Ranking all 39 events of 2024 PGA Tour season, based on how compelling they were
The 2024 PGA Tour season is officially in the books.
And there were some great moments: Scottie Scheffler’s dominance; Xander Schauffele’s two-major campaign; Bryson DeChambeau’s thrilling win at Pinehurst; wild finishes at TPC Sawgrass, Houston and the Scottish.
Of course, there were some that were less memorable, too.
Here is a ranking of all 39 events contested in the Tour’s return to a single-year schedule, listed in order from least compelling to most compelling.
Mostly meh
39. Tour Championship
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Lasting memory: Again, the staggered start saps the seriousness from the playoff finale, and Scheffler leaves little to doubt as he cruises to a $25 million victory. This event needs a reset.
38. Barracuda Championship
Winner: Nick Dunlap
Lasting memory: Like the Tour Championship’s staggered start, it may be time to get rid of the modified Stableford format. Dunlap won by scoring 19 points on Sunday. He was a rebound shy of a double-double.
37. John Deere Classic
Winner: Davis Thompson
Lasting memory: The stone-faced Thompson birdied six holes on the front nine en route to a final-round 64 and four-shot win. Yawn.
36. Myrtle Beach Classic
Winner: Chris Gotterup
Lasting memory: It was a strong week for 16-year-old Blades Brown, who tied for 26th. As for this event’s debut? It could’ve been more interesting. Gotterup led by four shots to begin Sunday and finished six clear.
35. Cognizant Classic
Winner: Austin Eckroat
Lasting memory: The bad breaks continued for the former Honda Classic, as weather pushed the finish to Monday, where Eckroat’s three-shot win was overshadowed by the Seminole pro-member.
34. CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Winner: Taylor Pendrith
Lasting memory: TPC Craig Ranch might be the worst venue on Tour, and Ben Kohles’ 72nd-hole collapse to hand the title to Pendrith didn’t do much to detract from that.
33. Corales Puntacana Championship
Winner: Billy Horschel
Lasting memory: Horschel closed with a record 63 to win by two and earn probably the worst champion’s attire in golf – a straw hat and white button-down (or is it up?).
32. Puerto Rico Open
Winner: Brice Garnett
Lasting memory: The four-hole playoff between Garnett and Erik Barnes was good, but that was about it.
31. AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Winner: Wyndham Clark
Lasting memory: Weather shortened this one to 54 holes, as Clark was notified of his win while playing ping-pong. But Clark’s third-round 60 was something.
If you’ll recall …
30. Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Winners: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry
Lasting memory: Probably McIlroy and Lowry signing karaoke after winning. The actual golf was just OK, even with a playoff. That said, there’s still room for team golf on the Tour calendar.
29. Charles Schwab Challenge
Winner: Davis Riley
Lasting memory: This was an emotional one, coming shortly after Grayson Murray’s death and Riley’s sister’s brain surgery to remove a tumor. Riley won on cruise control, though.
28. 3M Open
Winner: Jhonattan Vegas
Lasting memory: Pace of play seemed to suck some of the life out of this finish before Vegas birdied the par-5 18th for his first win since 2017.
27. Mexico Open
Winner: Jake Knapp
Lasting memory: This one was ugly down the stretch as Knapp started spraying it and lost a four-shot lead in seven holes. Yet, despite hitting just two fairways, Knapp held off Sami Valimaki, whose drive at the last ended up against a wired boundary fence and forced him to take an unplayable.
26. Rocket Mortgage Classic
Winner: Cam Davis
Lasting memory: Akshay Bhatia’s 72nd-hole three-putt clinched the victory for Davis.
25. RBC Heritage
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Lasting memory: Scheffler made just two bogeys or worse all week, and the final round was basically a formality that ended in a three-shot win for Scheffler.
24. Farmers Insurance Open
Winner: Matthieu Pavon
Lasting memory: Pavon nearly made a mess left of the 18th fairway before clutching up to sink an 8-footer for birdie on his final hole to record his first career Tour win.
23. Arnold Palmer Invitational
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Lasting memory: Scheffler broke out of a 54-hole tie with Shane Lowry to win by five shots as the rest of the Tour was just starting to realize it might be a long season for them. Wyndham Clark was cleared of any wrongdoing on Saturday evening, even though it sure looked like his ball moved in the rough on No. 18.
22. The Sentry
Winner: Chris Kirk
Lasting memory: A feel-good story with Kirk winning by a shot over Theegala, and lots of birdies coming in – maybe even too many.
21. RBC Canadian Open
Winner: Robert MacIntyre
Lasting memory: Anything was going to be a letdown from last season, though MacIntyre getting his first Tour win – and with his dad on the bag – was a real moment that put an exclamation on one of the most authentic events on the Tour schedule.
PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Peter Malnati of the United States plays his shot from the 14th tee during the third round of the Valspar Championship at Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club on March 23, 2024 in Palm Harbor, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Worth the price of admission
20. Valspar Championship
Winner: Peter Malnati
Lasting memory: Cameron Young again let a potential maiden Tour title slip away as Malnati birdied the tough par-3 17th and held on for his first Tour triumph.
19. BMW Championship
Winner: Keegan Bradley
Lasting memory: Castle Pines and the elevation threw these players a bit of a curveball. Bradley had some challenges from Adam Scott, Ludvig Åberg and Sam Burns, though all fizzled with a few holes left.
18. ISCO Championship
Winner: Harry Hall
Lasting memory: Tour diehards will appreciate the five-man playoff, which ended on the third extra go-round when Hall chipped in from 45 feet.
17. Wyndham Championship
Winner: Aaron Rai
Lasting memory: Rai birdied his final hole to edge Max Greyserman while Matt Kuchar bizarrely decided, mid-hole, that he wanted to finish solo on Monday morning. There wasn’t as much playoff drama this time, though.
16. Wells Fargo Championship
Winner: Rory McIlroy
Lasting memory: McIlroy started the final round two shots off the lead before firing a closing 65 – he played his final 11 holes in 6 under – to runaway with a five-shot win over Schauffele.
15. Travelers Championship
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Lasting memory: Not even protesters could stop Scheffler from winning the final signature event of the season. He polished off this win in a playoff over Tom Kim.
14. Sony Open
Winner: Grayson Murray
Lasting memory: The last win for Murray, who died by suicide in May. He jarred a 40-footer in a three-man playoff to defeat Keegan Bradley and Ben An. There was also Carl Yuan hitting his second shot at No. 18 into the grandstands and getting free relief despite not finding his ball.
13. Valero Texas Open
Winner: Akshay Bhatia
Lasting memory: This one was wild as Bhatia lost a six-shot lead, hurt his shoulder while fist-pumping a playoff-forcing birdie, and then beat Denny McCarthy, who birdied each of his final seven holes of regulation, in a playoff.
12. Memorial Tournament
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Lasting memory: Muirfield Village was brutal on Sunday, yielding just six under-par rounds, and Scheffler’s closing 74 was good enough for a one-shot win over Collin Morikawa.
11. Genesis Invitational
Winner: Hideki Matsuyama
Lasting memory: Tiger Woods withdrew because of the flu, Jordan Spieth was disqualified and Matsuyama went bonkers on Sunday with a 62 to go from six shots back to a winner by three.
Was on edge of my seat
10. Masters Tournament
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Lasting memory: There was some drama around the turn with several stars thinking they still had a chance, but eventually there were some car crashes in Amen Corner and Scheffler put the pedal down for another four-shot Masters victory.
9. FedEx St. Jude Championship
Winner: Hideki Matsuyama
Lasting memory: This one overcame an uninspiring TPC Southwind and scorching Memphis heat. Matsuyama looked to be on his way to a relaxing win before going bogey-double at Nos. 14 and 15. Viktor Hovland led late, but he too gave away a shot, at No. 17. Matsuyama then birdied each of the final two holes to hold off Hovland, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler. The race for the top 50 is already one of the best things about the Tour season.
8. WM Phoenix Open
Winner: Nick Taylor
Lasting memory: A wild weather week culminated in Taylor birdieing No. 18 three times on Sunday and outlasting Charley Hoffman in a playoff.
7. Genesis Scottish Open
Winner: Robert MacIntyre
Lasting memory: Another heartwarming win by MacIntyre, who drained a 22-foot birdie putt on the last to win and avenge his heartbreak from a year earlier.
6. Texas Children’s Open
Winner: Stephan Jaeger
Lasting memory: Jaeger gutted out a one-shot win over five players, including Scottie Scheffler, who missed a 5-footer at the last that would’ve forced a playoff. Eight players had at least a share of the lead on Sunday in this one.
LA QUINTA, CA – JANUARY 21: An emotional Nick Dunlap (a) (USA) departs the green to sign his scorecard after winning The American Express tournament at PGA West, Dye Stadium Course on January 21, 2024 in La Quinta, California. (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Instant classics
5. The American Express
Winner: Nick Dunlap
Lasting memory: Dunlap became the first amateur in 33 years to win on Tour, and he did so with a winning putt at the last. I remember the storytelling here being particularly strong with Brandel Chamblee in the booth and Steve Burkowski bringing his college expertise to the interviews.
4. The Players
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Lasting memory: Scheffler closed in 64 to erase a five-shot deficit as Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark both faltered late.
3. PGA Championship
Winner: Xander Schauffele
Lasting memory: Scottie Scheffler’s shocking arrest the morning of the second round was arguably the headline of the year, but the finish of the actual championship was exciting as well, as Schauffele became the first player since Phil Mickelson in 2005 to birdie the final hole to win the PGA by a shot.
2. The Open
Winner: Xander Schauffele
Lasting memory: Royal Troon dazzled and the elements wreaked havoc on Saturday before Schauffele held off everyone for the claret jug.
1. U.S. Open
Winner: Bryson DeChambeau
Lasting memory: Rory McIlroy missed two short putts in his last three holes while DeChambeau got up and down from 55 yards out of a carry bunker to put the exclamation point on his second U.S. Open crown.