LostGolfBalls.com BLOG

Information and tips on everything golf ball related from the largest recycler of used golf balls in the world

All Posts

2014 PGA Tour Season In Review

Remember when Rory Mcllroy made two eagles in just three holes to beat Rickie Fowler in the third round of the Open at Royal Liverpool? We’ve seen some awesome shots this year (check out the top ten shots of 2014 by pga.com), but it’s time to say goodbye to the 2014 PGA Tour. The 99th season began last year on October 10th at the Frys.com Open in California and ended on September 28th at the Ryder Cup in Scotland. The season included forty-five official events and over 900 holes. Read on for the highlights from this season!

Finished-PGA-Tour-Stats

Talk about a long shot: at 401 yards, Shawn Stefani had the longest drive in any 2014 PGA Tour event right off the bat at the Frys.com Open. Stefani admits that the concrete on the cart path helped on the 410-yard hole. Last season’s longest drive was 424 yards by Bubba Watson. You know what they say: “drive for show, putt for dough”.

Speaking of dough, the 2014 PGA Tour money leader is Rory Mcllroy winning just over $8 million after seventeen events. Runner-up Bubba Watson only clocks in at around $6 million - and Watson played four more events than Mcllroy. Some other fast facts: Jimmy Walker had 401 birdies and Adam Scott led the PGA players with the most cuts made at 44, followed by Steve Stricker (35) and Jim Furyk (28).

Nicknamed “Long John” for his driving distance off the tee, John Daly had the highest single-hole score this season—12— during the second round of the Valspar Championship on the par-4 sixteenth hole. He took a whopping 70 putts over two days at that tournament. Unfortunately, this title isn’t new for John - he also holds the record for the worst single-hole score at any PGA Tour event ever with an 18 on the par-5 sixth hole at the 1998 Bay Hill Invitational. This year however, Bubba Watson and Brett Rumford were right behind him, each with a highest single-hole score of eleven.

Gary Woodland, two-time PGA Tour winner, was a true tour de force this year: he never missed a single putt inside three feet. That makes him one of two perfect players in the past two seasons, going 1,641 of 1,641. Luke Donald, a golfer who was the World Number One in 2011, is 963 of 963 in the past two seasons on the Tour, too.

So how award-winning was this season? The current number-one ranked golfer, Mcllroy was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year, the PGA Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Trophy), and the Money Winner. He was also given two Scoring Leader awards, two major championship titles, and a World Golf Championship victory. The rookie of the year was Chesson Hadley. Having just turned professional in 2010, Hadley was ranked 49th in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which included 9th place at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Now it’s time to say hello to the 2015 PGA Tour—and celebrate the Tour’s 100th season. It will resume in early January with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out the annual countdown of the Top 30 Players to Watch as they’re unveiled throughout December. And hey, a new year means it’s time for a new ball from Lost Golf Balls.

 

Related Posts

Genesis Invitational Gives Us The Reality Of Sports

I’ve written this before and I’m repeating it because it never ceases to amaze me how televised sports is the ultimate reality show, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, as the now-defunct ABC Wild Word of Sports used as its intro. On the final hole of the Pebble Beach Open, Jacob Bridgeman (TaylorMade TP5x) was hitting a shot off of pebbles on the beach on the 18th hole. His ball ended up in the ocean and resulted in a bogey, tying him for eighth place when he was close enough starting the hole for a much better finish. I thought his spirits were crushed and dismissed him for the Genesis Invitational. So what does he do? Goes on a tear and headed into the final day, chasing a tournament record score. But he nearly frittered away the win, coming undone on the back half of the back nine and eking out a single stroke victory, and only because he parred a four-foot putt that must have seemed much longer because of the pressure. That’s drama, real drama, not manufactured reality. He won the event for the first time in his 66th tournament on the PGA Tour and only 65 days after marrying.

It's Time To Talk About Tiger Woods Again

Some thoughts on the world of golf with the Masters less than eight weeks away: When Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B XS) speaks, we all listen. As the host of the Genesis Invitational this week, Woods held his annual address about his health, career, playing in the Masters and the PGA Tour at large. Woods is gradually returning to swinging his clubs from his latest back surgery last fall, which naturally had reporters asking him about his playing status. He did not specify when he will return to playing again, yet he tersely and emphatically did not rule out playing in the Masters. “No,” he said. Woods has always tried to play in the Masters, no matter his physical condition.

Chris Gotterup Making A Name For Himself

Who is Chris Gotterup (Bridgestone Tour B X), and why is he tearing it up early in the 2026 PGA Tour season? If you had asked golf fans heading into this year’s season, some may have known him and success he has had, but I don’t think there would be many who would say he was slated for a breakthrough season. But now the word is out: Not only is he a long-ball hitter off the tee and someone who can keep it in the fairway, but he also has a complete game and championship mettle. With two victories in only three tournaments in 2026, most recently last weekend beating two-time winner Hideki Matsuyama (Srixon Z-Star XV) in a playoff in the WM Phoenix Open, Gotterup is on a heater. Matsuyama, the tournament leader heading into the final round, was spraying his ball all over the course and was scrambling most of the day. Gotterup was quietly doing his own thing. In fact, while Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) was making a serious run for the lead that just fell one shot short after a seven-under par, Gotterup was putting together a similar round. He had the tournament lead after round one with an eight-under par – Scheffler was just hoping to make the cut after opening two-under par – but shot one-under par in his next two rounds. Gotterup really turned it on in the final round. He was two-under after the front nine, but five-under on the back nine, including birdying five of the last six holes.