Yearly PGA Tour Strokes Gained Off the Tee Leaders

The PGA Tour statistic known as Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee was introduced in 2016, and has been calculated back to 2004 using ShotLink data. "SG: Off-the-Tee" is a measure of a PGA Tour player's performance on drives hit on par-4 and par-5 holes compared to the rest of the field. Using a complex mathematical formula, this statistic tells how many actual strokes better (or worse) a golfer is than his PGA Tour peers at hitting drives.

Before we get to the list of yearly leaders in Strokes Gained Off the Tee, a few notes:

• The highest number to lead the PGA Tour so far in Strokes Gained Off the Tee is Bubba Watson's 1.485 in 2012. That means that Watson was, that year, nearly one-and-a-half strokes better off the tee than the rest of the field in the tournaments he played.
• The lowest number to lead is Nick Watney's .732 in 2009.
• Watson had led the tour in this statistical category most often so far, four times.

The List: Strokes Gained Off the Tee Leaders

2023 — Scottie Scheffler, 1.029
2022 — Jon Rahm, 1.025
2021 — Bryson DeChambeau, 1.162
2020 — Bryson DeChambeau, 1.039
2019 — Rory McIlroy, 1.195
2018 — Dustin Johnson, .919
2017 — Dustin Johnson, 1.071
2016 — Rory McIlroy, 1.230
2015 — Bubba Watson, 1.194
2014 — Rory McIlroy, 1.367
2013 — Bubba Watson, .937
2012 — Bubba Watson, 1.485
2011 — Dustin Johnson, .912
2010 — Bubba Watson, .798
2009 — Nick Watney, .732
2008 — J.B. Holmes, .866
2007 — Boo Weekley, .876
2006 — Adam Scott, .955
2005 — Sergio Garcia, 1.003
2004 — Vijay Singh, .870

Something you probably noticed is that long drivers are more likely to lead in SG: Off-the-Tee than are accurate drivers, although, down the list, there are a few shorters hitters who appear. (Compare the above list to Yearly PGA Tour Driving Distance Leaders and Yearly PGA Tour Driving Accuracy Leaders.)