With European golfers like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Justin Rose standing at the top of the world rankings as of late, we figured we would go over the top 5 Americans based on their performance since 2015.
Before we get to the rankings, there are players who should be mentioned for their work, but they just didn’t play enough to be considered for our list.
Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay has been one of the most consistent players over the past 5 years or so. Though he only has 2 wins since 2015, Cantlay has made 92% of cuts, finished in the top ten 22 times (34.9%), and finished in the top twenty-five 44 times (69.8%). Unfortunately, Cantlay missed the entire 2016 season, and he’s only played in 63 events since 2015. With this small sample size, it wouldn’t be fair to put him into our rankings.
Tiger Woods
Woods also has fantastic numbers. He has 3 wins (6.7%) and 14 top-ten finishes (14) over the past 5 or so years. Sadly, we couldn’t include Tiger in our top 5 rankings for the same reason as Cantlay. Tiger missed all of the 2016 season and most of the 2017 season. For these reasons, he could not be included in our rankings.
With that, let’s get into the rankings.
5. Patrick Reed
Patrick Reed has quietly been one of the best players over the past 5 years. With 144 events played since 2015, Reed has made 87% of cuts and won 5 PGA Tour events (3.5%) including winning the Masters Tournament in 2018 after being cut the year before. Reed also had 36 top ten finishes (25%) and 81 top twenty-five finishes. Currently standing at sixth in the world rankings, Reed continues to be one of the tour’s best-kept secrets.
Brooks Koepka has cemented himself in history after winning the US Open two years in a row (2017 and 2018). In 111 events since 2015, Koepka has 7 wins, including the 2 aforementioned US Open wins, and 2 PGA Championship wins. Koepka has 37 top ten finishes (33.3%) and 60 top twenty-five finishes (54.1%). At fourth in the world rankings, Koepka continues to win when it counts.
3. Jordan Spieth
Who could forget Spieth’s historic run back in 2015? In 2015, Spieth won 5 tournaments, including the Masters and the US Open. In 123 events since 2015, Spieth has made 85% of the cuts with 10 wins (8.1%). Spieth has also found himself in the top three 25 times (20.3%), top ten 46 times (37.4%), and top twenty-five 75 times (61%). Though he hasn’t won an event since 2017, Spieth should still be considered one of the best players over the past 5 years.
2. Justin Thomas
At third in the world rankings and second in the FedEx Cup standings as of June 18, Justin Thomas is currently regarded as the best American golfer. In 134 events since 2015, Thomas has made 81% of cuts and won 12 tournaments (9%) including a PGA Championship win back in 2017. Thomas also won the FedEx Cup in 2017. To cap things off, Thomas as placed in the top ten 48 times (35.8%) and in the top twenty-five 79 times (59%). With Sungjae Im currently sitting +2 at the RBC Heritage this weekend, Thomas will most likely move up to first in the FedEx Cup Standings in search of his second title.
Not only the best American golfer, Dustin Johnson very well might be the best golfer in the world over the past five years. In 107 events since 2015, DJ has made 91% of cuts and won 12 events (11.2%), including the 2016 US Open. In those 107 events, Johnson has placed in the top three 26 times (24.3%), the top ten 55 times (51.4%), and the top twenty-five 75 times (70.1%). DJ’s astonishing stats have earned him the distinction as the best American golfer in recent memory.
Pierson Scheinberg is a student who lives in California, and attends the College Preparatory School. Pierson lived in Baltimore, Maryland until August 2017 when he moved to the Bay Area. Pierson is an avid golfer who enjoys watching all sports. He is a writer and sports analyst for At the Buzzer.
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