RANKED: Top 5 PGA Tour wins of the season

I have decided to compile a list of this year’s greatest victories outside of the majors and the Tour Championship (McIlroy’s victory at Augusta and Fleetwood’s breakthrough at East Lake have eaten up enough column inches).

5 – Rory McIlroy (The Players Championship)

Well, I still managed to sneak Rory in here. With all the obvious hullabaloo surrounding his Grand Slam heroics, it’s easy to forget that McIlroy also secured a secnd Players title this year. The Players is often touted as the unofficial fifth major. Does that mean that McIlroy is now the holder of seven unofficial major titles?

McIlroy won in dramatic fashion, returning on Monday to contest a three-hole playoff with eventual US Open champ JJ. Spaun. McIlroy held his nerve to claim his 2nd Players title. McIlroy achieved something truly remarkable during that opening stint of the season, winning at arguably America’s three biggest golfing institutions: Pebble Beach, Sawgrass and Augusta. Not too shabby for a little over two months.

4 – Chris Gotterup (Scottish Open)

Everyone loves an underdog story. Chris Gotterup won his first title at last year’s Myrtle Beach Classic but struggled to back up that showing, failing to secure another top 20 finish all season. So, few would have given him much hope when he teed it up at Renaissance this year.

But the big-driving Gotterup defied all expectations to produce a career-defining performance. He wasn’t overawed by illustrious final-round playing partners, seeing off major winners McIlroy and Wyndham Clark to secure a 2nd career PGA Tour victory.

3 – Justin Thomas (RBC Heritage)

JT’s victory at the RBC Heritage was the final piece in his comeback puzzle, possibly ensuring him a spot in Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup side (a mixed blessing). His tense playoff win over Andrew Novak secured a first PGA Tour title since the 2022 PGA Championship.

Thomas’ game went into freefall a few years back: the two-time major champ inexplicably missed the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs. He figured things out and went into Harbour Town safely ensconced in the top ten. Thomas was a man on a mission at Hilton Head, carding an opening-round 61 to let his intentions be known.

Thomas was made to sweat after 72 holes, with Novak requiring a slippery six-foot putt for victory. Novak pulled it a touch, and Thomas would win the resultant playoff in fine style, holing from over 20 feet to send the South Carolinian crowd into frenzy. It was the first time in his career that he had holed a putt of that distance to win a golf tournament.

2 – Adam Schenk (Bermuda Championship)

This could very well be one of the gutsiest wins in recent PGA Tour memory. Schenk went into the recent Butterfield Bermuda Championship with little to no fanfare, languishing at 134th in the FedEx Cup standings and facing the very real possibility of Q-school.

The conditions at Port Royal were atrocious, with 30mph gusts threatening to turn Sunday into a farce. Schenk expertly navigated the pandemonium, shooting an even-par 71 to claim his 1st career victory (at the 243rd time of asking). To break a longstanding duck in terrible conditions is one thing; to do it while your livelihood is on the line is truly extraordinary.

1 – Scottie Scheffler (The CJ Cup Byron Nelson)

This was a performance of titanic proportions, setting in motion a period of superhuman dominance for the relentless Texan. Scheffler was under a bit of a cloud going into this tournament, having not won a tournament in the calendar year. He vanquished any talk of a Scheffler recession with a scary wire-to-wire win, ending the tournament with a winning score of 31-under-par.

He won in 253 strokes, matching the record for the fewest number of shots ever at a PGA Tour event. His eight-shot victory was the widest on tour since 2020, and he gained a frankly comical +12.811 shots on approach. This was the type of complete golf that could almost demotivate some of the up-and-coming guys. How can they compete with perfection?