Champions Tour Putting Leaders By Year
Yearly Putts Per GIR Leaders on Champions Tour
The Champions Tour labels this stat "Putting Average." A GIR (green in regulation) is recorded when a golfer hits a par-3 green with his first stroke, a par-4 green with his second stroke or better, or a par-5 green with his third stroke or better.This stat uses only the holes on which a golfer records a GIR, then averages his number of putts taken on those holes. Why use GIR? Doing so eliminates holes on which a golfer barely misses the green, then chips close and one-putts, thus skewing the numbers lower.
2023 — Steve Stricker, 1.683
2022 — Steven Alker, 1.738
2020-21 — Tim Petrovic, 1.727 (The Tour combines these two years into one for stats purposes due to the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.)
2019 — Kevin Sutherland, 1.724
2018 — Joe Durant, 1.732
2017 — Bernhard Langer, 1.683
2016 — Miguel Angel Jimenez, 1.714
2015 — Bernhard Langer, 1.716
2014 — David Frost, 1.703
2013 — David Frost, 1.729
2012 — Michael Allen, 1.739
2011 — Corey Pavin, 1.709
2010 — Fred Couples, 1.693
2009 — Jay Haas, 1.712
2008 — Gary Hallberg, 1.733
2007 — Loren Roberts, 1.712
2006 — Loren Roberts, 1.726
2005 — Morris Hatalsky, 1.728
2004 — Morris Hatalsky, 1.746
2003 — Rodger Davis, 1.726
2002 — Hale Irwin, 1.717
2001 — Hale Irwin, 1.728
2000 — Larry Nelson, 1.724
1999 — Bruce Fleisher, 1.728
1998 — Hale Irwin, 1.700
1997 — Hale Irwin, 1.734
1996 — Vicente Fernandez, 1.749
1995 — Isao Aoki, 1.738
1994 — Dave Stockton, 1.730
1993 — Dave Stockton, 1.742
1992 — Dave Stockton, 1.739
1991 — Jim Colbert, 1.725
1990 — Lee Trevino, 1.736
1989 — Bob Charles, 1.761
1988 — Orville Moody, 1.759
- Only two golfers have led this statistical category more than twice: Hale Irwin, four times (1997-98 and 2001-02) and Dave Stockton, three times (1992-94). Stockton is the only golfer to lead three years running.
- Only three golfers have so far led Putts Per GIR with an average of fewer than 1.7 on the Champions Tour: Steve Stricker in 2023, Bernhard Langer in 2017 and Fred Couples in 2010. Langer and Stricker both led this category with an average of 1.683 putts per GIR, which is the lowest yet.
- The highest average to lead the Champions Tour in putts per GIR is 1.761, recorded by Bob Charles in 1989, the second year the tour tracked this stat.
Yearly Putts Per Round Leaders on Champions Tour
This stat is, literally, what its name says it is: You take the total number of attempted putts and divide by the number of rounds played. That gives us a golfer's average number of putts per round.
2023 — Miguel Angel Jimenez, 28.23
2022 — Rocco Mediate, 28.33
2020-21 — Tim Petrovic, 28.58 (The Tour combines these two years into one for stats purposes due to the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.)
2019 — Miguel Angel Jimenez, 28.37
2018 — Mark O'Meara, 26.54
2017 — Skip Kendall, 28.18
2016 — Tom Pernice Jr., 28.17
2015 — Lee Janzen, 28.22
2014 — David Frost, 28.11
2013 — Corey Pavin, 28.49
2012 — Michael Allen, 28.66
2011 — Chien Soon Lu, 28.47
2010 — Fred Couples, 28.20
2009 — Morris Hatalsky, 28.33
2008 — Joe Ozaki, 28.32
2007 — Joe Ozaki, 28.10
2006 — Bob Gilder, 28.69
2005 — Morris Hatalsky, 28.60
2004 — Ben Crenshaw, 28.15
2003 — Jay Overton, 28.41
2002 — Ben Crenshaw, 28.20
2001 — Terry Mauney, 28.41
2000 — Andy North, 28.55
1999 — Hubert Green, 28.47
1998 — Dave Stockton, 28.22
1997 — Hubert Green, 28.42
1996 — Deane Beman, 28.68
1995 — Harold Henning, 28.47
1994 — Lee Trevino, 28.77
1993 — Lee Elder, 28.93
1992 — Phil Rodgers, 28.81
1991 — Harold Henning, 28.81
1990 — Mike Hill, 29.26
1989 — Doug Ford, 28.66
1988 — Bill Collins, 29.16
- No golfer has yet led the Champions Tour in this statistic more than twice.
- The lowest average putts per round to lead the tour is 26.54, a number recorded by Mark O'Meara in 2018. Not only is that the lowest so far, not only is it the only time (so far) in senior tour history that a golfer has gotten below 27 putts per round, it is also the only time a golfer has finished the year below 28 putts per round.
- The highest average putts per round to lead the Champions Tour is 29.26, a figure recorded by Mike Hill in 1990. That was also the last time an average of 29 or higher has topped the rankings.
