Six years ago, at the conclusion of the PGA Tour’s 2015-2016 season, Jason Day finished No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Putting and achieved something that no other golfer, before or since, had accomplished. The Australian, who used a TaylorMade Spider Tour Red putter that year, ended a PGA Tour season with a Strokes Gained: Putting average of 1.13, making him the first player to end a season with an average over 1.0.
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG:P) is the best statistic to use to compare golfers and see who is a better putter, measuring that advantage in strokes. For example, if a player has a SG:P average of 0.4 and another golfer has an average of 0.1, that 0.3-shot edge over 72 holes of a tournament translates to a 1.2-shot swing and on the PGA Tour, averaging one shot better than translates to a lot of money.
Jason Day lines up a putt on the 2nd hole during the first round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
So back in 2016, over 54 measured rounds of golf that season, Day gained more than a full shot advantage over the average player (who would average 0.0), every 18 holes, based exclusively on his putting. That’s 4.52 shots over 72 holes.
No one scared Day’s record-setting performance last year, but with the PGA Tour’s wrap-around 2021-22 season now concluded, we can look back and see which golfers finished in the top 10 in SG:P and what putters they used.