Two months into the 2024 PGA Tour season and many of the game's stars are still without victories. There have been triumphs by major champions like Wyndham Clark and Hideki Matsuyama, but the names we have grown accustomed to seeing in the winner's circle have been left searching for answers.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler continued his torrid ball-striking pace in the months of January and February, but unfortunately the problems with the putter have persisted as well. He remains atop our Power 18 rankings leading into the Florida Swing, but his reign is not as firm as it was a mere 60 days ago.
Immediately behind him is Jon Rahm, who vaults into the rankings at No. 2 as LIV Golf ramps up its third season. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have found their rightful place in the year's second edition of the Power 18; however, another pair of recently crowned champions at LIV Golf -- Joaquin Niemann and Dustin Johnson -- narrowly missed the rankings as we continue to introduce LIV Golf players to the fold.
Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland have struggled for consistency in the early stages of 2024, but that seems to be all that Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay can accomplish. Justin Thomas has regained his steadiness from a few seasons ago and juxtaposes the play of his good friend, Jordan Spieth, who remains a rollercoaster.
The Power 18 provides insight as to how golfers are currently performing with benefit given to their play over recent events. It is a wider lens than simply what happened at the last tournament to be played but more narrow than the Official World Golf Rankings, which take into account how more than 2,000 golfers perform across an entire season.
The Power 18
| 1 | |
| Scheffler started 2024 with five straight top-20 finishes and a number of contention runs. He led at the halfway point of The Sentry and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am before the putter betrayed him in the third round of both tournaments. A similar fate unfolded in his defense at the WM Phoenix Open, where he led in the final round before — you guessed it — the putter went cold. The switch to Bermuda grass greens will be a welcomed sight for Scheffler, who will look to contend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the third straight year and defend his Players Championship crown. Previous: 1 | |
| 2 | |
| The move to LIV Golf has done nothing to affect Rahm's status in the game. The two-time major champion nearly won in his debut at LIV Golf Mayakoba before late mistakes in the final round proved to be his undoing. He nearly redeemed himself at LIV Golf Las Vegas alongside Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau but ultimately settled for a solo eighth-place finish. A pair of top 10s look nice on paper, but the Spaniard knows he is capable of much more. Previous: Not ranked | |
| 3 | |
| Schauffele has four top-10 finishes in five starts to kick off his 2024. A pair of those -- the Genesis Invitational being the latest, where he was featured in the final pairing alongside Cantlay.-- have been top-five efforts. Sharing the lead with seven holes to play, the American dropped shots at a pivotal point in the tournament and left his native California without a trophy. Schauffele is a statistical darling and is approaching two years since his last missed cut, but the wins have not followed suit. Previous: 7 | |
| 4 | |
| Coming off two of his best statistical seasons of his career, McIlroy looked primed to keep a good thing going. A fourth victory at the Dubai Desert Classic set the stage for his PGA Tour debut, but the results have been middling. It's only two starts, but the four-time major champion has struggled with consistency, with small stretches of poor play blowing up his tournament hopes. He returns to PGA National this week, where he first ascended to world No. 1 before the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the Players Championship, where he is also a winner. Previous: 3 | |
| 5 | |
| Cantlay's as well-rounded as they come and will continue to give himself chances to win, but the closing power hasn't been great. He was a first-round darling in California; his name found the first page of the leaderboard in all four tournaments before the weekend got to him. Cantlay was one off the pace after 36 at Pebble Beach and commanded a two-stroke lead after 54 at Riviera. Previous: 6 | |
| 6 | |
| The FedEx Cup champion is fighting his swing, and the results have been emblematic. Hovland finished T19 at the Genesis Invitational for his lone top-20 of the year, but the good news is he is following the same trend from last season. The Norwegian usually starts slow only to get going during the Florida Swing. He should probably have a red cardigan in his closet by now and finished T3 at the Players Championship last year, so expect Hovland to start humming here shortly. Previous: 2 | |
| 7 | |
| The 27-year-old looked like his usual self during the first two months. Morikawa contended once again at The Sentry and put together quality starts in his home state of California with top-20s at Pebble Beach and Riviera. The putter cooperated and the iron play was strong, but both will be tested as the PGA Tour moves to Florida given the difficulty of Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass, plus the difficulty he tends to find on Bermuda greens. Previous: 4 | |
| 8 | |
| Burns may have experienced the most underrated West Coast Swing of anyone on PGA Tour. He has connected on four straight top-10s with a podium finish at the Phoenix Open and a near-miss at the American Express. The putter will always be reliable and the driver is proving to be a weapon. If that club continues to cooperate, there is no reason Burns can't pick up a victory in the month of March for the fourth straight season. Previous: NR | |
| 9 | |
| The Swede got off to a bumpy start but quickly found his footing in the continental United States. Åberg grabbed a top-10 finish at Torrey Pines and had a chance at Pebble Beach before the event was shortened to 54 holes. Without a final round to catch Clark, Åberg settled for a runner-up finish. The driver has not been as effective as usual, but the rest of his game has been able to make up for it. If the big stick starts eating, the 24-year-old will start winning. Previous: 10 | |
| 10 | |
| The missed cut at the Genesis Invitational put an end to seven straight top-12 finishes dating back to the Wyndham Championship. It's fair to suggest Thomas is all the way back, but it's also fair to say the Florida events will serve as a a solid stress test for the two-time PGA Championship winner. He gaining nearly 2.50 strokes from tee to green since the Nedbank Challenge in November. Previous: NR | |
| 11 | |
| Fleetwood got the better of McIlroy at the Dubai Invitational to kick off his year on the DP World Tour and since carried his solid play over to the PGA Tour. The Englishman snuck inside the top 10 at Riviera and should be salivating at the thought of the Florida Swing, where he contends annually. Previous: 9 | |
| 12 | |
| He struggles with consistency, but he doesn't struggle with winning. Clark may hold three of the best titles on the PGA Tour at the moment with trophies from the Wells Fargo Championship, U.S. Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on his mantle. A third-round 60 propelled him to victory in the shortened event on the Monterey Peninsula. Previous: NR | |
| 13 | |
| It hasn't been the start to 2024 that many envisioned for Homa. Winning on the DP World Tour during the fall, the six-time PGA Tour winner looked to be rolling into his home state of California. Homa put together a solid defense effort with a T13 at the Farmers Insurance Open and slugged his way to a T16 at Riviera. The good news is Homa has had his way in Florida in recent years, including last season when he notched top-15 finishes at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship. Previous: 5 | |
| 14 | |
| He's contended, he's disappointed and he's been disqualified. That just about sums up the first two months for Spieth. He had chances at The Sentry and Phoenix Open sandwiching a poor result at a historically comfortable Pebble Beach. His short game has been world class, and he's driving it as well as he has in years. If the iron play and putter start to cooperate, a win could come soon. Previous: 15 | |
| 15 | |
| He reminded us with his final-round 62 at the Genesis Invitational that his best might be the best on the PGA Tour. Matsuyama claimed his ninth career victory at Riviera for his first win in a little over two years. It has been a struggle for the man from Japan due to health reasons, but he finally looks 100% healthy and could be dangerous at the Players Championship, where he finished fifth in 2023. Previous: NR | |
| 16 | |
| Torrey Pines and Riviera brought out the best of Zalatoris. The wiry right-hander collected a T13 at the Farmers Insurance Open and a runner-up at the Genesis Invitational gaining strokes in every aspect of the game. The iron play looks elite, and the switch to the broomstick putter is already proving to be the right move. He'll be a popular pick for the Masters in April and even more so if he grabs a win in Florida. Previous: NR | |
| 17 | |
| The Englishman has played on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf in 2024 with solid results. Hatton notched top-15 finishes at The Sentry and the Sony Open before his transition to the 54-hole circuit, where he picked up where he left off on the PGA Tour. A T8 in his debut at LIV Golf Mayakoba was followed by a T12 at LIV Golf Las Vegas. Over the last year, Hatton ranks ninth in the world in total strokes gained. Previous: 14 | |
| 18 | |
| Everything seems to be working for Poston. After finishing T5 and solo sixth in the two events in Hawaii, he carried his game to California where he connected on three top-20 finishes in three starts. He now has 10 top 20s in his last 15 starts dating back to July. The ball striking has regressed slightly, but if it returns to peak levels a win would likely come with it. Previous: NR | |
