Driving distance is spoken about a lot, but it’s not much use if you’re spraying it. So let’s take a look at the Strokes Gained: Off the Tee statistics from PGA Tour for last season to see who the best drivers are and what they use.
Best drivers on the PGA Tour: 10-6
10. Abraham Ancer
Probably not a name you were expecting on this list right? Off the tee he gains more than half a stroke per round on the PGA Tour average.
What he uses: Ancer currently has the Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero driver in play. I wonder if we will see him make the switch to the Mavrik anytime soon…
9. Paul Casey
Englishman Casey significantly improved his Strokes Gained: Off the Tee from 2018 to last season. His half-stroke improvement was the third-largest jump on tour.
What he uses:Â As a free agent Casey has the ability to choose any driver to put in play. He had a TaylorMade M4 driver in last season but has recently made the switch to the new TaylorMade SIM Max driver.
8. Corey Conners
Interestingly part of the reason for his high score here is, that even though he only hits 66.9% of fairways, he avoids big misses. His average missed fairway is only 19 feet offline.
What he uses: Connors has been a Ping staff player since he turned pro in 2015 and chooses to keep the 2017 G400 LST driver in play.
7. Cameron Champ
It’s not really any surprise to see this big-hitting American on the list. With his 129.66mph of clubhead speed he is able to generate 192.67mph of ball speed. That’s seriously quick.
What he uses:Â Champ is also a Ping staffer and currently has the G410 LST driver in his bag.
6. Keith Mitchell
This bomber is doing a great job of increasing the profile on Mizuno drivers out on tour.
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What he uses:Â He claimed his first PGA Tour victory with the Mizuno ST190 in play but has now switched to the new Mizuno ST200 with a Hzrdus T1100 X shaft.
So who made it into the top 5? Head to the next page to find out…
Best drivers on the PGA Tour:Â 5-2
5. Jon Rahm
The big guns are starting to show up now. Rahm’s 118mph of clubhead speed saw his average driving distance on tour last season reach 305.6 yards
What he uses:Â Rahm had the TaylorMade M5 driver in play last season but has now switched to the TaylorMade SIM driver.
- Related: Jon Rahm WITB 2020
4. Dustin Johnson
Known for his prowess off the tee it is no surprise to see DJ near the top of this list. His longest drive on tour last season was a jaw-dropping 404 yards. Yes, FOUR hundred and four. Absurd.
What he uses: Johnson has switched from the TaylorMade M6 to the TaylorMade SIM Max driver. He opts to use a 10.5° head with the Fujikura Ventus 6X shaft.
- Related: Dustin Johnson WITB 2020
3. Bubba Watson
Off the tee Bubba gained three quarters of a shot a round over the field average last year. That accounts to over 37 fewer shots over the year.
What he uses: The two-time Masters champion chooses to game the Ping G410 Plus driver with a 9° head and his custom pink Grafalloy Bi-Matrix-X shaft.
2. Jhonattan Vegas
Vegas has taken a massive leap up the ranking, improving from 46th to 2nd last season which was partly down to a 3mph gain in clubhead speed.
What he uses: A former Nike staffer Vegas plays Mizuno irons but isn’t contracted for a full bag so chooses to game the TaylorMade M6 driver.
I’m sure you’ve figured out who’s in at No 1. Head to the next page to see if you’re right…Â
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Best driver on the PGA Tour
1. Rory McIlroy
Rory gained an average of 1.195 strokes on the field average per round last season. That makes him nearly half a shot a round better than the second best player off the tee , gaining him nearly four shots on second place in a four-round tournament. Phenomenal.
What he uses: Rory had the TaylorMade M5 driver in play last year. He has now upgraded to the TaylorMade SIM in a 10.5° head with a Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XTS 70 X shaft.
- Related: Rory McIlroy WITB 2020
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