As the year winds down, the 2023 PGA Tour calendar year was unpredictable, both on and off the course.
From unexpected holes-in-one to players popping off to secure victories.
Whether it was the Canadian, Nick Taylor, winning the RBC Canadian Open with a 72-foot eagle putt or a player like Brian Harman or Wyndham Clark claiming a major championship this year, it was definitely a year to remember.
From PGA professional Michaael Block stealing the show at the PGA Championship, while securing his spot in the next year’s second major, to Rickie Fowler and Jason Day finding their way back to the winner’s circle, it proved that anything was possible this year.
Throughout all the moments, both good and bad, the play on the course was as competitive as ever with the newly implemented designated events that had higher purses.
Here are the top 10 PGA golfers for 2023.
10. Ludvig Aberg
This year, Ludvig Aberg became the first player to earn PGA Tour status through the PGA Tour University for collegiate athletes.
Not only did Aberg earn his PGA Tour card, but he also did it in style, missing only one cut in his first 11 events as a PGA Tour professional, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the John Deere Classic, showing that he can compete among the game’s best.
He went 2-2 during his four matches at the Ryder Cup to help Team Europe secure victory in Rome, which included going a perfect 2-0 in foursomes. He then turned it on to another level for his final five events of the year, finishing no worse than tied for 13th.
During the fall swing, Aberg played in five events, which included securing his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic that featured back-to-back 61s on Saturday and Sunday to win by four.
Aberg is one of four nominees for the Arnold Palmer Award for the 2023 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, along with Eric Cole, Nico Echavarria, and Vincent Norrman.
9. Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay had a solid 2023. Despite a couple of controversies throughout the year, Cantlay was able to settle those down and have a couple of runners-up, including at the FedEx St. Jude Championship to begin the FedEx Cup, in addition to a third-place finish at The Genesis Invitational, one of the PGA Tour designated events.
Add in a fifth place at the Tour Championship and it puts another strong note to a season, two years removed from winning the FedEx Cup in 2021.
Although Cantlay did not record a victory in 2023, he only missed two cuts in 21 events and maintained his top-5 position among the world golf rankings going into 2024.
8. Wyndham Clark
The signature moment for Wyndham Clark in 2023 was his U.S. Open victory for his first major victory. The challenging part of accomplishing the victory was fending off the field and holding the lead without faltering.
Despite bogeys on 15 and 16, Clark made clutch pars on the final two holes, including a big approach shot on 18 to claim the major win at Los Angeles Country Club in June.
Clark, who also won the Wells Fargo Championship a month before the U.S. Open win, also went on to place third at the Tour Championship, compete in his first Ryder Cup team for Team USA and participate in the Hero World Challenge, a tournament for the top 20 PGA Tour players, hosted by 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods.
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7. Tom Kim
Despite turning 21 years old in 2023, Tom Kim was still putting up strong numbers. After winning the 2022 Shriners Children’s Open, he returned to TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas in October and won again which was fueled by a third-round 62.
With the victory, Kim became the second-youngest player since World War II to record three PGA Tour wins. Only Woods was younger.
Another couple of highlights for the South Korean this year were placing eighth at the U.S. Open and being a runner-up at the Open Championship among the four majors.
Kim also made his first career Tour Championship for the 30 best players during the season-long race.
6. Xander Schauffele
Although Xander Schauffele did not go into the winner’s circle, he once again had another strong season. Schauffele recorded 11 top-10 finishes, which was fourth-most this year and the most without a victory.
A couple of Schauffele’s biggest shots came with a little risk in 2023. During the final round of The American Express in January, Schauffele holed out from 225 yards, over water, for an albatross on a par-5, which highlighted a 10-under 61 to finish tied for third.
A few weeks later, the San Diego State alum holed out once again during the second round of The Genesis Invitational from 173 yards for eagle, which also saved his made-cut streak that currently stands at 34 consecutive cuts heading into the new year.
To end the year, Schauffele once again gave a strong performance at the Tour Championship, recording his third runner-up finish in five years.
5. Max Homa
Max Homa kicked off his 2023 with a Farmers Insurance win before a runner-up finish at The Genesis Invitational.
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Homa also put together his best performance at a major tournament, with a 10th-place finish at the Open Championship in July. That began a run of four consecutive top-10 finishes to end the season, capped off by placing ninth at the Tour Championship.
In September, before the Ryder Cup, Homa came up just short of trying to win his third straight Fortinet Championship, placing seventh.
Homa will go into 2024 at No. 7 in the world golf rankings, which is 10 spots better from the end of 2022.
4. Rory McIlroy
On the course, Rory McIlroy had a memorable 2023, winning two events – the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour and the Genesis Scottish Open. With the victory in Scotland, McIlroy became the first player to win the Irish Open, Scottish Open, and the Open Championship.
After placing 47th at the Wells Fargo Championship in May, McIlroy turned things around, finishing each of his final 10 events ninth or better, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open, in addition to his win in Scotland.
McIlroy tied for fourth at the Tour Championship before being part of Team Europe’s Ryder Cup win. The Northern Irishman registered the most points for the Europeans with four, going 4-1 in his five events, which included going 2-0 in foursomes and getting a singles win over Sam Burns.
3. Jon Rahm
McIlroy’s Ryder Cup teammates take up the next two spots, with Jon Rahm at No. 3.
Before his move to LIV Golf in December, Rahm had an unforgettable start to his 2023 campaign. The Spaniard won three of his first five events at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The American Express, and The Genesis Invitational. He also placed third at the WM Phoenix Open during that stretch.
Despite a withdrawal at the Players Championship and a T31 finish during the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in March, major season brought the best out of Rahm, securing his first green jacket at the Masters, over Brooks Koepka in a back-and-forth affair during the final round.
After winning the Mexico Open in 2022, Rahm followed that performance with a runner-up this year, losing to Tony Finau by three strokes.
Although he tied for 50th at the PGA Championship, the Arizona State alum capped off his final two majors in better fashion, tying for 10th at the U.S. Open and second at the U.S. Open.
2. PGA Tour FedEx Cup winner: Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland was able to get hot late, securing the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship to secure his first FedEx Cup.
Overall, Hovland recorded three wins and nine top-10s. In addition to his two wins to close out the 2022-23 season, he was victorious at the Memorial Tournament, winning in a playoff over Denny McCarthy at Muirfield Village in June.
After starting 2023 at No. 10 in the world rankings, he ended the year at No. 4 as he recorded two top-5 finishes on the DP World Tour at the BMW PGA Championship and the DP World Tour Championship.
Hovland finished 19th or better in all four majors, highlighted by placing seventh at the Masters and second at the PGA Championship. His runner-up at the PGA Championship marked his best finish at a major.
1. Scottie Scheffler
The battle for the top two spots came down to splitting hairs, with Scottie Scheffler getting the nod over Hovland.
Although Hovland won the Tour Championship, Scheffler had one of the best seasons in PGA Tour history.
Scheffler, who was able to emerge as the world’s best player in the rankings after going back and forth with Rahm and McIlroy, recorded two wins and 17 top 10s. His 17 top 10s tied Woods’ 2000 season for third-best in PGA Tour history, dating back to 1980, only trailing Vijay Singh’s 18 top-10s from 2003-05 and Tom Kite’s 21 top 10s in 1981.
The University of Texas alum also recorded a 68.629 scoring average this year, which was the seventh-best mark on the PGA Tour since 1980. The six better scoring averages all belong to Woods.
Scheffler recorded wins at two of the season’s designated events at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale and the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, in addition to a victory at the Hero World Challenge to close out his year. Like McIlroy, Scheffler finished his season strong, recording nine top-six finishes in his final 11 events, a streak that also began in May but at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Scheffler is one of five nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award for the 2023 Player of the Year, along with Clark, Hovland, McIlory, and Rahm. The Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer awards will be announced at The Sentry in January to begin the 2024 season as the PGA Tour returns to a calendar-year schedule.
