The 2022 PGA season is in the books following Rory McIlroy’s come-from-behind win over Scottie Scheffler at the TOUR Championship to win his third FedEx Cup.
Before getting ready for the President’s Cup in September at Quail Hollow, let’s take a look at some of the best happenings during the 2022 season.
Breakout Year for Scheffler
Scheffler almost put a bow on his fantastic 2022 season by taking home his first FedEx Cup, but a final round 73 was the lowest score of the weekend, and it enabled McIlroy to get a one-stroke lead.
It was still a breakout year for Scheffler, who rose to #1 in the OWGR after finishing 12th at the end of 2021. His big win was obviously at the Masters, but he also took home victories at the WM Phoenix Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play. Scheffler missed a chance at two majors in the same season when he finished second at the U.S. Open back in June.
McIlroy is Back
McIlroy had just one victory in 2020/21 at the Wells Fargo Championship, so the fact that he took home three victories this season is an improvement. The big one is obviously the FedEx Cup which comes with an $18 million prize, but McIlroy was also able to take home the CJ Cup and the RBC Canadian Open.
While it was a nice year for the 33-year-old, his major drought continues since the 2014 PGA Championship. McIlroy finished second at the Masters as he couldn’t complete the career Grand Slam and was eighth at the PGA, fifth at the U.S. Open, and third at the Open Championship.
Have to Talk About LIV
You can’t discuss the 2022 PGA season without acknowledging the exit of players to the new LIV Tour. Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, and Lee Westwood are among those that took lucrative offers to join the LIV, thus forfeiting their TOUR eligibility.
These players can still participate in major tournaments, so it got awkward at times with the expanded fields. Johnson and DeChambeau both had top 10 finishes at the Open Championship, but no LIV player won a major this season.
Youth Movement Looks Solid
One thing that the PGA Tour found out this season is that the future is in good hands as long as players don’t defect to the LIV.
Scheffler rose to the top of the OWGR at just 26 years old, 26-year-old Will Zalatoris got his first TOUR win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and 27-year-old Matt Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Open for his maiden major victory.
Xander Schauffele is entering his prime with three wins for his best TOUR season, and Cameron Young had seven top-three finishes in his inaugural season on TOUR.
Tiger Not Done Yet
We didn’t see much of Tiger Woods in the 2022 season, but we did see some of him, which was a good thing.
Woods returned just a little over a year after a serious wreck in February of 2021 that caused multiple lower body injuries to finish 47th at the Masters in April.
He had to withdraw at the PGA Championship and missed the cut at the Open, but that’s still impressive considering the severity of his accident.
