What Top PGA Tour Players Must Do to Win More in 2015
The top PGA Tour players are likely sitting down this season with their coaches, trainers, stats guys, caddies, trusted advisors (and probably family pets, too) to figure out what they need to do better to win more in 2015.
For some, the answer is simple: stay healthy. For others, the solutions are more nuance, such as better play from a narrow range in the fairway or on the green.
Who needs to do what to raise more trophies?
Click through to see.
Rory McIlroy
1 of 10
2014 season highlights
Rory McIlroy won the The Open Championship, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship. He tied for second at the Honda Classic, losing to Russell Henley in a playoff. In his multiple-major winning season, McIlroy notched 12 top 10s in 17 starts, and he didn't finish outside the top 25. He made more than $8.2 million and finished third in the FedEx Cup.
To win more in 2015...McIlroy must stick with the current formula. He had his best season from tee to green and led the tour in both birdies and scoring average. There's no real need to change anything. Perhaps the only concerns are McIlroy's scrambling percentage—58.5 percent on tour (88th)—and his putting from inside five feet. He's presently 103rd on tour.
Adam Scott
2 of 10
2014 season highlights
Adam Scott won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He also finished third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tied for fourth at the Memorial Tournament. Scott also tied for fifth at The Open Championship. He assumed the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Scott made 15 of 16 cuts and recorded 10 top-10 finishes, in addition to winning the Australian PGA and the Australian Masters.
To win more in 2015...Scott improved his putting in 2014. Still, he struggles between three and 15 feet. He's 103rd on tour in putting from five to 15 feet and 117th on tour on putts from three to five feet. The range from three to 15 feet is critical for birdies and par saves. Scott will want to make sure he continues to improve this area of his game.
Jordan Spieth
3 of 10
2014 season highlights
Jordan Spieth didn't win in 2014. That doesn't mean he didn't play well, however. Spieth finished second at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the Masters Tournament.
He tied for fourth at The Players Championship as well. Overall, Spieth made 24 of 27 cuts, and he notched eight top 10s. He also made an impressive Ryder Cup debut (2-1-1).
To win more in 2015...he'll want to hit more greens in regulation. While Spieth is an adept scrambler and maintains an impressive scoring average, hitting greens and giving yourself looks at birdie is the key to regular success on the PGA Tour.
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Justin Rose
4 of 10
2014 season highlights
Justin Rose won the Quicken Loans National. He tied for fourth at The Players Championship and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
The Englishman made 17 cuts in 19 starts and finished 11th in the FedEx Cup standings. Rose was exceptional at the Ryder Cup as well, tallying a 3-0-2 record.
To win more in 2015...the Englishman will need to improve his putting. The flatstick has been the bane of Rose's existence (despite what you saw at the Ryder Cup. He lost .38 strokes to the field with his putter during 2014, placing him 108th in strokes gained-putting.
Tiger Woods
5 of 10
2014 season highlights
In short, none. In a lost season marred by injury, time off to recover from surgery and further injury, Tiger Woods only managed to tee it up seven times. He made five of seven cuts.
To win more in 2015...he will need to play more. While there may be mechanical things Woods needs to do differently in 2014, the most important foundational element to winning golf tournaments is playing in golf tournaments. In order to do that, Woods will need to build his strength in the offseason and stay injury free in 2015.
Bubba Watson
6 of 10
2014 season highlights
Bubba Watson had a pair of significant victories in 2014: the Northern Trust Open and the Masters. He finished second at the BMW Championship, the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.
Watson was the leading Ryder Cup points-getter for the U.S. side. He totaled eight top 10s in 21 starts.
To win more in 2015...Watson could improve facets of his game, sure. However, the two biggest things holding Watson back (as much as anything holds a multiple-major winner back) are his spells of childish behavior and his "it's just golf" attitude—the latter suggesting he doesn't really care about winning.
Keegan Bradley
7 of 10
2014 season highlights
Keegan Bradley's best finish in 2014 was a tie for second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also tied for fourth at the U.S. Open, The Greenbrier Classic and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. In total, he secured six top-10 finishes in 26 starts.
To win more in 2015...Bradley could stand to improve his approach game from 150 to 175 yards. It's a critical region, as Bradley struck more than 200 shots from the distance range in 2014. He was 134th on tour in proximity to the pin from 150 to 175 last year. He'll want to hit it closer with his short irons for better looks at birdie.
Jason Day
8 of 10
2014 season highlights
Despite being bothered by various injuries, Jason Day won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. He tied for second at the Farmers Insurance Open and The Barclays.
He also tied for fourth at U.S. Open and made the cut in 14 of 15 starts, totaling six top-10 finishes.
To win more in 2015...Day needs to stay healthy—the same as Woods (or anyone on this list). Hopefully, he'll finally have his thumb issue sorted out this offseason and rest and treatment will cure the back troubles that plagued him during the playoffs.
Phil Mickelson
9 of 10
2014 season highlights
2014 was not a memorable one for Phil Mickelson. Outside of finishing tied for second at the PGA Championship, Mickelson didn't place inside the top 10 anywhere. At the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, the left-hander went 2-1-0.
To win more in 2015...Mickelson will need to hit the ball closer and putt better.
Simple, right? The left-hander's driving distance, driving accuracy and greens in regulation numbers were very similar to his numbers from 2013 when he won multiple tournaments. However, he was slightly worse with the putter this year (50th versus fifth in strokes gained-putting last year).
Subjectively, his approach shots didn't seem as tight this year, too.
Billy Horschel
10 of 10
2014 season highlights
In a brilliant end-of-the-season run, Billy Horschel won the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola to claim the FedEx Cup. He also tied for second at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Horschel made 20 of 27 cuts for the year with a total of five top-10 finishes.
To win more in 2015...Horschel needs to ride the tidal wave of momentum he finished the year on. You could say his putting was a bit better in 2013 than 2014, but really, his stats were pretty similar. If Horschel keeps working as he has with coach Todd Anderson, he'll win more in 2015 than he did this season.
Stats via PGATour.com unless otherwise noted.
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