Which golfer has the most valuable swing on the PGA Tour?

On the eve of the US Open Championship at the Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, we here at Spreadex have taken a look at who had the most valuable swing in the 2019/20 PGA Tour.

By breaking down the total number of shots across every PGA Tour event a golfer has played in, and their total winnings across said events, Spreadex have come up with the ‘Money per Swing’ metric.

The top 3 should come as no surprise. World no. 1 Dustin Johnson is top with $6,168.52 per swing, followed by no. 3 Justin Thomas and no. 2 Jon Rahm. Rory McIlroy is a bit further down in 7th, with a rejuvenated Tiger Woods in 11th.

There are some big names absent from the top 20, however. A struggling Jordan Spieth earned just $289.09 per swing across 19 events, placing him in 72nd. Phil Mickelson won $445.65 per shot over 17 appearances, leaving him in 44th, with Justin Rose in 50th place with $413.35 per swing in 15 events.

So, which PGA golfer has the most valuable swing? Take a look at the top 20 below, as well as the full rankings for the top 100.

1. Dustin Johnson – $6,168.52 per swing
No-one came close to Johnson in 2019/20. Racking up an astonishing $20,837,267 in winnings over 14 PGA Tour events and 3,378 shots, the world no. 1 averaged $6,168.52 every time he swung a golf club.

He won 3 events across the tour – the Travelers Championship, The Northern Trust and the Tour Championship – and secured a mega payday thanks to his FedEx Cup victory.

Johnson is also favourite to win his 2nd US Open, at fixed odds of 15/2 and a Leaderboard Index spread of 14-17. That’s where 1st place gets 80 points, 2nd place 40, 3rd placed 30, 4th place 25, 5th place 20, 6th place 15, 7th place 10 and 8th place 5.

2. Justin Thomas – $2,491.49 per swing
A long, long way behind Johnson due to the FedEx Cup, Thomas was actually the 2019/20 tour’s money leader. He also equalled Johnson’s number of wins, victorious at the CJ Cup, Sentry Tournament of Champions and WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

That translated to winnings of $11,991,540 over 19 events and 4,813 shots – or $2,491.49 per swing.

3. Jon Rahm – $2,196.11 per swing
Not a world away from Thomas, Jon Rahm comes in with a swing worth $2,196.11, in part thanks to his wins at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio, and the BMW Championship in Illinois.

He is ahead of Thomas in terms of the US Open, however, at a Leaderboard Index spread of 14-17 to the Kentucky native’s 10-13.

4. Xander Schauffele – $1,648.47 per swing
With significantly more shots than the top 3 – 5,113 over 19 events – Xander Schauffele nevertheless makes the top 4, mainly due to finishing joint 2nd in the FedEx Cup. Overall winnings of $8,428,637 leaves him at $1,648.47 per swing.

He’s also in the hunt for the US Open, at a respectable Leaderboard Index spread of 9-12.

5. Tyrrell Hatton - $1,632.15 per swing
Only $16 or so behind Schauffele, Arnold Palmer Invitational-winning, 28-year old Englishman Tyrell Hatton rounds out the top 5 with a swing worth $1,632.15.

6. Webb Simpson – $1,543.26 per swing
Victorious in both the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the RBC Heritage in South Carolina, Webb Simpson managed $1,543.26 per swing across the 2019/20 PGA Tour.

7. Rory McIlroy – $1,287.88 per swing
Northern Ireland’s own saw winnings of $5,428,414 in 2019/20, his sole victory coming at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China. That puts him on $1,287.88 per swing over his 16 tour appearances.

As for the US Open, the 2011 winner is chasing his first major since 2014, and is at a Leaderboard Index spread of 8-11.

8. Collin Morikawa – $1,287.74 per swing
At only 23-years old, Morikawa had the honour of being the sole major winner of the 2019/20 season, winning the PGA Championship in August. That, alongside his Workday Charity Open victory, helped him to $1,287.74 per swing.

9. Bryson Dechambeau – $1,277.68 per swing
Winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Michigan, the Scientist secured a top 10 swing, earning $1,277.68 per shot.

10. Daniel Berger – $1,140.57 per swing
The victor at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas, Daniel Berger takes the final spot in the top 10 with a swing worth $1,140.57.

11. Tiger Woods – $1,063.81 per swing
In a season that saw him win his 82nd tour title – putting him level with Sam Snead for most career tour wins – Tiger Woods just missed out on the top 10 with $1,063.81 per swing.

Heading into the US Open, the 3 time champ is at a Leaderboard Index spread of just 3-5.

12. Patrick Reed – $1,009.63 per swing
Taking the WGC-Mexico Championship back in February, the 30-year old Texan managed $1,009.63 per swing over 21 tour events.

13. Adam Scott – $923.10 per swing
Triumphant at February’s Genesis Invitational in California, the Australian Scott is the first player in top 20 to drop under the $1000 mark, making $923.10 per swing.

14. Henrik Stenson – $913.85 per swing
The first person on this list not to win a PGA Tour event in 2019/20, the Swedish Stenson nevertheless bagged himself $923.85 per swing in just 6 appearances.

15. Hideki Matsuyama – $819.73 per swing
Another winless golfer on this list, 28-year old Hideki Matsuyama still took home a solid $819.73 per swing in 2019/20.

16. Marc Leishman – $809.29 per swing
Leading the pack at the Farmers Insurance Open in California all the way back in January, Australia’s Marc Leishman secured himself $809.29 per swing.

17. Im Sung-Jae – $778.07 per swing
Featuring in 26 events, more than anyone else in the top 20, South Korea’s 22-year old Im Sung-jae’s Honda Classic victory helped him to $778.07 per swing.

18. Harris English – $757.87 per swing
With 5,254 shots over 20 events, totalling winnings of $3,981,866, the 30-year old Georgian – state, not country – came away from 2019/20 on $757.87 per swing.

19. Paul Waring – $725.84 per swing
Waring’s place on this list is notable purely because he managed it in just 1 tour appearance, earning himself $725.84 per swing.

20. Patrick Cantlay – $690.55 per swing
Finally, in 20th place comes Patrick Cantlay, who swung himself to $690.55 per swing over his 14 PGA Tour appearances in 2019.20.

And below is the full top 100 golfers as ranked by earnings per swing: