PGA Tour Power Rankings: Golf's top 10 players heading into 2021
Now that both the PGA Tour and European Tour have wrapped up their 2020 calendars, it's time to look at which players are at the top of the sport as the new year approaches.
Taking wins, consistency, and strokes-gained statistics into consideration, here are theScore's top 10 golfers heading into 2021.
10. Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay was quiet out of the PGA Tour's restart but came on strong as the year came to a close. He fired a final-round 65 to steal the Zozo Championship away from Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm, record his first win since the 2019 Memorial, and jump back inside the top 10 in the world rankings.
9. Patrick Reed
Reed capped his 2020 with a T-3 finish at the DP World Tour Championship in a strong European Tour field. He's also collected six top-15 results in his previous eight PGA Tour starts and ranks ninth in strokes gained: total over his past 100 rounds.
8. Xander Schauffele
Schauffele had the best 2020 by far among those without an official Tour win this year. He ranked second in strokes gained: total per round following the June restart but walked away with zero trophies. However, he posted the lowest 72-hole score at the Tour Championship to finish second in the FedEx Cup standings.
The 27-year-old is one to watch in 2021 as he searches for his first major title. It feels as though Schauffele is a factor in every major he competes in. He will eventually win at least one, whether it's next year or not.
7. Webb Simpson
Simpson continued to turn out solid results after winning the second event following the hiatus, including a T-8 finish at the U.S. Open and his second straight top-10 result at the Masters. He also contended at the Wyndham Championship before settling for a share of third.
Being the shortest hitter on this list by far makes Simpson's standing among the top players in the game that much more impressive. How long he can remain in golf's top tier as the best players continue to hit it further will be worth watching over the next few years.
6. Collin Morikawa
What a year for Morikawa. The 23-year-old moved from 65th in the world to No. 7 thanks to two stellar victories, including his first major crown at the PGA Championship in August.
But his play in the closing months left much to be desired. Morikawa uncharacteristically missed back-to-back cuts then placed outside the top 40 in his final two starts. With that said, his 2020 set the bar extremely high for his annual expectations moving forward.
5. Rory McIlroy
Say what you will about McIlroy's performances upon the PGA Tour's return, but his final few months were what we've come to expect from the Northern Irishman, even though he didn't win.
McIlroy placed T-8 at the U.S. Open and rallied after a poor opening round of the Masters to come in at T-5. Of course, he's not looking to add more top-10 results to his resume, but the end-of-year form suggests he will come out of the gates firing in 2021.
4. Jon Rahm
Rahm will end the year as No. 2 in the world but fourth on our power rankings simply because he did not deliver in the year's two majors. Sure, he tied for seventh at the Masters, but finishing 72-71 on the weekend when Augusta played as easy as it ever will was disappointing from the green jacket hopeful.
Still, Rahm turned in a great year with two impressive wins at the Memorial and the BMW Championship at a difficult Olympia Fields. He'll be expected to make the next step in his career and claim his first major title in 2021.
3. Justin Thomas
Thomas could have easily nabbed the second spot, but his lack of marquee victories to close out the year and his inability to put pressure on Dustin Johnson during the final two days of the Masters hold him back.
He still had a great 2020 with two victories and should replicate that success in 2021, but dare we say the pressure is on for the 27-year-old to win his second major next year? If he fails to do so, he'll be quickly approaching McIlroy's drought with no major titles during four prime years of his career.
2. Bryson DeChambeau
While DeChambeau's Masters did not go according to plan, do not forget that he proved his physical transformation was well worth it by lapping the field at the U.S. Open.
How DeChambeau kicks off his 2021 campaign will be telling. Some early success could help his confidence grow and set the stage for a massive year. But if he stumbles out of the gates, don't be surprised if golf's most powerful player heads back to the drawing board and spends more time tinkering with his game than contending.
1. Dustin Johnson
This was a no-brainer. Johnson capped his sensational year by claiming his first green jacket and second major title with a comfortable five-shot victory at Augusta National. The Masters win also concluded his blistering end to 2020, where he won four times in 11 starts, including a FedEx Cup title, and finished inside the top three on seven occasions.
"That stretch of golf will probably go down as one of the best maybe six months we've seen in a long time," Brooks Koepka said of Johnson.
It will be interesting to see if the world's top-ranked player can continue his incredible form into the new year and give himself a chance to defend his green jacket in April.
The next five: Tyrrell Hatton, Koepka, Harris English, Viktor Hovland, Daniel Berger