{"id":611561,"date":"2026-04-28T16:46:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/611561\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T16:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:46:14","slug":"the-five-who-are-best-players-halfway-through-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/611561\/","title":{"rendered":"The Five: Who are best players halfway through 2026 season?"},"content":{"rendered":"

2H AGO<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

6 Min Read<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Need to Know<\/p>\n

<\/a>*:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-17ygvlf>img,.css-17ygvlf>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-17ygvlf::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:56.25%;}]]>\"Scottie<\/p>\n

Scottie Scheffler pars 72nd hole, Matt Fitzpatrick bogeys to force playoff at RBC Heritage<\/p>\n

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A<\/p>\n

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Written by Paul Hodowanic<\/p>\n

The PGA TOUR Regular Season has reached the halfway point \u2013 15 weeks down, 15 more to go before the postseason.<\/p>\n

What has stuck out in that time? More importantly, who has stuck out? The first half of the year has been defined by parity. The very best players have performed well, but no one has outright dominated, as Scottie Scheffler did in the back half of 2025. That\u2019s created ample intrigue week in, week out. But who has been the best of the bunch? It\u2019s a hard question to answer definitively. Going just off win totals? Matt Fitzpatrick’s three victories are hard to beat. Do you value majors over everything? Then Rory McIlroy is top dog.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also not a conversation that carries much weight right now. There\u2019s still another half of a season, with three majors, three Signature Events and a postseason. But this is a good point in the schedule to stop and look back at who has performed thus far. So instead of declaring the best players, let\u2019s evaluate who has been the best at each major skill category on the PGA TOUR (minimum 14 rounds played).<\/p>\n

Off-the-Tee: Rory McIlroy<\/p>\n

This should come as no surprise. McIlroy has long been considered the best driver on the PGA TOUR. He hasn\u2019t ranked outside the top five in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee since he finished sixth in 2020. But, interestingly, he hasn\u2019t finished first since 2019.<\/p>\n

McIlroy\u2019s immense advantage comes from his prolific length. He\u2019s 20 yards longer than the average TOUR pro this season, though slightly less accurate. That\u2019s a feature among the game\u2019s top hitters, who take the mindset of hit it far and figure out the rest later. And compared to the others, who hit it to similar distances, McIlroy is much more accurate, creating a tandem that is difficult to beat.<\/p>\n

Of course, McIlroy can win in a multitude of ways. He had the least-accurate week of his season at the Masters, a course with ample space off the tee, yet still won his second green jacket because of how well he performed in every other category.<\/p>\n

Here are the top-five drivers halfway through the season:<\/p>\n

1. Rory McIlroy (+0.799)
2. Gordon Sargent (+0.711)
3. Aldrich Potgieter (+0.698)
4. Michael Brennan (+0.678)
5. Scottie Scheffler (+0.640)<\/p>\n

Approach: Collin Morikawa<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a testament to Morikawa\u2019s talent that he sits at No. 1 despite nursing a back injury for more than a month. He blew away the field at Pebble Beach earlier this season with the best approach performance of his career, and his form since hasn\u2019t been far off. He\u2019s been well above average with his irons in every start, even at the Masters and RBC Heritage when he was clearly less than 100% healthy. That\u2019s led to incredible results given the circumstances. His last five starts went as follows: win-T7-5-T7-T4. His approach performance at the RBC Heritage was the second-best of his season behind his historic week at Pebble Beach, another sign his recovery is progressing well.<\/p>\n

*:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-17ygvlf>img,.css-17ygvlf>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-17ygvlf::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:56.25%;}]]>\"Collin<\/p>\n

Collin Morikawa hits tee shot to 12 feet, sets up birdie on No. 17 at RBC Heritage<\/p>\n

As the calendar turns to a remarkably busy stretch, Morikawa will need to strike a delicate balance. He\u2019s playing as well as anybody, but has noted that he still doesn\u2019t feel 100 percent. With two Signature Events leading into the PGA Championship and another major not far after that, Morikawa has to toe the line of trying to maximize his performance while also maintaining long-term health. But regardless of his status, he\u2019s in line to strike his irons well. That much is clear so far this year.<\/p>\n

Here are the top-five approach players halfway through the season:<\/p>\n

1. Collin Morikawa (+1.136)
2. Brooks Koepka (+0.913)
3. Adam Scott (+0.912)
4. Si Woo Kim (+0.817)
5. Daniel Berger (+0.816)<\/p>\n

Around-the-Green: Scottie Scheffler<\/p>\n

This is the most impressive part about Scottie Scheffler\u2019s game. Typically, his superpower is his approach play. It\u2019s the area that has separated him from the pack in recent years and the foundation on which everything is built. Yet he\u2019s also the best whenever his approach play fails him and forces him to scramble. In a season where his approach performance has been well below his standards, his short-game wizardry has been required. He\u2019s delivered.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to note that Scheffler is better than he\u2019s ever been. While Scheffler\u2019s raw strokes-gained number (+0.672) can be hard to interpret for those not knee-deep in data, here\u2019s a simple way to tell the story. He\u2019s gaining nearly twice as many strokes around the greens as he did in his next-best season in this category.<\/p>\n

Here are the top-five players from around the green halfway through the season:<\/p>\n

1. Scottie Scheffler (+0.672)
2. Tommy Fleetwood (+0.601)
3. Ben Griffin (+0.579)
4. Eric Cole (+0.540)
5. Nick Taylor (+0.454)<\/p>\n

Putting is often considered a streaky, sometimes fluky stat bound for regression. Jacob Bridgeman has disproven that over his short career, and he\u2019s ridden his elite putting to one of the most surprising breakouts of the season. In his first two years on TOUR, he ranked seventh and 21st in the statistics.<\/p>\n

Bridgeman ranks first on the PGA TOUR in putting this year, gaining more than 1.20 strokes per round. Or, in other words, the best statistical season on the PGA TOUR since it started to be tracked in 2004. Only one other player has averaged over one stroke gained per round: Jason Day in 2016 (+1.130).<\/p>\n

\"Jacob<\/p>\n

Jacob Bridgeman drains 19-foot birdie putt on No. 17 at RBC Heritage<\/p>\n

Bridgeman has parlayed that historic putting form into a career year. He\u2019s fifth in the FedExCup and has finished in the top-20 in eight of his 10 starts. He earned his first TOUR victory at The Genesis Invitational, beating McIlroy by one stroke. He also finished in a tie for fifth at THE PLAYERS the next month.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s lost strokes to the field on the greens once this season, and it was at an understandable location. He was below average in his first competitive trip to Augusta National. Other than that, Bridgeman has been exemplary.<\/p>\n

Here are the top-five putters halfway through the season:<\/p>\n

1. Jacob Bridgeman (+1.201)
2. Vince Whaley (+1.046)
3. Robert MacIntyre (+0.832)
4. Akshay Bhatia (+0.792)
5. Matthieu Pavon (+0.790)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s close with a holistic look at the performances this season.<\/p>\n

You might prefer McIlroy or Fitzpatrick\u2019s season to Scheffler\u2019s, but the world No. 1 has remained the most consistent, steady force in professional golf. He leads the PGA TOUR in SG: Total, scoring average, birdie average, bogey avoidance, par-4 scoring, Round 3 scoring average and Round 4 scoring average.<\/p>\n

Scheffler has finished no worse than 24th this season and has finished top five in five of his eight starts, including back-to-back runners-up at Augusta National and Harbour Town.<\/p>\n

Here are the top-five players statistically halfway through the season:<\/p>\n

1. Scottie Scheffler (+2.049)
2. Rory McIlroy (+1.785)
3. Matt Fitzpatrick (+1.778)
4. Jacob Bridgeman (+1.740)
5. Ludvig \u00c5berg (+1.580)<\/p>\n

*:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-11jnzpa>img,.css-11jnzpa>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-11jnzpa::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:66.66666666666666%;}]]>\"Image<\/p>\n

Apr 27, 2026<\/p>\n

Odds Outlook: Full betting lines for top stars as TOUR returns to Doral<\/a>Golfbet News<\/a>\"Image\"Image<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2H AGO 6 Min Read Need to Know *:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-17ygvlf>img,.css-17ygvlf>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-17ygvlf::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:56.25%;}]]> Scottie Scheffler pars 72nd hole, Matt Fitzpatrick bogeys to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-611561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}