By In the history of the PGA Tour, we’ve seen guys dominate their respective eras. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, a man by the name of Tiger Woods took over the game of golf. He won seven majors over a four-year span and 12 of his 15 majors during the 2000s. The great Jack Nicklaus had arguably an even greater run on the PGA Tour, winning seven majors in the 1960s and seven more in the ’70s. What about more recently? Who have been the best golfers of the 2010s?
In the most recent decade of the 2010s, we haven’t seen one man dominate as we did with Woods and Nicklaus. With an increased level of talent on tour, it’s been harder for players to have continued success over an extended period of time.
While there’s certainly been more balance on the PGA Tour in recent years, a handful of players separated themselves from the pack. Here are, in my opinion, the four best golfers of the 2010s.
4. Dustin Johnson
If Dustin’s Masters win came in 2019 instead of 2020, I would rank him ahead of Spieth and possibly Koepka. That said, DJ has still been one of the best golfers of the 2010s and certainly one of the most consistent. He didn’t go a full year last decade without at least one win.
At his peak, Dustin Johnson may be the most talented golfer of his generation. When he’s feeling it, he’s capable of putting on an absolute show in every facet of the game (driving, iron/wedge play, putting). Here’s an example of just how red hot DJ can get when he’s in a groove.
In majors, however, we’ve seen the pressure get to Dustin Johnson. Time and time again he’s missed key putts down the stretch, and it’s a big reason why he sits on just two majors today instead of four or five.
By the numbers
Johnson teed it up in 204 events last decade, winning 18 of them, placing in the top-10 88 times, and missing the cut 22 times. He’s consistently finished in the top-10 in strokes gained off the tee and strokes gained tee-to-green.
Even though DJ only won one major last decade, he finished in the top-10 15 times in 37 major events. After claiming his second major in 2020 at age 35, I’m expecting Dustin Johnson to add at least a couple more majors to his resume in the coming years.
3. Jordan Spieth
Unlike the other three guys on this list, Spieth isn’t going to wow anyone with his distance off the tee. His short game is where he’s been able to separate himself. When Spieth’s feeling it on the greens, an 8-foot-putt feels like a tap-in for him and a 20-foot-putt feels like an 8-footer. His magic on and around the greens is the reason he’s a three-time major champion and one of the four best golfers of the 2010s.
Jordan Spieth broke into the tour in 2012 at just 19 years old, but it was 2015 when he really put the rest of the tour on notice. From 2015-2017, he won 10 times and racked up 35 top-10’s. The problem for Spieth is that he relied a little too heavily on his short game and his ability to save par from anywhere. Since 2017, he hasn’t been as reliable around the green, resulting in just one win over the last four years.
By the numbers
Let’s start with Spieth’s remarkable 2015 season in which he tallied 5 wins (2 of those majors), 15 top-10’s, and finished in the top-5 in all four majors. On top of that, he finished first in scoring average, top-15 in all strokes gained categories, and won the FedExCup.
Over the entire decade, Spieth won 11 times with 62 top-10’s in 168 events. He’s also finished top-15 in the FedExCup every year from 2013-2017.
In 27 major events played last decade, Spieth won three of them (1 Masters, 1 U.S. Open, 1 British Open), with ten top-10 finishes and 16 top-25 finishes. If it weren’t for that shocking collapse in the 2016 Masters, Spieth would’ve won back-to-back Masters titles and who knows how that would’ve changed things for him going forward.
2. Brooks Koepka
The most recent dominant force in major championships has been Brooks Koepka. In fact, he’s been one of the best golfers of the 2010s solely due to his success in the majors. Even though he’s 31, Koepka didn’t start playing consistently on the PGA Tour until 2014. From 2014-2016, he only won once, but he did finish in the top-10 17 times, five of those coming in major championships.
In 2017, Koepka broke through and won the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. When he won it again the following year at Shinnecock, I knew he had that it-factor. Recently, when asked about his success in majors, Koepka simply said “I enjoy it when it gets tough.” While other golfers are grinding and stressing over every shot, Koepka looks unfazed, strolling down the fairway like he’s out for a Tuesday afternoon round after work.
Koepka believes he can win double-digit majors by the time his career is over. That’s only been done by Jack Nicklaus (18), Tiger Woods (15), and Walter Hagen (11).
By the numbers
In 124 events this decade, Brooks Koepka has won seven times, with 39 top-10’s and 18 missed cuts. Dating back to 2014, Koepka’s true rookie year, he has finished top-20 in scoring average on tour every season. He’s also finished top-20 in the FedExCup Standings each year from 2017-2019.
If you think those numbers are impressive, listen to what he did in majors last decade. In 21 major events played from 2014-2019, Koepka never missed the cut, finished top-25 18 times, top-10 12 times, and has won four times (2 U.S. Opens and 2 PGA Championships). If he continues this dominance, he has a chance to go down as one of the greatest major championship performers in golf.
1. Rory McIlroy
After winning his first PGA Tour event in 2010 at age 20, Rory burst onto the scene in 2011 when he won the U.S. Open by a whopping eight strokes. When he won the PGA Championship the next year by eight strokes again, I thought we were looking at the next Tiger.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, as he’s won just two majors since then and zero since 2014. That said, McIlroy was undeniably the best golfer of the 2010s. He tied for the most major wins (4) and PGA Tour wins (18).
When Rory’s on, there’s no stopping him, as we’ve witnessed him pull away multiple times in big tournaments. When he’s off, however, it’s tough for him to get his mojo back. We’ve certainly seen recent glimpses of this mojo and the famous McIlroy strut, but he’s never quite been able to get back to his 2011-2014 form.
By the numbers
Rory played in 158 total PGA events over the course of the decade. He finished with 18 wins, 70 top-10’s, and just 18 missed cuts. Rory’s had quite the success in the FedExCup, winning it in 2016 and 2019 and finishing in the top three in 2012 and 2014. He finished 1st on tour in scoring average three times (2012, 2014, 2019) and top-10 three other times (2016-2018).
Rory’s been one of the best and most consistent ball strikers on tour. He finished top-10 in strokes gained off the tee eight out of ten years from 2010-2019 and top-10 in strokes gained from tee-to-green six out of ten years.
In his 39 major events played in the 2010s, Rory finished in the top-25 25 times, top-10 18 times, with four wins (2 PGA Championships, 1 U.S. Open, 1 British Open). I’m excited to see if Rory can find some of that long-lost magic that he once had, or if his dominance in majors has run its course.
Will anyone dominate the 2020’s?
After looking at the four best golfers of the 2010s, let’s start thinking about the future of the game. With an abundance of talent on the PGA Tour in 2021, I wouldn’t be surprised if the wealth gets spread around between a number of players.
If there’s one player that will separate themselves from the pack, I’d put my money on Jon Rahm. Rahm has the ability, as we’ve seen a number of times already, to completely blow away the field in a Rory McIlroy or Dustin Johnson-like fashion. At age 26, Rahm just won his first major, snatching the U.S. Open away from big names like Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Rory McIlroy. Rahm, along with guys like DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, and Justin Thomas, all have a chance to take over the PGA Tour in the 2020s.
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