo—except for the emergence of John Daly, a player who would be the “driving distance champion” of the PGA Tour for 11 years throughout his career. 

Daly averaged about 289 yards in 1991, a record at the time. He would stay around that mark for the next few years until we start getting into the late ‘90s. 

We really see distance jump starting in 1996 as the Tour average goes up three yards. By 1999, the average distance shot up another six yards. This coincides with persimmon drivers fading from the game as better technology takes its place. 

Daly went from averaging 289 yards per drive in 1996 to almost 306 in 1999. 

Impressively, that would be well ahead of PGA Tour average (299.9) for the 2022-2023 season. 

Throughout the decade, only Tom Purtzer (1990) and Love III (1994) steal driving distance “titles” from Daly. 

1990 — Average: 262.75 | Leader: Tom Purtzer (279.6)

1991 — Average: 261.44 | Leader: John Daly (288.9)

1992 — Average: 260.52 | Leader: John Daly (283.4)

1993 — Average: 260.36 | Leader: John Daly (288.9)

1994 — Average: 261.84 | Leader: Davis Love III (283.8)

1995 — Average: 263.55 | Leader: John Daly (289)

1996 — Average: 266.49 | Leader: John Daly (288.8)

1997 — Average: 267.67 | Leader: John Daly (302)

1998 — Average: 270.63 | Leader: John Daly (299.4)

1999 — Average: 272.45 | Leader: John Daly (305.6)

An Even Bigger Leap in the 2000s

What we saw in the ‘90s was a harbinger of what was to come as driving distance exploded in the following decade. 

As the Titleist Pro V1 and other revolutionary technology came on board early in the 2000s, we saw an incredible spike. Driving distance averages went up six yards from 2000 to 2001; there was then a seven-yard jump from 2002 to 2003. 

At that point, PGA Tour driving distance average was 286 yards. Remember that Love III had led the Tour in driving distance with that same mark back in 1986—only 17 years earlier. 

However, the rest of the ‘00s don’t see a ton of movement. Average hitting distance creeps another few yards but lacks the massive jump we saw early in the decade. 

In fact, there is no other sequence of years that matches the 2000-2003 time period where average driving distance climbs 16 yards. 

Daly starts the decade as the longest player in golf (still) but other players emerge to steal that crown. 

Hank Kuehne (2003, 2004) and Bubba Watson (2006, 2007, 2008) earned multiple driving distance titles in the decade. 

Kuehne’s 321-yard average in 2003 was a record that lasted for 17 years until Bryson DeChambeau came along. 

Where was Tiger Woods in driving distance during the prime of his career? He placed second (2000), T3 (2001), sixth (2002), 11th (2003), ninth (2004), second (2005), sixth (2006), 12th (2007), N/A (2008) and 21st (2009). 

2000 — Average: 273.18 | Leader: John Daly (301.4)

2001 — Average: 279.35 | Leader: John Daly (306.7)

2002 — Average: 279.84 | Leader: John Daly (306.8)

2003 — Average: 286.30 | Leader: Hank Kuehne (321.4)

2004 — Average: 287.32 | Leader: Hank Kuehne (314.4)

2005 — Average: 288.88 | Leader: Scott Hend (318.9)

2006 — Average: 289.35 | Leader: Bubba Watson (319.6)

2007 — Average: 289.08 | Leader: Bubba Watson (315.2)

2008 — Average: 287.74 | Leader: Bubba Watson (315.1)

2009 — Average: 288.07 | Leader: Robert Garrigus (312)

A Small Uptick During the 2010s

You might be surprised to learn that average PGA Tour driving distance didn’t move much in the 2010s, a decade that saw the emergence of weight training and better athletes. 

Between 2010 and 2019, the average distance increased by about six yards. 

There were eight different players who had the longest average for the season, a departure from the 1990s and 2000s when Daly, Kuehne or Watson was usually on top. 

J.B. Holmes (2011, 2016) and Watson (2012, 2014) were the only players to be the longest for multiple years in this decade. Superstars like Dustin Johnson (2015) and Rory McIlroy (2017) emerge on this list as well. 

2010 — Average: 287.49 | Leader: Robert Garrigus (315.5)

2011 — Average: 291.14 | Leader: J.B. Holmes (318.4)

2012 — Average: 290.07 | Leader: Bubba Watson (315.5)

2013 — Average: 288.00 | Leader: Luke List (306.3)

2014 — Average: 289.85 | Leader: Bubba Watson (314.3)

2015 — Average: 290.21 | Leader: Dustin Johnson (317.7)

2016 — Average: 291.06 | Leader: J.B. Holmes (314.5)

2017 — Average: 292.79 | Leader: Rory McIlroy (316.7)

2018 — Average: 295.29 | Leader: Trey Mullinax (318)

2019 — Average: 293.90 | Leader: Cameron Champ (317.9)

Bigger Gains So Far in the 2020s

There have been a couple of eye-catching numbers so far in the 2020s. 

One is that we saw the all-time driving distance record set twice, most recently by McIlroy. He averaged more than 326 yards last season. 

The other is that the average distance on the PGA Tour reached almost exactly 300 yards two years ago. That repeated last season. So far in 2024, the average is down to 295 yards—but that is a normal winter fluctuation. We have yet to hit the warmer months where the ball goes farther. 

Young players coming up now have been training to swing out of their shoes, maximizing the technology at hand, so it makes sense why we would see that number get slightly higher. 

It looks to be short-lived, however, as the 2028 rollback could bring us closer to averages we saw in the 2010’s. We’ll have to wait to find out. 

If you are wondering how LIV compares to the PGA Tour, we have you covered there . The PGA Tour’s longest hitters are slightly longer than bombers on LIV but it’s pretty close. 

Bryson DeChambeau, however, looks to have lost a step from where he was a couple years ago. 

2020 — Average: 296.40 | Leader: Bryson DeChambeau (322.1)

2021 — Average: 295.30 | Leader: Bryson DeChambeau (320.8)

2022 — Average: 299.80 | Leader: Cameron Champ (321.4)

2023 — Average: 299.90 | Leader: Rory McIlroy (326.3)

Final Takeaways

The short summary is that driving distance has increased a significant amount in the 44 years since the stat was first tracked by the Tour. 

Average distance is up almost exactly one yard per year over that time. 

The ‘80s and early ‘90s were stable but changes in equipment caused an explosion in distance during the late ‘90s and early 00s. 

Since then, we’ve seen a steady creep of driving distance. 

My goal here is not to argue whether distance in the pro game is a problem—I just wanted everyone to see the evolution over the years. 

One thing on which we can all agree: the game is completely different than it was in 1980.

Mar 29, 2024

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Sean Fairholm

Sean is a longtime golf journalist and underachieving 8 handicap who enjoys the game in all forms. If he didn't have an official career writing about golf, Sean would spend most of his free time writing about it anyway. When he isn't playing golf, you can find Sean watching his beloved Florida Panthers hockey team, traveling to a national park or listening to music on his record player. He lives in Nashville with his wife and dog (of course the dog's name is Hogan).

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1 month ago

I know the ball had something to do with the distance gains, but the driver is where the USGA/R&A lost control. Allowing the larger club heads and longer shafts contributed more to the gains. Because of this younger players are able to go all out with their swings. I’m not an equipment expert, but I think if drivers had been limited to 300cc heads and a maximum shaft length of 44″-44.5″ you would not see these gains. These limitations would have little affect on the average golfer.

4 weeks ago

Don’t understand how this would not affect the average golfer? But until courses set up multiple sets of tees, too many players egos won’t allow them to play the proper tees.

PHDrunkards

Well, the COR and CT aligned to Spin Loft have lots more to do with than just lengths and head sizes. We could even go farther if they let COR and CT even more, coupled with stronger materials

If that’s not a perfect picture of Daly, I don’t know what is. Huge mullet, cigarette, and the world’s best shirt.

Does the tour track dispersion as well? Obviously a much hard metric to pin down vs raw distance, but it would be really interesting to see how accuracy has paced in relation to the increase in distance.

These distance measurements include only the ones that hit the fairway. As for shot to shot specified dispersion off the tee with drivers on those fairways when take the distance measurements, no. They only count fairways hit percentages overall but that won’t tell you the exact dispersions

The way the PGA tour measures “driving distance, is they pick two holes at each event… Usually that run an opposite direction to account for the wind, and those numbers are used in the calculation. The problem is that some of the Whole selected encourage players to use Less club than driver. I know for a fact that the PGA tour uses the fourth hole at TPC Summerlin, which is the host of the Shriners open, as one of the measuring holes. Out of the 20 people I have personally watched tee off on that hole, only 25% hit driver … Others hit Fairway woods, and even sometimes long irons. The other problem is if a player hits a driver, and it flies into the Fairway bunker on the right side of the fairway, the measurement is taking to that point in the sand, rather than the additional 40 yards that ball may have run out , had it not landed in the bunker. So really, they are not measuring driving distance… They are measuring the average of the first shot on two given holes each week as you can imagine, a dynamic like this can significantly impact these “driving distance averages” that are used in the technology debate. Golf course design is now completely outdated because the ball goes so far, but most always come back to this tour distance average metric, which is really a false indicator.

Great article! But your first graphic is incorrect- it’s showing the tour average in 1993 (260.4y) instead of Daly’s individual average as the tour leader (288.9y). The other three shown all have their individual averages on the graphic.

286 with persimmon??!! That’s crazy considering you’re effectively hitting a golf ball with a baseball on a stick.

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Golfers with longest driving distance on PGA tour 2022

Professional golfers with the longest average driving distance on the pga tour in 2022 (in yards).

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DISTANCE LEADERS

You simply will not believe how many players averaged more than 300 yards in driving distance on the PGA Tour this season

Kevin C. Cox

The PGA Tour season is over and Rory McIlroy walked away with the biggest prize , topping Scottie Scheffler in the Tour Championship last week at East Lake to collect $18 million.

So, before the next season starts in just two weeks, there’s time to scour the tour’s final statistics from the 2021-2022 season and look for interesting nuggets.

Look no further than driving distance.

For the first time in PGA Tour history, more than half the tour averaged at least 300 yards off the tee. A whopping 99 players out of 193 registered in the statistic eclipsed the magic number.

Sure, there are several factors for increased distances over the years, but we’re simply looking at the numbers. No more, no less.

RELATED: A drill that will have you hitting longer drives right away

Cameron Champ topped the list this season at 321.4 yards and McIlroy was close behind in second place at 321.3 yards. Scroll down the list and you’ll find both Hayden Buckley and Chris Kirk tied for 98th place at a 300.1 yards per drive average.

Alex Noren, at 100th, is the first player on the list sub-300 at 299.8 yards. Players Championship and Open Championship winner Cameron Smith is 101st at 299.7 yards.

Brian Stuard rounds out the list in 193rd place at 277.4, which coincidentally is the exact same average that tour leader John McComish recorded in 1983 during a season in which he made 13 of 27 cuts and collected two top-25 finishes.

John Daly was the first player in history to top a 300-yard driving average for the year when he did so in 1997 at 302.0 yards. He did not reach the mark the following year, but then did the next four consecutive years when he topped the overall statistic.

The list of leaders since 1980 can be found below, but here are some other comparisons from over the years.

In 1982, the 100th-ranked players in driving distance—Ben Crenshaw and George Archer—were at 254.9 yards. Ten years later it was 259.4 with Jeff Sluman and Leonard Thompson. In 2002, when Daly averaged over 300 yards, the 100th-ranked players—Brad Elder, Shigeki Maruyama, Mike Weir—were at 280.0. Ten years ago in 2012, Bubba Watson topped the list at 315.5 yards per drive and the 100th-ranked players—Tim Herron, Marc Leishman—were at 289.4 yards.

RELATED: First step in a rollback? Governing bodies announce plan in curtailing distance

Last year 61 players averaged at least 300 yards although 72 did so in 2020. Fifty reached the number in 2019, and only 27 did back in 2016.

As far as sheer drives of 300 or more yards on tour this last season, the PGA Tour supplied data to Golf Digest saying that 56,930 drives went at least that distance. For more context, that is 27.67 percent of drives on tour that went more than 300 yards.

Once you move up to the 350-yard mark, there were 3,775 drives of at least that distance. There were 74 drives of 400 yards or longer and yes, there was one recorded drive of at least 450 yards. Scott Stallings hit a mammoth shot of 460 yards on the 15th hole in the second round of the WM Phoenix Open. He tied for 21st place that week at TPC Scottsdale.

Here is a look at the driving distance leaders for each year since 1980:

2022: Cameron Champ (321.4 yards) 2021: Bryson DeChambeau (323.7) 2020: Bryson DeChambeau (322.1) 2019: Cameron Champ (317.9) 2018: Rory McIlroy (319.7) 2017: Rory McIlroy (317.2) 2016: J.B. Holmes (314.5) 2015: Dustin Johnson (317.7) 2014: Bubba Watson (314.3) 2013: Luke List (306.3) 2012: Bubba Watson (315.5) 2011: J.B. Holmes (318.4) 2010: Robert Garrigus (315.5) 2009: Robert Garrigus (312.0) 2008: Bubba Watson (315.1) 2007: Bubba Watson (315.2) 2006: Bubba Watson (319.6) 2005: Scott Hend (318.9) 2004: Hank Kuehne (314.4) 2003: Hank Kuehne (321.4) 2002: John Daly (306.8) 2001: John Daly (306.7) 2000: John Daly (301.4) 1999: John Daly (305.6) 1998: John Daly (299.4) 1997: John Daly (302.0) 1996: John Daly (288.8) 1995: John Daly (289.0) 1994: Davis Love III (283.8) 1993: John Daly (288.9) 1992: John Daly (283.4) 1991: John Daly (288.9) 1990: Tom Purtzer (279.6) 1989: Ed Humenik (280.9) 1988: Steve Thomas (284.6) 1987: John McComish (283.9) 1986: Davis Love III (285.7) 1985: Andy Bean (278.2) 1984: Bill Glasson (276.5) 1983: John McComish (277.4) 1982: Bill Calfee (275.3) 1981: Dan Pohl (280.1) 1980: Dan Pohl (274.3)

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a]:underline [&>a]:text-team-secondary"> Rory McIlroy had the longest average driving distance in 2022-23, at 326.3 yards.

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How Far Do PGA Tour Pros Hit The Ball?

Whether you like it or not, distance is always talked about. But how far do PGA Tour pros hit the ball? Let's find out

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Distance is a hotly debated subject and not just in the clubhouse at your local municipal. So much so, earlier this year, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and R&A sent an official notice to equipment manufacturers, detailing new areas of interest in the distance debate.

The notice did not include any official changes to the Rules of Golf but it did give a glimpse into the future and just how they intend to stop the ever increasing trend of further drives and lengthening of golf courses.

As the general consensus is that PGA Tour pros hit the ball too far, do you know how far they actually hit it? Well, let's take a look.

The PGA Tour collates this information under the Driving Distance category. The average number of yards per measured drive is recorded on two holes per round. The PGA Tour accounts for possible variance, such as elevation and wind, and take care to counteract this effect in the chosen holes. The drives are measured at the point in which the ball come to rest regardless of whether it is in the fairway or not.

Cameron Champ leads the 2022 Driving Distance category with a whopping average of 326.1 yards. The American maintains a rather comfortable lead with Matt Wolff some 5.4 yards behind - averaging 320.7 yards off the tee.

The 5.4 yard difference between Champ and Wolff separates Wolff and Luke List; who is twelfth in the Driving Distance category - averaging 315.4. 

The PGA Tour average driving distance is 298.4 yards; which is enough to rank 106th in the category. Notable players that fall beneath Tour average are Matt Fitzpatrick, who came agonisingly close to his first Major at the PGA Championship, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel, Abraham Ancer and Daniel Berger.

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What Is The Longest Drive Ever Hit On The PGA Tour?

Unfortunately, this isn't as easy to answer as you might think.

The PGA Tour introduced ShotLink in a limited capacity in 2000. Since 2003, they have used the laser-based system to gain precise measurements on every hole - something which was not possible before.

Prior to 2003 and the expanded use of ShotLink, Tiger Woods hit a 498-yard drive on the 18th hole at the Plantation Course at Kapalua during the 2002 Mercedes Championship. Sadly for Woods, this is classed as an 'unofficial record.'

David Love III takes the spoils in the post-2003 era having driven one 476-yards on the exact same hole as Woods during the 2004 edition of the Mercedes Championship. Those familiar with the event will be aware of the cambering fairway that can be used to the players advantage. 

Perhaps the most impressive drive recorded was by Jeff Sluman, who, at 5 foot 8 inches tall, put one out there 473-yards at the PGA West course during the 2003 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Pound for pound, that is an extremely long drive. 

Driving Distance Analysis Through The Years

• The 2022 leading average driving distance is the longest in the last ten years
• The 2022 tour average driving distance is the longest in the last ten years 
• The difference between the longest and tour average was the biggest in 2015 (28 yards)
• The difference between the longest and tour average was the second biggest in 2022 (so far - 27.7 yards)
• The average driving distance has increased 11.2 yards in the last ten years

Driving Distance Leaders Through The Years

In 2003, Hank Kuehne averaged a staggering 321.4 yards off the tee. Only Bryson DeChambeau (2020 & 2021) has bettered that total across a full PGA Tour season.

James joined Golf Monthly having previously written for other digital outlets. He is obsessed with all areas of the game – from tournament golf, to history, equipment, technique and travel. He is also an avid collector of memorabilia; with items from the likes of Bobby Jones, Tiger Woods, Francis Ouimet, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Adam Scott and Ernie Els. As well as writing for Golf Monthly, James’ golfing highlight is fist bumping Phil Mickelson on his way to winning the Open Championship at Muirfield in 2013. James grew up on the east coast of England and is the third generation of his golfing family. He now resides in Leeds and is a member of Cobble Hall Golf Club with a handicap index of 1.7. His favourite films are The Legend of Bagger Vance and Tin Cup.

Bryson DeChambeau did not enjoy playing nine holes with a rolled back golf ball, branding it "ridiculous" and saying range balls go further

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PGA TOUR Player Stats 2024

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Stephan Jaeger denies Scottie Scheffler’s third straight victory in Houston

Stephan Jaeger stopped Scottie Scheffler's bid for three straight wins.

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Sunday was supposed to be Scottie Scheffler’s day.

The winner of his last two starts on the PGA Tour came to Texas Children’s Houston Open , in his home state, seeking to win three straight events for the first time in seven years on the PGA Tour.

When he came to the last hole, trailing by one, he did what he had to. His approach from 185 yards at Memorial Park’s 18th hole settled just five feet from the hole.

Surely, the World No. 1 would convert the right-to-lefter to force a playoff with Stephan Jaeger?

But he didn’t. The putt dove low and never touched the hole. The bid for three in a row was over.

The miss meant Jaeger, who cleaned up an easy two-putt par moments before Scheffler’s birdie try to post 12 under after a final-round 67, ended up with the Houston Open title by one over five golfers, including Scheffler.

“I knew that Scottie hit it close on 18. I think then I looked at the leaderboard on 18 and figured, ‘Hey, I make this, it’s game over,'” Jaeger said. “I hit a great putt, just kind of left it a little right. Ended up winning the tournament, which is awesome.

“I expected him to make it, and I’m not mad at him for missing it.”

It’s the first PGA Tour win for Jaeger, but he might have had the most “winning” experience on the leaderboard outside of Scheffler and Tony Finau — who also finished T2. Jaeger has six career victories on the Korn Ferry Tour, just one short of Jason Gore’s record seven.

The win also continues what’s been an already career start to the season for the 34-year-old German. Jaeger already had tied his career-high in top 10s with two earlier this season, finishing T3 at both the Farmers Insurance Open and the Mexico Open.

Part of his success can be attributed to Jaeger’s massive gains in distance since he joined the PGA Tour in 2017-18. He was 155th in driving distance just two years ago during the 2021-22 season and was in the top 10 on the PGA Tour heading into this week with a 307.5-yard average. That has led to cracking the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time this season.

2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open money: How much every player made

His distance was on display through the final round as he played after Scheffler several times on the back nine, including on the decisive 18th hole.

The two started the day tied for the lead with three other golfers, and Jaeger had opened a one-shot lead thanks to making a birdie on top of Scheffler on the par-3 9th.

But Jaeger didn’t make another birdie the rest of the day, as he made nine straight pars on the final nine.

That left the door open for Scheffler, and other chasers, several times to draw even.

Alejandro Tosti caught Jaeger thanks to a clutch save on the diabolical par-3 15th and birdie on the par-5 16th. But the firey rookie’s bid for his first title fell when he failed to bridie the drivable par-4 17th and missed the green on the 18th and failed to get up and down.

Scheffler meanwhile bogeyed the 15th, his second straight day of struggles on the short par-3 , but got it back when he knocked it on in two at 16. His eagle try could have tied him with Jaeger and Tosti, but it didn’t scare the hole. Nor did his 11-foot birdie try at the 17th after he short-sided himself.

It felt like his approach on the 18th would bail out the misses and he would inevitably prevail in a playoff for his third straight win and third in four weeks. But, just two days after he three-putted from six feet on the same hole to end his second round , Scheffler missed and handed the title to Jaeger.

“I didn’t think it was going to move very much and I tried to hit it straight and I feel like I started right in the middle and looked like it broke off pretty hard, so just a misread,” Scheffler said.

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Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at [email protected] .

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Golfbet recap: Stephan Jaeger holds off Scottie Scheffler for breakthrough win in Houston

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In his 135th PGA TOUR start, Stephan Jaeger earned his first TOUR victory by holding off world No. 1 and pre-tournament favorite, Scottie Scheffler, at the Texas Children's Houston Open.

A six-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, Jaeger had gained some valuable experience on TOUR in 2024 with near-misses at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Mexico Open at Vidanta, finishing third in each. Sunday at Memorial Park Golf Course he got the job done, avoiding a playoff when Scheffler missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to hand Jaeger a one-shot victory.

Scheffler's putting overall was very good for the tournament, but in Sunday's round, he was losing over 1.5 strokes to the field with the flat stick, ranking 72nd out of 83 players in the field. That trend reared its head on the final green – where he had had a sloppy three-putt double bogey to end the second round – as Scheffler’s bid for three straight wins came up one shot short. He finished the week at 11-under, tied for second with four others including defending champ Tony Finau.

Jaeger's odds to win Texas Children’s Houston Open (via BetMGM Sportsbook)

• Pre-tournament: +5000
• Entering Round 2 (T46, trailed by 5): +8000
• Entering Round 3 (T4, trailed by 4): +1600
• Entering Round 4 (Co-leader): +650

The final round began with five players tied for the lead at 9 under, including Jaeger and Scheffler. Heading into the final round, Scheffler was in the familiar position of favorite at +140 after starting the week at +300 or shorter. Grouped with Scheffler and Englishman David Skinns (+1600), Jaeger was listed at +650.

Scoring conditions were favorable despite the steady 15 mph breeze that we had seen as ever-present throughout the four days of the tournament. With the majority of the leaderboard through just four or five holes, Scheffler and Jaeger had pulled ahead to 11-under. All camping inside the top-10 on the leaderboard, 13 players were now within four shots of the lead or fewer – but Scheffler had moved to an odds-on favorite at -111 to win his third tournament in as many starts. Billy Horschel shot the low round of the day, a 64, good enough for a 10-under finish and a tie for seventh place on a day when 54 players broke par.

Roughly halfway through the final round, Thomas Detry had moved into sole possession of the lead at 11-under while Scheffler and Jaeger had fallen back. Seventeen players were now making up the top 14 in the field, none of whom were further than four shots off Detry’s pace. The back nine at Memorial Park was set up to provide a dramatic finish as the leaderboard looked like a car race with players trading places and jockeying for position.

• Ben Everill: Sahith Theegala (+2000) T28
• Will Gray: Mackenzie Hughes (+5000) T14
• Chris Breece: Wyndham Clark (+1200) T31
• Matt DelVecchio: Sahith Theegala (+2000) T28
• Rob Bolton: Scottie Scheffler (+300) T2
• Mike Glasscott: Scottie Scheffler (+300) T2

Despite shooting even par on the back side, Jaeger found himself back in the lead through 11 holes at 12-under par. Scheffler was a shot back and remained the favorite at +160 while Jaeger was the second choice at +240.

TOUR rookie Alejandro Tosti had made his way into a tie for the lead but found trouble on his final hole with a wayward tee shot. His chip from off the green went 18 feet past the pin and he made his first bogey since the second hole. Detry missed a 9-footer for birdie on 17, to keep him at 11-under.

Jaeger saved some of his best work off the tee for the final day, as he ranked No. 1 in the field on Sunday for Driving Distance and was sixth for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. For the tournament, Jaeger finished third overall for SG: Putting, gaining nearly six-and-a-half shots on the field with the putter.

Act 2 in Texas, and the final stop before the season's first major, takes place at the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. It is the Valero Texas Open, and Canadian Corey Conners is your defending champion.

Rory McIlroy headlines the field next week, where he’ll be joined by former Valero winners Jordan Spieth (2021) and Adam Scott (2010) along with former Texas Tech star Ludvig Åberg. Also teeing it up are Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa. The weather forecast looks similar in San Antonio to what we saw this week in Houston – temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s with winds anywhere from 10-20 mph.

Rob Bolton Golfbet Insider and Sleeper Picks results

• Mackenzie Hughes to Win (+5000) T14
• Taylor Moore Top 5 (+900) T2
• Akshay Bhatia Top 10 (+500) T11
• Martin Laird Top 20 (+600) T31
• Tom Whitney Top 40 (+333) MC
• Chandler Phillips Top 40 (+140) T45
• Rafael Campos Top 20 (+800) MC
• Tom Hoge, Mackenzie Hughes and Stephan Jaeger all Make Cut (+175) T14/T14/WIN
• Sam Bennett Top 40 (+200) T72
• Cole Hammer Top 40 (+300) MC
• Jake Knapp Top 20 (+200) MC
• Martin Laird Top Scot (+130) T31
• Victor Perez Top 20 (+350) T17
• Jhonattan Vegas Top 40 (+230) T36
• Carson Young Top 40 (+160) MC

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