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5 Most Meaningful Golfers in 2021

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5 most meaningful golfers in 2021

Looking back at 2021, we can’t believe it is almost over. It seems like the last twelve months have flown by, but that doesn’t mean it was uneventful in the slightest. The pandemic is still affecting every aspect of our daily lives from mandates to cancelled events we’ve been looking forward to for years.

The same is true for the world of golf. When Covid first came along, majors where rescheduled, some multiple times, and golf fans were left longing for any tidbit of golf news they could sink their teeth into.

But 2021 was different. So much has happened that it’s hard to believe it could fit all in one year. Not all of it was pretty, but it was quite entertaining to say the least. On the flipside, so many wonderful things happened as well. We got to watch some of our favorite players rise up to new challenges and unexpected winners showcase their talents.

One of our favorite things to do at the end of every year is to take a look back at these memorable moments and find the ones that affected us the most. In determining who belongs where on this year end list, we will be looking at more than just the wins a golfer racked up. Sure, you might feel differently about the choice made here, but that’s what we love about this sport. So many people can get different things out of every situation.

All in all, we wanted to put together a list that meant something for this year in golf. Something we could take a look back at years down the road and remember the talents that helped define 2021. It was very difficult as there were so many to choose from.

Here’s our list for the top five golfers from the last year:

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1. Jon Rahm

This one seemed like a no-brainer for us. Easy day. His list of accomplishments is ridiculous, but even his win total — only that U.S. Open victory in June — belies how good he was. It’s important to note that Rahm led the Memorial Tournament in June by six before having to withdraw following Round 3 after testing positive for COVID-19. He also finished T1 at the Tour Championship if you look at who took the fewest strokes throughout that week and don’t factor in players’ starting scores.

Rahm’s 2.28 strokes gained was the best in the world in 2021, just ahead of Patrick Cantlay’s 2.14 and well ahead of Daniel Berger — who finished third — at 1.85. Rahm also had the highest percentage of top 10s (62%) across all events worldwide and the lowest cumulative score of the golfers who made the cut at all four major championships. At those four majors, he finished T5-T8-1-T3. He beat or tied 539 of 552 (97.6%) of golfers at the four most important events. And if all of that wasn’t enough, he was one of just three golfers to win more than a single point for Europe at the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

2. Collin Morikawa

The only other lock for me. While his strokes-gained number was not as impressive as Rahm’s (Morikawa finished 10th in the world in strokes gained), he won a major, had the second-highest top-10 percentage behind Rahm and took the Race to Dubai by winning the DP World Tour Championship. He was also a nightmare for Europe at the Ryder Cup. Morikawa is a tremendous example of strokes gained not telling the entire story. According to Data Golf, even though he ranked 10th overall in strokes gained for the year, he ranked third when you look at the 95th percentile of players’ rounds. In other words, his best stuff was better than the best stuff of everyone other than Patrick Cantlay and Rahm.

3. Jordan Spieth

I know everyone will be shocked that I included Spieth, but his case is fairly airtight. He finished fourth in strokes gained on the year, won the Texas Open and legitimately mixed it up at both the Masters and Open Championship. He could have fairly easily won either one of those. Additionally, he accumulated the fifth-most OWGR points behind Morikawa, Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Sam Burns. You could have made a compelling argument that, for most of the first half of 2021, Spieth was once again the best golfer in the world.

4. Patrick Cantlay

This might surprise you, but Cantlay was actually difficult for me to include on here. He was not very good at the major championships (best finish was T15 at the U.S. Open), but he was very good everywhere else and won two big-time events at Memorial (although Rahm probably should have won) and that epic playoff at the BMW Championship over Bryson DeChambeau. Ultimately, the fact that he was the only golfer other than Rahm to top 2.0 strokes gained on the year won me over, but I strongly considered throwing Brooks Koepka or Louis Oosthuizen into this spot.

5. Hideki Matsuyama

Another player who won’t win any statistical wars but did win perhaps the two most meaningful tournament of the season. First, he became the first golfer from Asia to win the Masters in April, and then he won in his home country of Japan at the Zozo Championship in the fall. The rest of his year was fairly tepid — top-five finishes at the Olympics and in Memphis at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational — but any list of the best and most important golfers in 2021 has to have Matsuyama on it.

The toughest golfers to leave off the list were Louis Oosthuizen, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. They all had interesting cases to make, but ultimately didn’t win enough, weren’t consistent enough or didn’t play enough high-quality golf throughout the year to warrant inclusion.

Mickelson is especially intriguing because I think when we look back on 2021, his PGA Championship victory will be one of the most memorable moments. But he was so bad the rest of the year that it made it impossible to include him. He lost strokes over the course of the entire 2020-21 PGA Tour season and did not rank in the top 150 in the world in strokes gained. He didn’t have another top 10 worldwide other than that PGA win, which somehow makes the PGA win even more impressive but also means that he falls short of making this list.

This article originally appeared on CBS Sports.

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Breaking 90: Real Golf Improvement Tips That Actually Work

Tired of hovering in the low 90s? You’re not alone. Here are real, proven golf improvement tips that will finally help you break 90—and do it consistently.

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Why Breaking 90 Feels Like the Mount Everest of Golf

If you’ve ever wrapped up a round with an 89 on the card, you know the rush. For amateur golfers, breaking 90 isn’t just a number—it’s a rite of passage. It means your hard work is paying off, your decisions are sharper, and you’re starting to play golf instead of just swinging a club.

But here’s the thing: most golfers try to improve the wrong way. They tinker with their swing for months, chase YouTube tips at midnight, and buy the latest tech gear hoping it’ll shave strokes. Sound familiar?

As someone who spent years flirting with that 90 barrier, I’m here to tell you: you don’t need a perfect swing—you need a better strategy. Let’s get into the golf improvement tips that actually work.

Think Like a Golfer, Not a Swing Coach

Manage Expectations—Golf Isn’t About Perfect

You won’t stripe every drive or stick every wedge. So stop expecting to. Golf is a game of misses. The trick is making your bad shots better.

Start by dropping the obsession with perfection. Accept the occasional duff or slice. Focus instead on smart decisions and simple, repeatable swings.

“Golf is not a game of perfect. It’s a game of recovery.” — Dr. Bob Rotella, sports psychologist

Know Your “Go-To” Shot

If you’re trying to shape every shot like you’re on Tour, stop. Pick one reliable shot shape—fade, draw, straight—and stick to it. If your natural shot is a fade, play for it.

The moment I embraced my push-fade as a feature, not a flaw, my scores improved. I stopped fighting my swing and started playing smarter.

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Play the Right Tee Box—Seriously

Too many amateurs play from tees that are way too long. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Move up. Hit more greens. Have more fun. And yes—lower your score.

If you’re not getting to par 4s in two, or regularly hitting 3-woods into par 3s, it’s time to drop back to reality. You’ll thank yourself later.

Course Management—The Secret Weapon

Avoid the Hero Shot

Stuck in the trees? Don’t go for the 4-iron stinger through a two-foot gap. Punch out, get back in play, and take your medicine.

Par is great. Bogey is acceptable. Doubles are killers.

Know When to Lay Up

Got 210 yards into a narrow green with water short and right? Don’t be a hero. Hit it 150 and wedge it close. Most amateurs lose shots by trying to make up for a mistake with an even riskier shot. That never works.

Your scorecard rewards consistency, not courage.

The 3 Must-Have Skills to Break 90

1. A Reliable Tee Shot

You don’t need to hit bombs, but you need to keep it in play. Ditch the driver if it’s wild. I played a 5-wood for three months and dropped 7 strokes off my average.

2. A Dependable Wedge Game

From 100 yards and in, you need a club (or two) that you trust. Learn one shot—half swing, three-quarter, whatever—and own it.

3. No 3-Putts

Three-putting kills rounds. Focus on lag putting from long range and knocking in those nervy 4-footers. Spend twice as much time on putting as you do on full swings.

Practice With Purpose, Not Hope

Don’t just hit balls at the range. Practice like you play:

  • Hit different clubs in random order
  • Play imaginary holes
  • Make putting drills competitive
  • Keep score

“Deliberate practice leads to deliberate improvement.” — Mark Blackburn, PGA Tour Coach

Track Your Stats and Find the Leaks

Use an app or simple scorecard notes to track:

  • Fairways hit
  • Greens in regulation
  • Putts per hole
  • Penalty strokes

You’ll quickly spot where you’re leaking strokes. That’s where the real work starts.

Mindset Shift—Focus on Process, Not Score

I used to obsess over my score on every hole. Now, I focus on one swing at a time. Breaking 90 isn’t about shooting a 39 on the front and holding on. It’s about stacking smart decisions, one shot at a time.

Breaking 90 isn’t about hitting perfect shots. It’s about making better decisions, avoiding big numbers, and playing within your game. These golf improvement tips aren’t magic—they’re practical, proven strategies that work for real golfers.

Try them on your next round, and don’t forget to celebrate the small wins—like finally keeping your tee shot in play on Hole 1.

Want more golf improvement tips like these?
Bookmark ClickItGolf.com and check back weekly for advice, gear guides, laughs, and insights to help you play better golf—without losing your mind.

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The Spirit of the Links

From Scotland’s Shores to North America’s Coasts explore golf’s historic roots.

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Golf, a sport steeped in tradition and history, finds its roots deeply embedded in the sandy soils of Scotland’s links courses. These courses, characterized by their coastal settings, rolling dunes, and deep bunkers, offer a golfing experience that is both challenging and steeped in the game’s ancient traditions. This article explores the quintessential links courses of Scotland, including the renowned Kingsbarns, and compares them to their counterparts in North America, highlighting the differences that define and distinguish these iconic golf landscapes.

The Essence of Scottish Links

Scottish links courses are the original venues for the game of golf, with their history tracing back over several centuries. Kingsbarns, located near St. Andrews—the acknowledged ‘Home of Golf’—is a prime example. Though it was only opened in 2000, Kingsbarns has quickly become a jewel in the crown of Scottish golf. Designed by Kyle Phillips, the course captures the true spirit of links golf with its rugged coastline, natural bunkers, and undulating fairways that challenge even the most skilled golfers.

Links courses, by definition, are built on sandy land along coastlines. In Scotland, these courses are battered by the elements, with wind playing a significant role in the game, requiring golfers to exhibit not just skill but also creativity and adaptability. The courses are typically devoid of trees, using the natural landscape such as dunes and native grasses to define their boundaries.

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North American Links

While true links courses are a product of their environment, several courses in North America seek to replicate the Scottish experience. Courses like Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Cabot Links in Nova Scotia are designed to mirror the natural, rugged elegance of Scottish links. Bandon Dunes, for example, sits atop a windswept bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Its natural vegetation, dune topography, and wind conditions are reminiscent of Scotland’s storied courses.

Cabot Links, on the other hand, is Canada’s first true links course, featuring panoramic views and a layout that adheres to the natural landscape. Like its Scottish inspirations, Cabot Links utilizes fescue grasses and minimizes artificial water hazards, relying on wind and natural land forms to challenge players.

Links vs. Regular Courses

The main difference between a links course and a regular golf course lies in their interaction with the natural environment. Traditional golf courses, often referred to as “parkland courses,” are usually more manicured and contain lush, tree-lined fairways, with defined rough and strategic water hazards. They are designed to be more sheltered from the wind, offering a different type of challenge compared to the open, exposed links courses.

Links courses embrace the raw, natural state of their coastal landscapes. The ground tends to be harder and the grass shorter, which affects ball behavior, encouraging a ground game where golfers must play more along the earth, using the contours of the land to their advantage.

The allure of links golf lies in its simplicity and its challenge—the game as it was originally played, against a backdrop of breathtaking natural beauty. Whether in Scotland or North America, these courses provide a profound connection to the elements, offering a pure golf experience that is as mentally challenging as it is physically.

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TGL, Skins, and the World Series of Golf—Oh My!

Explore golf’s thrilling new formats—from TGL’s digital arenas to high-stakes Skins and poker-inspired World Series of Golf, as Ty Webb humorously guides you through the game’s exciting evolution.

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Hey there, fellow golfers, duffers, and sand-trap enthusiasts! Ty Webb here—ready to chat about a topic almost as intriguing as the mysterious forces that cause your golf balls to magnetically find water hazards. The game we love is changing faster than Judge Smails’ mood after a missed putt, and these new formats are shaking things up faster than my backswing (which, I’ll remind you, is flawless).

First up, we’ve got TGL—Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s brainchild. Imagine golf, but in a high-tech simulator arena, with live crowds and digital drama. It’s like playing a round inside a video game—minus the reset button. It’s fast, it’s futuristic, and it might just make traditionalists clutch their cardigan sweaters a little tighter. But hey, change can be good—like switching from a putter that doesn’t work to another putter that doesn’t work.

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Then we’ve got the Skins Game, golf’s original “put your money where your mouth is” contest. It’s straightforward—win a hole, win some cash. Lose a hole, watch your buddy strut around like he’s just sunk a 90-footer at Augusta. The Skins format keeps the stakes high, the tension higher, and friendships on the line. It’s golf with bravado, swagger, and a bit of friendly financial risk—exactly how I like my weekends.

And finally, we have the World Series of Golf—imagine poker and golf decided to collaborate, and neither was sober at the time. Players bet on each hole, raising, folding, and bluffing their way through a round. It’s as much about strategy and psychological warfare as it is about hitting a decent tee shot. One moment you’re all-in, the next you’re questioning every life decision you’ve ever made. Classic golf, am I right?

So there you have it, friends. Golf isn’t just changing—it’s evolving, innovating, and occasionally terrifying the purists. But rest easy, because whether you’re in a virtual arena, sweating over Skins cash, or bluffing your way through the World Series of Golf, the spirit of the game remains: hit the ball, find the ball, repeat as necessary. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with destiny—and a very forgiving 9-iron.

Fore!

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