Putting is often considered one of the most important parts of a professional golfer’s game. The old adage in golf says “Drive for show, putt for dough,” emphasizing that making putts is crucial to scoring well and earning money on tour. But what is the actual average number of putts per round for pros on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour? Getting your golf ball in the hole in the fewest strokes possible is the name of the game, so understanding tour average putts per round provides key insights into the putting prowess of the best players in the world.
Introduction to Putts Per Round Statistics
Professional golf tournaments track a variety of statistics to measure player performance and putting is no exception. The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour track the average number of putts per round for every player, showing the number of times they stroke the ball on the putting greens during their rounds. The lower the average putts per round, the better they are at getting the ball to drop in the hole. Tracking average putts statistics over a season or career allows comparison of putting skills between players. It also aids analysis of strengths, weaknesses, and trends for individual golfers.
Understanding what tour average putts per round reveal about the putting ability of top professionals provides useful context. Examining the averages over seasons and careers make it possible to identify the most precise and reliable putters across both Tours. While driving distance may capture attention, consistency and precision with the flat stick is a key skill all professionals must master.
PGA Tour Average
During the 2021-22 PGA Tour season, the average putts per round was just a hair under 29 putts. As a general benchmark, if a golfer takes 30 putts or more per round, they are losing strokes to the field in putting. So at just below 29 putts on average, PGA Tour pros as a whole display quality putting.
But the overall tour average does not tell the full story when evaluating individual putting. The top putters on the PGA Tour face far fewer putts per round than the baseline average. In the 2020-21 season, Sam Burns led the PGA Tour by averaging only 27.97 putts per round across 69 measured rounds. This superb accuracy led to Burns’ first two PGA Tour wins and a rise to number one in the FedExCup rankings during that season.
Other standout putters over recent years include stars like Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, and Justin Thomas. Spieth has twice led the PGA Tour in putts per round, averaging 27.79 in 2016-17 and 27.33 in 2021-22. His putting mastery has carried him to 14 professional wins including 3 major championships. Johnson averaged 27.69 putts per round in 2019-20, a season that saw him return to #1 in the world while winning the Masters along with two other events. And Thomas registered 27.66 putts per round in 2018-19, complementing his sweet swing on the way to four wins and the FedExCup.
These elite putters demonstrate that averaging under 28 putts per round separates the true masters on the greens. But season-long averages only tell part of the story. Putting over 72 holes at a major championship or other significant event is perhaps the greatest test of steadiness on the greens. Every stroke becomes more important, and handling pressure putts magnifies differences between the field. Justin Thomas provides one recent example, needing just 100 putts across four rounds for an average of 25 per round on his way to winning the 2022 PGA Championship. His world-class putting enabled Thomas to claim his second career major title.
LPGA Tour Average
Shifting focus to the world’s top women golfers, LPGA Tour competitors face average putts per round of 29-30 in a typical season. This figure aligns closely with the baseline established on the PGA Tour. And once again, the best putters outperform that benchmark by a clear margin.
Inbee Park, Lydia Ko, and So Yeon Ryu stand out as some of the top putters in women’s golf over recent seasons. Park led the entire LPGA Tour by averaging 27.50 putts per round across 52 measured rounds during the 2021 season. Her precision with the flat stick helped secure her second career gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Ko also prioritizes elite putting, having twice led the tour in putts per round for a season. She registered 28.46 in 2016 followed by 27.52 in 2018, seasons that saw her return to #1 and claim Rolex Player of the year honors. Finally, former world #1 Ryu averaged 27.94 putts per round in 2019, another year she contended for multiple LPGA Tour titles.
The LPGA Tour fields one of the most diverse and international rosters of talent in all professional sports. With competitors from nearly 40 countries, putting surfaces and styles from around the globe converge. This diversity showcases that holing more putts than the average translates regardless of background. The very best put years of work into perfecting distance control, green reading, and consistency in their routines. Their mastery inside 10 feet and prowess on slippery, undulating surfaces pays dividends across the world’s toughest championship layouts.
All-Time Putting Greats
While recent stars topped the putting charts the past several seasons, a handful of all-time greats consistently bettered tour average putts per round over lengthy careers:
- Ben Crenshaw – Famously nicknamed “The Putting Machine” during his prime while collecting 19 PGA Tour wins and 2 Masters titles. He led the tour four times in putts per round for a season, three coming consecutively from 1981-83.
- Brad Faxon – No one made more money relative to driving distance than Faxon, known for elite putting and short game skills to notch 8 PGA Tour wins. He twice led the tour in putts per round for a season and captained multiple Ryder Cup teams as a veteran leader.
- Corey Pavin – Possessed perhaps the best short game of his entire generation, leading the PGA Tour in putts per round three straight seasons in his prime. His grit around the greens carried Pavin to 15 career wins including a major triumph at the 1995 U.S. Open.
- Loren Roberts – Finished top five in scoring average nine straight years thanks primarily to terrific putting, earning the nickname “Boss of the Moss.” Roberts led the Champions Tour in putts per round in seven seasons, anchoring his 25 senior victories.
- Billy Casper – One of golf’s true putting savants, Casper ranked either first or second in putts per round fourteen times over his career spanning over two decades. His putting fueled 51 PGA Tour victories and 3 major championship triumphs.
While the above group displays sustained putting excellence over decades. Tiger Woods also deserves special mention as arguably golf’s most complete player ever. During a dominant stretch from 2005-2007. Woods led the PGA Tour in putts per round each season – no one else has ever done that more than twice consecutively. At his best, Woods became the player everyone on tour feared might make everything he looked at.
Key Takeaways
Analyzing tour average putts per round statistics over seasons and careers highlight key lessons for both professional and recreational golfers:
- The PGA Tour average hovers just below 29 putts per round, with the LPGA Tour largely similar in the 29-30 range. The best players consistently average fewer than 28 putts per round.
- Making more putts than tour average differentiates elite putters, contributing greatly to victories and sustained success. Putting prowess accelerates championship charges.
- All-time great putters like Crenshaw, Casper and Woods treated every putt with precision and purpose. Their dedication to mastering distance control, green reading and routine paved the way for greatness.
- No substitute exists for repetitive practice, ideally under pressure. Great putters commit endless hours to honing their craft on practice greens and in tournaments of all sizes.
For both professional and recreational golfers, remembering that putting counts just the same on your scorecard as the long drive can pay big dividends. Eliminating three-putts, lagging close from long range, and confidently knocking in short putts make every round more enjoyable. The tour average putts statistics indicate that taking. The time to develop sound fundamentals through purposeful practice does translate to lower scores. Like the old saying goes, just let the big dog eat!
Conclusion
Tracking statistics like average putts per round provides measurable insights into the performance of professional golfers. The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour record the average number of putts per round for every player. Duantified after each competitive round. While tour averages fall around 29 putts per round. The very best putters consistently face 3-4 fewer putts per 18 holes. Regularly exceeding tour putting averages has fueled standout careers for golfers like Spieth, Park, Ko, and Woods among other putting specialists. For all golfers targeting improvement. Remembering the crucial impact of putts on a scorecard can inspire the work required to hole more flat stick opportunities.
