Best PGA Tour Seasons Since 2004: Tiger vs Scottie vs Rory
Tiger Woods’ 2006 season leads at +3.44 SG: Total per round. Watch the 2004–2026 bar chart race and compare the top 10 seasons of Tiger, Scheffler and McIlroy.
By Jacob Göransson · Updated
What is the best PGA Tour season since 2004? By Strokes Gained: Total, it is Tiger Woods in 2006, at +3.44 strokes gained per round—almost a full shot per round better than the second-best player that year, Jim Furyk (+2.55).
The bar chart race ranks every season from 2004 to 2026, adding each year’s top ten. Tiger holds the top three entries and five of the ten best seasons overall.
The top 10 seasons by Strokes Gained: Total (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. Rory McIlroy’s 2018–19 and Jim Furyk’s 2006 are tied at the displayed precision.
| Rank | Player | Season | SG / round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiger Woods | 2006 | +3.44 |
| 2 | Tiger Woods | 2009 | +3.19 |
| 3 | Tiger Woods | 2007 | +3.09 |
| 4 | Scottie Scheffler | 2025 | +2.74 |
| 5 | Rory McIlroy | 2018–19 | +2.55 |
| =5 | Jim Furyk | 2006 | +2.55 |
| 7 | Scottie Scheffler | 2024 | +2.50 |
| 8 | Rory McIlroy | 2012 | +2.41 |
| 9 | Tiger Woods | 2005 | +2.40 |
| 10 | Tiger Woods | 2004 | +2.38 |
Tiger’s 2006 is the benchmark
Tiger’s +3.44 SG: Total per round stands alone at the top. He also owns the second and third best seasons: +3.19 in 2009 and +3.09 in 2007. Add 2005 (+2.40) and 2004 (+2.38) and he holds five of the ten best seasons since 2004.
In 2006, the gap to the next-best player—Jim Furyk at +2.55—was 0.89 shots per round. Over a four-round event, that rate difference is more than three and a half shots.
Scottie Scheffler: the best non-Tiger season
Scheffler’s 2025 season at +2.74 is the best by any player other than Tiger since 2004—but it still sits 0.70 strokes per round behind Tiger’s 2006.
His rise has been steady: +2.31 in 2022–23, +2.50 in 2024 and +2.74 in 2025—three straight seasons of improvement, with the last two both in the all-time top ten.
Rory McIlroy and the quiet years
Before Scheffler’s 2025, the best non-Tiger season belonged to Rory McIlroy: +2.55 in 2018–19, tied with Furyk’s 2006. McIlroy’s 2012 season (+2.41) also makes the list.
Notably, no season between 2019–20 and 2021–22 made the all-time top ten—a quiet stretch that Scheffler’s recent run brought to an end.
What is Strokes Gained: Total?
Strokes Gained: Total measures how many shots a player gains or loses per round compared with the average PGA Tour player in the same field, counting every shot: off the tee, approach, around the green and putting. Zero is Tour average. +3.00 means a player was three shots per round better than the average Tour pro.
For the calculation and examples, read the complete guide to strokes gained, or the deep-dives on approach and off the tee.
Measure your own game
You do not need to play like Tiger for strokes gained to be useful. Track your rounds and see which part of your game gains or loses the most against players like you. Try the free strokes gained calculator, or track your own rounds with StrokesGain for free.