Spring is in the air, and for golf lovers that means one thing: the Masters. The best players in the world are preparing to take on Augusta National Golf Club in pursuit of the coveted green jacket.
While the course’s fairways are edged by a second, slightly higher cut of grass, there is no deep rough of the kind that traditionally faces players at most U.S. Opens or PGA Championships. For that reason, most players can be more aggressive off the tee at the Masters, but precision with irons on approach shots is critical. Missing the target by just a few feet when hitting to Augusta National’s famous greens can make the difference between a birdie chance and scrambling to avoid a big number.
The players listed below are the top 10 in strokes gained approach the green, the best statistical measure of iron play on the PGA Tour. The list also includes the irons they are playing. Strokes gained measures how much better or worse a player is versus the field average, so a strokes gained of 1.0 means that player is one stroke better than the field average per round.