PGA Tour Power Rankings: Bryson muscles way to top since restart
The PGA Tour's restart is in full swing with six tournaments already in the books. The golf has been fantastic, as big-name winners show up on a consistent basis to produce one dramatic finish after another.
Now that most PGA Tour players have gotten their feet wet after a three-month layoff due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's time to talk about who's been the best since play resumed June 11.
Taking wins, consistency, and strokes-gained statistics into consideration, here are the top 10 golfers since the PGA Tour's restart.
1. Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau emerged from the break as golf's most powerful player, which propelled him to three straight top-10 finishes prior to winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic. His incredible run is backed by the most dominant strokes gained: off the tee numbers the PGA Tour has ever seen, and the 26-year-old's new skill will put him in contention more often than not.
2. Justin Thomas
Since the restart, Thomas finished inside the top 10 three times (including a crushing playoff loss to Collin Morikawa), tied for 18th, and missed a cut. He could have easily won the Workday Charity Open to claim the No. 1 spot in the power rankings, but for now, Thomas has some work to do in order to overtake DeChambeau.
3. Jon Rahm
The newly minted world No. 1 lands in the three-hole for our rankings. His impressive victory at the Memorial was his first top 25 performance since the restart, but it's clear any rust he built up during the three-month break is completely gone.
It wouldn't be shocking to see Rahm dominate the rest of the summer, with the PGA Championship quickly approaching and the young Spaniard still looking for his first major championship title.
4. Collin Morikawa
Morikawa took home the Workday Charity Open after chasing Thomas down late in the final round. The 23-year-old also lost in a playoff to Daniel Berger at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the first event back. His other three results were less impressive, but being in contention twice is worthy of the No. 4 slot in the rankings.
5. Daniel Berger
Berger won the Charles Schwab Challenge during the first week back and followed that with a tied-for-third showing at the RBC Heritage. The 27-year-old has regained the form that led him to two PGA Tour titles earlier in his career and looks poised to continue trending upward.
6. Webb Simpson
Simpson claimed the RBC Heritage over a star-studded field at Harbour Town. His second victory this season vaulted him to No. 5 in the world ranking, but his two missed cuts since the restart prevent him from sitting any higher than No. 6 in the power rankings.
7. Dustin Johnson
Johnson found the winner's circle for the 21st time in his career at the Travelers Championship, a good sign the former world No. 1 isn't going anywhere yet. However, he shot back-to-back rounds of 80 at the Memorial - his worst start in terms of strokes gained since the stat was created in 2012.
8. Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton has only played twice since golf's return, but he's made those two starts count. The Englishman tied for third at the RBC Heritage and finished in a share of fourth at the Rocket Mortage Classic, and he has the most strokes gained: total out of anyone in golf over his past 12 rounds.
9. Xander Schauffele
Schauffele returned at the Charles Schwab Challenge and was in contention prior to giving up his lead late Sunday to place in a tie for third. Since then, he's played in four events with three top-20 results, including back-to-back top-15 showings at Muirfield Village. The 26-year-old's game is trending in the right direction as major championships quickly approach.
10. Rory McIlroy
A top-10 list would be incomplete without McIlroy's name, even though his finishes coming out of the restart have been subpar. His best result was a tie for 11th at the Travelers Championship and he's often crept onto the first page of leaderboards. McIlroy simply hasn't put a four-round performance together and is hanging onto this spot in the power rankings by a thread.
Just missed
Viktor Hovland: Nobody has been hitting the ball better than Hovland since the restart. His putter continues to let him down, but the young Norwegian is knocking on the door of winning his second PGA Tour event.