Photograph by Cliff Hawkins/ Getty Images
With all the talk of OWGR recently, here at Funnel Pin Golf we wanted to take some time to break down where we think players fall in the greater landscape of global professional golf. These rankings are purely subjective. While there is statistical evidence provided to back up some of our thoughts, these rankings are centered around who we think the top golfers in the world are. That factors in a myriad of things, talent, peak weeks, consistency, mental toughness, and all the many other things that go into making a golfer who they are. These rankings will be updated on a monthly basis to reflect the ever changing landscape of professional golf. Lastly, we included golfers from any and all tours in our rankings, not just the PGA Tour. With that settled let us begin.
1.Cam Smith: Looking at the totality of the global golf landscape, we feel for right now Cam Smith deserves to be the player who tops our Funnel Pin Golf Rankings. Looking at his 2022 he captured 5 wins: The Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Players, The Open, LIV Chicago, and The Australian PGA. While some of those may be more impressive than others, there is no doubt that 2022 was a massive success for Cam. Cam’s hyper aggressive play is some of the most entertaining to watch, as he highlights his extraordinary talent, but also puts himself in a pinch from time to time. Thankfully for him, he has some of the softest hands around the green on the planet and an outstanding putting stroke. When you combine his recent successes, his all around talent, and the mentality he plays with, it feels like Cam Smith is the top player we have in the game currently.
2.Rory McIlroy: Many people may be surprised to see Rory in the second slot here compared to the first, and there is most certainly a reasonable argument to be made for that. However, second in the world is nothing to sneeze at. He is the best driver of the golf ball in the world. He hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 at any event since the St. Jude Championship, and has only missed two cuts since the Valero Texas open. The only thing that feels a little unsustainable for Rory is his wedge play. In an interview with the Irish Times Rory references how a change in ball made all the difference for him, switching to a 2019 version of the TP5x instead of the newest version. He went from one of the worst players on tour with a wedge in hand, to one of the best. I am slightly skeptical of this, wondering if he just truly is a world class wedge player now. If he is he will continue to climb the rankings, if he levels out, it will be interesting to see where his results drop back to.
3.Jon Rahm: Pop quiz, how many cuts did Rahm miss in the 2022 PGA tour season? Zero. None. Not one time. There are a lot of nicknames that get thrown around in the world of professional sports, but none may be more appropriate than the one the NLU guys throw Rahm’s way: The Buoy. People may have thought that this last year was a down year for Rahm due to the absence of big wins he could hang his hat on. His short game around the green let him down with a dip in his strokes gained around the green last season compared to his norm. However, the reason we have Rahm at three is just the relentless feeling he brings to the field. It truly feels as if Rahm is always in the hunt, his presence is massive and it feels like he is always surging at the right times. Rahm has serious game and serious presence, it feels like he is a legitimate threat to win every single event he is in, putting him in this spot on the list.
4.Scottie Scheffler: Obviously we witnessed an all time heater from Scottie last year from The WM Phoenix Open through The Masters, winning 4 out of 6 starts including The Masters and The API. Scottie has a little less consistency in his game than the other guys at the top of this list. However, when he is hot he runs HOT. Placing Scottie any lower than this feels disrespectful with the year that he has had, which is why we slot him here at 4th overall.
5.Justin Thomas: A true golfers golfer in many ways. His bogey free round in the second round of The Players this year almost added more to his legend than his PGA Championship victory at Southern Hills did. JT has every shot in the bag and then some. There isn’t a course in the world that doesn’t fit his game and there is not a shot that he cannot hit. When you combine those two things, it makes you one of the five best golfers in the world.
6.Dustin Johnson: Maybe a controversial inclusion at this spot, but DJ still is a world class player. According to his Datagolf profile, he was a strokes gained monster once he made the jump to the LIV Golf Tour. A T6 at The Open Championship last year shows that he really can still play with the best of them. DJ has long been one of the most talented golfers to ever play this game, and he is clinging to the back end of his prime years. DJ could still contend in any event against other big name players and I think we will see more of that at the majors in 2023.
7.Matt Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick is someone who is unapologetically himself. He has the sneaker deal with Sketchers, chips crosshanded at times, rocks braces, and plays absolutely world class golf. Many golfers chase big gains in ball speed and distance only to sacrifice what made them successful in the first place. Fitzpatrick managed to make huge gains in ball speed and not sacrifice the rest of his game, launching him into a new tier of golfer. Also, as we saw in The U.S. Open this year, he is a gutsy player who is unflappable. His bunker shot on the 72nd hole of the tournament is one of the most clutch shots in recent memory and perhaps longer than that. Fitzpatrick is a player who could certainly continue to climb these rankings.
8.Xander Schauffele: Xander is a premium player. The reason he falls at this spot in the rankings is his record in premium events. No major victories in his career and in the last three seasons he has managed two top five finishes in majors, while also missing the same number of cuts. Xander seems steady, dedicated to his process. He has been someone who has maximized his talent in all areas of the game. It does seem like a matter of time until he starts taking home more top 5s and victories in premium tour events, and when he does, he will shoot up these rankings.
9.Patrick Cantlay: Cantlay and Xander can never be too far apart. When people think of a professional golfer, they most likely imagine someone a lot like Patrick Cantlay. He is steady, goes about his business, and executes with a level of precision and routine that is somewhere between hypnotic and boring to take in. He does not have an outsized personality, he seems to be about golf and golf alone. Much like his buddy Xander, his record in majors leaves a lot to be desired. He has three top ten finishes in majors since 2011. While he has not been able to have peak weeks when he seemingly would like to the most, he still is undoubtedly one of the best golfers in the world. We see his top play seemingly in team events and at the BMW Championship, one day it will carry over to the four biggest events each year.
10.Tony Finau: A loveable but controversial golfer is Tony Finau. A three time tour winner this calendar year would perhaps be higher up in the rankings for some people. There are also people who will be upset if he is on this list anywhere. Finau has been able to leverage his effortless distance into some more consistent performances this year. Hopefully with his string of victories this year he is able to shed his lack of ability to close in the premium tour events. Tony has traits that many other golfers only dream of, and because of that we think Tony deserves to be seen as a top 10 player in the world.
11.Sungjae IM: It is shocking that Sungjae is only 24 years old as it feels he has been around in our golfing zeitgeist for so long now. In some ways, Sungjae feels like he is in the same bucket of player as JT. There is never a week on tour that you look at a course or a field and think he is out of contention before it begins. He is again a golfers golfer, having all the creativity you could hope for and the ability to carve the ball around the golf course. His relative lack of experience holds him back from breaking into the absolute top class of golfer in the world right now, but he has a lot of time to gain that and become a true force in the world of golf.
12.Will Zalatoris: If Zalatoris has one or two different bounces of the golf ball in his short career, we may already talk about him as a top five player in the world. Having already had three runner up finishes in majors to his name at 24 years old, he is off to a torrent pace to start his career. He is one of the purest ball strikers in the world and that will carry you to the top of this game. The questions that linger now for him are only about his health and the current state of his game. With a rather slim frame, he has a violent golf swing that puts a lot of pressure on his body. His recent back injury is scary and hopefully not a sign of what is to come in his future. We have not seen him play in a while, so we will reassess his ranking when we see what his form is like when he returns.
13.Collin Morikawa: While most people saw Morikawa’s year last year as a down year, it would be seen as a career year for some people. He is more a victim of his own circumstances than anything. He currently has played in 11 majors in his career and won two of them. That is an insane rate that obviously will not be sustained. However, that has marked him with a different standard than almost any other golfer in the world. He is still a strokes gained approach king with his irons. His putting is still more often than not in the negative strokes gained category for him. When that picks up to a slightly higher level, expect Morikawa to be holding a lot more trophies.
14.Tom Kim: While acknowledging that this ranking could be a victim of the moment in some ways, it is hard to ignore the way Tom Kim has played since the U.S Open. Grabbing 4 top 10 finishes including a victory at The Wyndham, it is clear that he has established himself as one of the best players in the world. His personality also seems to be a separating factor for him from the rest of the golf world. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and then some. He is genuine in a way that propels him forward. It seems as if at times he doesn’t know that people are even watching him. He is a stone cold killer. Honestly he may be even a few spots up higher on the list if only for two things. The first being sample size, we want to make sure he didn’t just catch fire for a short bit there. Second, please play faster, Tom. I don’t know how someone who is adjacent to the energizer bunny in a lot of ways stands over his iron shots for so long before hitting them.
15.Viktor Hovland: Viktor Hovland has won five times on The PGA Tour and not once has it been in the USA. Which is a problem considering most tour events are in the USA. While this is just a strange coincidence more than anything, his major championship record is jarring for someone who is so talented. He only has one top 10 in his career in majors. It used to be his short game around the green that was a glaring factor holding him back. To his credit, he has worked really hard on that area of his game and has raised the ceiling on what he is capable of around the green. However, he still has moments where his short game lets him down. He is only 25 years old and has a game that is trending in the right direction overall. This could be the year we see Viktor pick up his first major victory.
16.Max Homa: Max for a while had a public persona that outpaced his game. That is not the case any longer. It is clear that his game has taken a step in the right direction as both indicated by his play over The PGA Tour season as well as his inclusion on the U.S Presidents Cup team. A big next step for Max, much like many guys in this range on these rankings, is improved major performance. He has more missed cuts than any other result in his major career. That is a trend that is likely to break over the next few years. He is a well rounded player with a more level head on his shoulders than ever. There is reason to believe that the Max that we saw last year is the one that is here to stay for years to come.
17.Cameron Young: Simply put, Cam Young is one of the most impressive young players in the world. We have seen that his spike weeks put him in contention with anyone in the world. And with his length being one of the best in the world, he has an advantage that travels with him almost anywhere he plays. This next PGA season, we just want to see some more consistency from Cam. He logged seven missed cuts last year, which is noticeably more than the true top tier players in the world. If Cam Young can raise the floor of his play, he will also raise his FPGR standing.
18.Joaquin Niemann: Joaquin is barely 24 years old, meaning he should have a lot of his best golf in front of him. He is long off the tee and accurate with his irons. He has already proven he can hang with some of the best in the world by winning The Genesis this past season. It will be interesting to see if he can increase his game both around and on the green as he is currently average at both by pro golf standards.
19.Jordan Spieth: Spieth has had such an interesting career. From being absolutely dominant in 2015, to making swing changes that looked utterly painful to the average viewer this past season, only one thing stays the same about him, and it is that he is certainly never boring. There is never a shot that Spieth thinks he can’t pull off, and more often than not he is correct. When he isn’t clicking, he does not change the way he plays. Which leads to some really inconsistent results. Can Spieth win any tournament he plays in? Absolutely. Is he one of the top players in the game still? No, not quite. We will see how he continues to settle in with his swing changes and see what the 2023 season has in store for him.
20.Sam Burns: A three time winner in the 2022 season alone, Sam Burns has a case to maybe be higher in these rankings. However, there are some things that seem to hold him back from making a leap in the golf world. He is around average in strokes gained driving accuracy, approach, and around the green. He is a long hitter who is an elite putter, which is a very unusual combination. Sam is a quality player who will be a high level tour player for years to come. However, he seems to lack a true killer instinct when the spotlight is bright. His best career finish in any major is a T20, which is concerning in his young career. Hopefully he can shake this trend and just carry over his play from the Valspar every year to other tour events.
21.Shane Lowry: Honestly, there isn’t too much to say about Shane Lowry. His data golf profile is almost a perfect pentagon. His game is well rounded and above average. He rarely has massive spike weeks that put him in true contention, but he rarely ever lays an egg at an event either. Lowry is a consummate professional who is one of the staple figures in professional golf.
22.Taylor Montgomery: With this 2022-23 season being his first with his full tour card, Taylor Montgomery is coming out swinging. He had six top 15 finishes in seven events. That kind of consistency is what makes people top tour players. He is a world class putter of the golf ball, which raises a little red flag for the sustainability of this all. However, why throw cold water on the start of his tour career? He has been an impressive player thus far and it feels real to us.
23.Billy Horschel: Billy is a polarizing figure. You certainly feel his presence at every event he plays whether it is for his game or just him as a person. He won The Memorial last year, which is a big time tour event. He is slightly below average in length off the tee for a tour player. However, this tends to be made up for by his accuracy in all phases of the game. Billy doesn’t feel like a real threat to win majors when push comes to shove, but he also is someone who has improved as a player in the last few years and deserves to be recognized in a different class of tour player than a few years ago.
24.Sahith Theegala: It took some restraint not to put Sahith even further up the rankings than this. Sahith is a personal favorite to watch play. He exudes confidence, relaxation, but also relatability. He feels like someone who thinks about and plays the game the way most people do, he just so happens to be exponentially more talented than almost anyone in the world. His driver gets squirrely on him sometimes, resulting in -1.1 strokes gained in driving accuracy on his data golf profile. He makes up for it with a smooth putting stroke and soft hands around the green. It seems virtually impossible that he does not get his first PGA Tour victory this next season and the world will shortly see that Sahith belongs in this top class of golfer.
25.Aaron Wise: At only 26 years old, Aaron wise made a big leap in his game last year. Hovering in his career often times between .5 and 0 strokes gained per round, last year saw him consistently be between 1 and 1.5 strokes gained per round according to data golf. He is a phenomenal chipper of the golf ball and putts it well too. If he is able to drive the ball with a little more accuracy in the future, he could become a contender on a regular basis.
26.Brian Harman: Brian Harman is a bit of a roller coaster ride. He lacks the true consistency of a top tier player on The PGA Tour. However, last season he recorded six top ten finishes, which shows that when his game is on he is a contender to win events. If he can find any way to start getting more distance off the tee box, I think we will start to see him in contention more often.
27.Corey Conners: Corey is a precision golfer. He is one of the most accurate drivers of the golf ball in the world and his ball striking is up there with anyone. However, when he gets on and around the greens his game starts to melt a little. When his ball striking is even slightly off, you see some not so great results from Corey. He isn’t your apex predator type of golfer, but the man oozes talent which is how he finds himself in this 27th slot.
28.Keegan Bradley: Love him or hate him, at this point Keegan Bradley is a known quantity. Having been in our golfing lives since 2011, we know his game and his personality well. He has a grittiness that a lot of golfers do not possess, which definitely helps elevate him in certain scenarios. Statistically he is just about an average professional player in every area of the game except he is an above average approach player, which is where he has hung his hat for years and there is no reason to think that will change now.
29.Thomas Pieters: A pretty classic bomb and gouge type player, Pieters is a hit or miss type player from week to week. His results are littered with missed cuts and top ten finishes. When you are as long as he is, and also a positive strokes gained approach player, you have the ability to contend anywhere any week, which is what puts him above some other guys who did not make this list.
30.Abraham Ancer: Perhaps the most accurate driver of the ball in the world. When you combine an absurd amount of fairways with positive approach play, you get someone who just hangs around in tournaments. In his last two majors he has a T11 and a T9, showing some positive form in more premium events. If he can figure out his short game, we could see him rise up these rankings.
These are the players we left out of our top 30 who just barely missed the cut for inclusion on the rankings.
HM: Adam Scott, Denny Mccarthy, Emilliano Grillo, Wyndham Clark, Daniel Berger, Maverick Mcnealy, Tom Hoge, KH Lee, Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen
