PGA Tour players are hitting it shorter this year, bucking a long-running trend toward ever-increasing driving distances.
A surprising 86 out of 136 Tour pros actually lost yards off the tee in 2023-24 compared to last season. That’s nearly two-thirds of players moving in reverse.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Taylor Montgomery
55
5
$4,396,530
Taylor Montgomery’s case stands out – he lost a whopping 14.1 yards, though there’s a good explanation. Shoulder problems derailed his season, limiting him to just two regular starts after early May before a rocky return in the fall.
“I’ve just been struggling off the tee, like can’t even really compete,” Montgomery admitted during a tough stretch in Las Vegas. “If most guys saw some of the shots that I’ve been hitting, they would’ve quit the game a long time ago.”
But it wasn’t all moving backward. Adam Schenk had a breakthrough year, adding 11.2 yards to crack the 300-yard mark for the first time. The 32-year-old finished 98th in points and locked up his Tour card with six top-25 finishes.
Xander Schauffele, fresh off winning two majors, also found some extra pop in his driver. He picked up 4.4 yards – the sixth-biggest gain on Tour.
Here’s something wild: Carson Young and Martin Trainer hit it exactly the same distance both years. Not a yard’s difference.
The biggest distance gainers:
– Adam Schenk: +11.2 yards (302.1)
– Chesson Hadley: +5.7 (305)
– Cameron Champ: +4.9 (322.8)
– Harris English: +4.6 (301.9)
– Alex Smalley: +4.5 (307.5)
And those who lost the most yards:
– Taylor Montgomery: -14.1 (289.7)
– Rickie Fowler: -10.4 (297.7)
– Emiliano Grillo: -8.8 (292.5)
– Nicolai Hojgaard: -8.6 (309.1)
– Cam Davis: -7.8 (303.2)
Even some of last year’s biggest hitters took a step back. Rory McIlroy, who led the Tour in driving distance last season, dropped 6.1 yards but still ranks second overall.
Cameron Champ’s added distance helped him climb from fourth to first in driving distance, while several others in last year’s top 10 – including rising stars Ludvig Åberg and Cameron Young – saw significant drops.
