Best PGA Tour Approach Seasons Since 2004: Tiger vs Scottie
Tiger Woods’ 2006 season leads at +2.07 SG: Approach per round. Watch the 2004–2026 bar chart race and compare the top 10 iron-play seasons.
By Jacob Göransson · Updated
Who had the best approach play—iron play—in a single PGA Tour season since 2004? In this video’s ranking, it is Tiger Woods in 2006, at +2.07 strokes gained per round. Tiger holds five of the ten highest entries.
The 44-second bar chart race adds each season’s top ten from 2004 through 2026, showing how the strongest approach seasons stack up over time.
The top 10 approach seasons in the video (2004–2026)
These are the values used in the video, rounded to two decimals. They measure strokes gained per round, not the total across an entire season.
| Rank | Player | Season | SG / round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiger Woods | 2006 | +2.07 |
| 2 | Tiger Woods | 2007 | +1.65 |
| 3 | Tiger Woods | 2013 | +1.53 |
| 4 | Adam Scott | 2015–16 | +1.49 |
| 5 | Tiger Woods | 2009 | +1.40 |
| 6 | Scottie Scheffler | 2025 | +1.29 |
| 7 | Scottie Scheffler | 2024 | +1.27 |
| 8 | Henrik Stenson | 2014–15 | +1.24 |
| 9 | Tiger Woods | 2012 | +1.22 |
| =9 | Robert Allenby | 2008 | +1.22 |
Tiger’s 2006 season sits on its own
Tiger’s +2.07 SG: Approach per round is the clear leader. Adam Scott, second that year in the supplied data, was at +1.11—a gap of 0.96 shots per round. Over four rounds, that rate difference would be 3.84 shots from approach play alone.
Tiger also owns the next two entries: +1.65 in 2007 and +1.53 in 2013. In this ranking, no other player reached +1.50. His 2009 and 2012 seasons complete his five places in the top ten.
Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson
Adam Scott’s 2015–16 season is the highest non-Tiger entry at +1.49. The next-best player that season in the supplied data, Kevin Na, was at +0.79—Scott’s rate was almost twice as high.
Henrik Stenson’s 2014–15 season sits eighth at +1.24. He led the Tour in approach in three seasons shown in the video: 2014–15, 2017–18 and 2018–19.
Where Scottie Scheffler fits
Scheffler led the Tour in SG: Approach in 2022–23, 2024 and 2025 in the supplied data. His best entry, 2025 at +1.29, is sixth; 2024 at +1.27 is seventh. Those are exceptional seasons, but Tiger’s 2006 mark remains 0.78 shots per round higher.
No new season entered this top ten between 2016–17 and 2021–22. Scheffler’s recent seasons end that quiet stretch.
What is strokes gained approach?
Strokes gained approach measures how many shots a player gains or loses with approach play compared with a benchmark. In PGA Tour season statistics, zero is Tour average; +1.00 means one shot gained per round with approach play.
It includes more than iron swings: par-3 tee shots and other approach shots count, while tee shots on par 4s and par 5s belong to driving. Shots around the green and putts are separate categories.
For the calculation and examples, read strokes gained approach explained or the complete guide to strokes gained.
Measure your own approach game
You do not need to play like Tiger for strokes gained to be useful. Track where your approach shots start and finish to find which distances cost you the most. Try the free strokes gained calculator, or track your own rounds with StrokesGain for free.