Ranking the Hardest Courses on the PGA Tour in 2015

A few of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour in 2015 may surprise you. A few of them won’t (can you say Chambers Bay?). 

Of the 51 courses on the PGA Tour in 2015, 17 had a field scoring average over par in 2015. This stands in contrast to 2014 when 27 venues saw the field average scores over par. 

Relying on the PGA Tour’s official field scoring averages, here are the 10 toughest courses on tour from the 2014-2015 season.

Whistling Straits

Tournament: PGA Championship

Par/Yardage: 72/7501

Average score/to par: 72.759/+0.759 

Jason Day won the PGA Championship at 20 under par, beating the previous major-winning record tally of 19 under. However, the majority of the field was done in by Whistling Straits' length and gusting winds.

Innisbrook Resort: Copperhead Course

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Tournament: Valspar Championship

Par/Yardage: 72/7,501

Average score/to par: 71.863/+0.863

Jordan Spieth finished second at Whistling Straits and won the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook. Sensing a pattern? Spieth plays well at difficult tracks. 

TPC Southwind

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Tournament: FedEx St. Jude Classic

Par/Yardage: 70/7,239

Average score/to par: 70.933/+0.933

Surprise winner Fabian Gomez tallied a 13-under 267 total to take the FedEx St. Jude Classic by four strokes. TPC Southwind, perennially one of the 15 toughest tracks on tour, was a stern test as per usual. 

Firestone Country Club: South Course

Tournament: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational 

Par/Yardage: 70/7,400

Average score/to par: 70.968/+0.968

One of Tiger Woods’ tour playgrounds, Firestone Country Club is a bomber's paradise where it’s easy to get in trouble off the tee. As a WGC event with a limited field of the best golfers in the world, Firestone’s difficulty is apparent from scoring not diluted by lesser players.

Trump National: Doral

Tournament: WGC-Cadillac Championship

Par/Yardage: 72/7,258

Average score/to par: 73.240/+1.240

The field average at Doral last year was more than a stroke over par. The course played easier than it did in 2014, however, when the field average was 1.852 strokes over par.

Torrey Pines: South Course

Tournament: Farmers Insurance Open

Par/Yardage: 72/7,698

Average score/to par: 73.518/+1.518

The field average at Torrey Pines last year was more than 1.5 strokes over par, which was easier than the California track played in 2014 when the field average was 1.852 strokes over par. Jason Day’s winning total: nine-under 279.

Riviera Country Club

Tournament: Northern Trust Open

Par/Yardage: 71/7,349

Average score/to par: 72.592/+1.592

Hogan’s Alley was a stern test in 2015, much more difficult than it played in 2014 when the field average was just .209 strokes over par. James Hahn (-6) beat Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson in a playoff.

PGA National: Champion Course

Tournament: Honda Classic

Par/Yardage: 70/7,140

Average score/to par: 71.8321/1.832 

At just 7,140 yards, PGA National had no trouble giving golf’s best fits. Indeed, the cut came at four over par, and Padraig Harrington’s winning tally was just six under. 

TPC San Antonio

Tournament: Valero Texas Open

Par/Yardage: 72/7,435

Average score/to par: 74.521/+2.521 

The difficulty of TPC San Antonio in 2015 was an anomaly. The course played more than a stroke more difficult than it did in 2014 thanks to howling winds that gusted at nearly 40 miles per hour. Jimmy Walker persevered to win at 11 under, but only 10 players in the 144-player field finished under par. 

Chambers Bay Golf Club

Tournament: U.S. Open

Par/Yardage: 70/7,710, 7,593

Average score/to par:+2.471,+3.452 

Chambers Bay, which the USGA set up at multiple lengths for the U.S. Open, was the most difficult track on tour in all of its incarnations in 2015. 

Stats via the PGA Tour media guide. 

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