Yearly Driving Distance Leaders on the Champions Tour

Who are the longest drivers in the history of the Champions Tour? Let's take a look at the list of golfers who've led the senior circuit in driving average each year. The Champions Tour has kept this statistic since 1988, so that is how far back the list below goes.

A few things worth pointing out:

• The first golfer to average 300 yards per drive on the senior tour was Dan Pohl in 2004.
• The longest driving average so far on the Champions Tour is 308.7 yards by Padraig Harrington in 2022. That broke the previous record of 303.6 yards, recorded by John Daly in 2016 (his rookie year on the tour), by five yards.
• The golfer who has led the tour in driving distance the most years is Jim Dent, who led six consecutive years in the late 1980s into the mid-1990s.

The List: Champions Tour Driving Average Leaders By Year

2023 — Padraig Harrington, 302.4
2022 — Padraig Harrington, 308.7
2020-21 — Retief Goosen, 297.7 (two years combined due to COVID-19-caused shortened 2020 season)
2019 — John Daly, 296.1
2018 — Kenny Perry, 299.7
2017 — John Daly, 297.6
2016 — John Daly, 303.6
2015 — John Huston, 299.5
2014 — John Riegger, 295.3
2013 — Fred Couples, 296.7
2012 — Fred Couples, 298.6
2011 — Steve Lowery, 293.3
2010 — Fred Couples, 292.8
2009 — Steve Thomas, 301.5
2008 — Tom Purtzer, 295.5
2007 — Tom Purtzer, 297.6
2006 — Dan Pohl, 293.0
2005 — Dan Pohl, 300.5
2004 — Tom Purtzer, 294.8
2003 — Tom Purtzer, 298.3
2002 — R.W. Eaks, 295.1
2001 — Lon Hinkle, 289.3
2009 — Terry Dill, 286.2
1999 — John Jacobs, 285.7
1998 — John Jacobs, 284.9
1997 — John Jacobs, 290.7
1996 — Terry Dill, 287.2
1995 — Jay Sigel, 277.4
1994 — Jim Dent, 275.5
1993 — Jim Dent, 277.8
1992 — Jim Dent, 283.0
1991 — Jim Dent, 286.4
1990 — Jim Dent, 276.8
1989 — Jim Dent, 274.6
1988 — Bob Boldt, 264.9

Dan Pohl and John Daly are two golfers who appear above who were also PGA Tour driving distance leaders. It's not surprising that when the longest drivers on the PGA Tour turn 50 and join the Champions Tour, they begin ranking highly on the senior circuit, too.

Note that the Champions Tour's driving distance stat is based on two measured drives per round. The tour tries to select two holes that play in opposite directions to mitigate the effects of wind on those drives' distance. And it doesn't matter whether a golfer finds the fairway on those two holes — the measurement is made to wherever the golfer's ball comes to rest.

Photo credit: "John Daly" by TourProGolfClubs is licensed under CC BY 2.0