Seth Howery 
The 2020-2021 PGA Tour season was one for the ages. It contained 6 major tournaments and the strength of the field week in and week out was at an all-time high. Whether it was comeback wins (or 54 holes lead meltdowns), first-time champs, or the young stars bursting onto the scene, this season was truly incredible, and it showed everyone why the sport of golf is on the upswing. Today, we will take a look at my top 50 power rankings players for the beginning of the 2022 calendar year.
- Jon Rahm
“Rambo” was without a doubt the best player in the world last year and there is no indication that he is slowing down. He finished inside the top 10 in 15 of his 22 starts. He was clearly the most consistent golfer on the planet. The 27-year-old Spaniard has one of the most complete games in all of golf. Rahm led the PGA Tour in earnings where he racked up $7,705,933 in those 22 events. Look for Rahm to continue his stellar ball-striking in 2022. He should continue to be inside the top 10 in strokes gained off the tee and in strokes gained approach.
2. Collin Morikawa
The 24-year-old phenom has so much potential and the results in 2020-2021 matched his talent. He grabbed two out of the 6 majors, a WGC win and he was the first American to win the Race to Dubai. He is currently ranked as the 2nd golfer in the world, but he came very close to grabbing first place in the Bahamas during the swing season. Morikawa is, by a pretty significant margin, the best iron player in the world, and frankly, the best we have seen since a prime Tiger Woods. His marvelous tee-to-green play makes him a contender at pretty much all the courses in the world.
3. Rory McIlroy
The former number one ranked golfer struggled to gain his form at the start of 2021. But it sure looks like he found it toward the end of the calendar year, grabbing a title at the Wells Fargo Championship and at the CJ Cup. His off-the-tee game is still second to none, and he regained some confidence with the flat stick. That is the lethal combo needed in order to re-establish himself as the best player in the world.
4. Justin Thomas
Here is another guy that had a very tumultuous past year. It was unfortunately marked by the passing away of his grandfather and on-course slur that ended up costing him a few sponsors. JT bounced back beautifully from those events and had one of the most amazing performances of the year on Saturday and Sunday at the Players Championship. He was still a top 5 iron/wedge player in the world and he continues to add some distance with the driver. If he can gain a little more consistency with the putter he will truly be a force to be reckoned with. He appeared on the “No laying up” podcast a couple of weeks ago and he sounded more motivated than I have ever heard him to grab the second major of his career.
5. Bryson DeChambeau
I think it is now time to admit that the Bryson “experience” is straight-up working. When Covid struck and we got into a lockdown, Bryson grinded, added over 20 pounds of muscle and added another 20 mph of clubhead speed. The result: he gained 1.16 strokes off-the-tee last year. That is of course the best on Tour by a pretty significant margin. His driver is a tremendous weapon that can bring him to victory at a lot of different courses. The Texas native sure needs to work on his wedge game because he ranks outside the top 130 on approaches from 50 to 125 yards.
6. Patrick Cantlay
“Patty Ice” had a tremendous season last year. He won a tour high four times and was crowned the Fed-Ex Cup champion. His game is extremely complete, and he can have success at pretty much any type of course. However, his most important skill is his ability to close out tournaments. The nickname “Patty Ice” is very realistic because this dude has some nerves of steel and never seems fazed.
7. Viktor Hovland
Some of you might raise an eyebrow when you see him ranked higher than some of the great golfers below. Viktor is such a great golfer that one could make a case he could be ranked even higher. He possesses the rare ability to drive the ball very far and straight, he can hit each of his irons on a rope and he can catch fire with his putter. Viktor made a huge step during the 2021-2022 and look for him to continue his rise to the top because the sky is truly the limit for him.
8. Jordan Speith
The Jordan Spieth Mania was back last year and the golf world could not be more thrilled about it. He finally got back to the winner’s circle in his home state at The Valero Texas Open. Spieth still had the same magic on and around the green that he always had, but the true difference this year was his ball striking. He went from being one of the worst drivers of the ball to a neutral driver, which is great for him. In addition, his iron play ranked inside the top 20 in the world. Spieth is poised for a great year, and he should fare extremely well in the majors (and in these rankings) this year because they pretty much all suit his game.
9. Sam Burns
Here is another extremely promising young star that we have in the game of golf. Burns is such a talented player. He has a rare ability that is pretty much second to none to catch lightning in a bottle and go completely nuclear during a round of golf. He has the most rounds under 64 this year. When Burns is on, he is extremely on. From a betting standpoint, it is extremely valuable because a guy like him can do wonders in showdown and in the live outright betting as well.
10. Dustin Johnson
For the past 10 years or so, DJ has always been inside the top 5 in these types of rankings. This year is different because Dustin really looked out of sorts. Of course, we need to pump the brakes on the DJ slander because he has shown in the past that he can flip a switch in a heartbeat. If there is one thing that my years of being a golf handicapper have shown me, it is that the guys of this caliber don’t need a lot to go from a couple of bad results to a dominant win. Dustin can definitely go back to the top of the golf world and these rankings but for now, he has not shown us why he should be ranked higher on my list.
11. Xander Schauffele
Xander has a reputation for being an amazing player that has not lived up to his potential when it comes to winning PGA golf tournaments. I say PGA because his only win in the past 2 years has come at the Tokyo Olympics. Although it was a great moment for him and for the US, you can debate the strength of the field (news flash: it wasn’t a great field) . Xander ranked very highly in my model when it comes to par 4 scoring, Tee-to-green, and scoring average. He also is a very reliable putter. Nonetheless, we have come to a point where he needs to rack up these wins. Hopefully, this is the year for him.
12. Louis Oosthuizen
The South African had one of the best years of his career. He was able to pair up his great ability to be a top 20 ball-striker in the world with the fact that he was the best putter on the PGA Tour last year per the strokes gained metrics. He actually didn’t have his best year tee-to-green. If he can improve a little in that department, and if he keeps putting well, Louis could finally get back to the winner’s circle. Since this is a President’s Cup year, he will have the added pressure of, most likely, being the top player on his team.
13. Brooks Koepka
The 4-time major winner had a rocky year. He was nursing a knee injury for a good part of it. The recent news coming from him and his camp are that the knee is no longer an issue and he can concentrate on his practice and his play on the course. This should help a lot. The reason that Brooks is not higher on this list is that he often seems unmotivated in the smaller events, and he tends to show up only for 6 or 7 tournaments per year. Maybe the beef with Bryson could be a motivating factor for Koepka. When it comes to the numbers, they are not great. However, betting on Brooks is often a gut feeling and it is worth mentioning that Koepka made a change in his bag when he teamed up with Srixon in November 2021.
14. Tony Finau
Here is another great talent that doesn’t win as often as he should, or as he is expected by the fans. Finau is one of the few guys that pops into our minds when we think of guys that can hit the ball a long way. He can also dial in his approach and hit a lot of greens. However, the strongest part of his game is actually his around-the-green play. He ranked 15th on Tour last year. Tony should be able to contend in a lot of tournaments this year and he, in my opinion, is capable of closing out some leads.
15. Hideki Matsuyama
The current Green Jacket holder had the best year of his career. He not only won the biggest tournament of the sport, but he also won the Zozo Championship in front of his fans in Japan. Hideki is definitely a hero in his home country. He can hit the golf ball with the best of them. His slow backswing is extremely effective as he ranked inside the top 15 in the tee-to-green metric. When you look at his ball striking numbers, you wonder why he doesn’t win even more than he does. It is because the putter has been holding him back. Matsuyama needs to find a way to become more effective with the most important club in the bag.
16. Scottie Scheffler
The kid from Dallas is incredible and he has the complete game that so many seek. Out of the guys that drive it over 300 yards on average, he was the most accurate. He also has some amazing hands around the greens, and he can catch fire with the flat stick. Scottie is the first player on this list that has yet to make his way into the winner’s circle. That fact should not stay true for a long time as he is bound to win at some point. Although it may not be that bold, I am speaking it into existence, Scottie will get his first win before the end of the season. He finished inside the top 20 in all 4 majors this year and inside the top 10 in three of them. He for sure has the nerves to win one.
17. Matthew Wolff
I may get some smoke for this one… I know Wolff had a rough 2020-2021 season. He dealt with some mental health struggles and even a couple of injuries. However, he bounced back beautiffuly during the swing season. During the 4 events he started, he finished inside the top 5 in two of them and he added a T11 finish. He ranked first in scoring average and 4th in strokes gained total, which is arguably the most important stat. You need to embrace the volatility in his game and you’ve got to love the fact that he is one of the best birdie makers on Tour. This is so important when it comes to scoring points in DFS. I will without a doubt have a lot of share of Matthew Wolff early this season and you should too.
18. Daniel Berger
Berger was one of the best Approach players on the PGA Tour (was ranked 8th). He used his strength to become one of the most consistent golfers. He made 22/24 cuts last year and piled up nine Top 10 finishes. While he may not be as long off-the-tee as some other guys, he still is a very capable driver of the golf ball. Look for him to try to win at Pebble Beach again this year versus what may be a pretty weak field due to most top players playing overseas the same week.
19. Abraham Ancer
The 30 years-old Mexican had by far the best year of his career. He won the FedEx St. Jude against an amazing field. Ancer is the prototype short but accurate player. When we see a good number hanging on Ancer at a course that fits his game like the Innisbrook golf club or Harbour Town, we must bet him without blinking an eye. Ancer was on the rise last year, and he could be in-store for an even bigger 2022. He also should be a big piece on the international team for the upcoming Presidents cup in 2022.
20. Jason Kokrak
Kokrak has a very dangerous weapon in his arsenal. This one is the driver. He is quite honestly one of the 6 or 7 best drivers of the golf ball on the PGA Tour. He combined that force with an extremely hot putter last year. He in fact finished as the 5th best-ranked putter in 2021 per my model. Jason has yet to truly contend against a very strong field like a WGC or a major, but 2022 might just be the year he takes the next step on the tour and in these rankings.
21. Sungjae Im
22. Harris English
23. Webb Simpson
24. Cameron Smith
25. Talor Gooch
26. Will Zalatoris
27. Patrick Reed
28. Paul Casey
29. Matt Fitzpatrick
30. Joaquin Niemann
31. Corey Conners
32. Aaron Wise
33. Mito Pereira
34. Tyrell Hatton
35. Billy Horschel
36. Marc Leishman
37. Russell Henley
38. Cameron Tringale
39. Max Homa
40. Seamus Power
41. Sergio Garcia
42. Shane Lowry
43. Robert MacIntyre
44. Adam Scott
45. Lucas Herbert
46. Maverick McNealy
47. Mackenzie Hughes
48. Carlos Ortiz
49. Rickie Fowler
50. Kevin Kisner
These rankings will continue to be updated at windailysports.com and I’ll have some emerging stars for you to key-in on for your DFS lineups and betting card as the season moves forward.
-Vincent
