Scotty Schaeffler, Victor Hoveland and Joaquin Niemann have all won titles this season, so let's take a look at how these three youngsters have achieved these feats.
(Schaeffler and Hovland in the Arnold Palmer Invitational)
Scotty Schaeffler
Scottie Schaeffler has not won in the first 70 games of the PGA Tour. He then won two of his next three games – the WM Phoenix Open and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. By the way, he also finished in the top ten at the Middle Genesis Invitational.
(Schaeffler wins Arnold Palmer's Invitational)
As a result, his official World Golf Rankings reached fifth place, while occupying the top spot in the FedEx Cup.
His sudden outburst left a deep impression on everyone. And the 25-year-old's ability to succeed on courses in different conditions in the Eastern and Western United States has shown his versatility.
Although the WM Phoenix Open is a low-par win, the championship has never been below -14 since 2000.
(Schaeffler won the WM Phoenix Open with a -16 shot)
In near-perfect course conditions at TPC Scottsdale in February, Schaeffler moved his day to shoot a 62 (-9) to get into the title race, and in the final round, he beat Patrick Cantley with a bird's push in the extra hole to win the title with a -16.
Meanwhile, in Florida's Bay Hills, Schaeffler has shown himself able to succeed in brutal course conditions. At the Invitational Tournament of Arnold Palmer, he won the championship with a score of -5. It was the best result at the Bay Hill since Joan Ram won the 2020 BMW Championship with a score of -4.
"I've only made a little improvement over the years," Schaeffler modestly said in an interview, "and when I saw that my efforts were starting to pay off, I thought it was really fantastic." ”
(Putter is the key to Schaeffler's victory)
So what are the key factors in Schaeffler's performance to take it to the next level? Improved putter. In the 2019-20 season, he was only ranked 117th in putting points. Last season, he was 107th. This season, it jumped to 19th place.
This was in stark contrast to his performance on the kick-off. In the 2019-20 season, he ranked 10th in kick-off points. Last season, he was 17th. Since the beginning of this season, his ranking in this category has fallen to 73rd.
However, the first wood is only the beginning, and the putter is the key to victory. If he continues to perform well on the putter, it won't come as a surprise to win another game or two in the rest of the season.
Victor Hovland
(Hovland wins consecutive titles at the World Mayakoba Championships)
Another favourite young player is Victor Hovland, a 24-year-old Norwegian. Since winning the World Tech Championships in Mayakoba last fall, he has won three of the eight races and has three more to finish in the top ten.
The only fly in the ointment of these eight games was his failure to qualify at the WM Phoenix Open. However, he then finished T4 at the Genesis Invitational and then T2 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Based on his average scoring points, Hovland is a player who is "as far away from the green as possible".
(Hovland's tackle green scores are in the top ten)
Since the 2019-20 season, he has twice been in the top 10 in terms of kick-off points and tackling green scores. But he never finished in the top 100 in the green perimeter scoring category. In putter scoring, he was ranked 115th in 2019-20 and 99th in 2020-21.
But this season, his putter performances have improved a bit, rising to 32nd. Part of the reason for this improvement is the increase in his "one push" rate. He has been hovering around 40 percent for the first two seasons, and is currently 43.2 percent this season, ranking 19th among PGA Tour players.
"I've been doing a good job, especially the hardcore has been very stable. And I've pushed it as well as I can, and I think that's the biggest change compared to last year. Hit the greens and putters, catch some birds, and get some good results. ”
Joaquin Nieman
(Nemann wins second PGA Tour title)
Another young man who has made a difference this season is Joaquin Nieman from Chile. He beat the scoring at Riviera to win his second PGA Tour game of his career. Meanwhile, at the age of 23 years and three months, he overtook Phil Rogers to become the second youngest champion in the history of the tournament.
He has been a player to watch since his debut in the 2018-19 season. That season, he advanced 21 times in 28 games and made it into the top ten four times. A year later, at the 44th game of his career, the Green Rose Classic, the 20-year-old Nieman won his first PGA Tour title.
(Neman's short bar has grown a lot)
His huge improvements this season have been mainly in the short bar. In the 2019-20 season, he ranked 152nd in scoring around the green. Last season, he was 138th. This season, he has come to 10th.
Although Nemann won the Genesis Invitational tournament with a score of -19, he said he preferred to play games that needed to be turned around rather than without suspense. "I always like to play challenging pitches," he said, "that kind of game where the wind is turning... A bit like the grand slams are often the case, where you win with a one-stroke advantage. ”
"So I like to play that type of pitch. I think it's very helpful for people who play well on kick-offs and hardcore. ”
(Nemann and Hoffran are in the same group at the Zenus Invitational)
As the excitement of the 2021-22 season continues to escalate, Nemann has long been included in the ranks of strong contenders alongside Schaeffler and Hoveland.