Mental exercise time: Picture a professional golfer. Imagine that person about to hit a shot on your television. It can be a drive, an approach, a putt, whatever. He’s addressing the ball, his practice swings are over and contact is imminent. Now ask yourself this: Can you look away?
Repeat that process for about 200 golfers, and you’ll approach the task I undertook in devising the first “Excitement Scale” for PGA Tour golfers. The ranking is about talent, but it’s also about personality, charisma and context—based on recent events, for instance, I’m sure I’ve placed Cameron Smith wayyyy too high. But right now, in January 2020, he’s fascinating. Just by making this list, these men have already survived the initial cut that weeded out the nondescript. Each of these players is compelling by nature and by talent, and rest in the upper echelons of the sport’s watchability metric.
But who is the best of the best? Let’s find out, golfer by golfer, tier by tier, starting with …
The “His Name is Jazz, and That’s Enough” Tier
65: Jazz Janewattananond (Important note: His name is Jazz.)
The “His Name is Maverick, and That’s Enough” Tier
64: Maverick McNealy (Important note: His name is Maverick.)
The “Quiet Lately, But Definitely ‘Unique’ Enough to Make the List on Reputation Alone” Tier
63: Keegan Bradley
62: Grayson Murray
61: Victor Dubuisson
60: Bubba Watson
59: Matt Every
The “He Won a Major Last Year, So You Can’t Leave Him Off, Plus He Looks Just Like the Best Golfer on the Planet” Tier
58: Gary Woodland
The “Things Have Been Better, But This Dude Is Legitimately Funny and That Matters” Tier
57: Pat Perez
56: Chesson Hadley
55: Max Homa
The “Very Talented, But I’m in Danger of Being Lulled to Sleep” Tier
54: Marc Leishman
53: Louis Oosthuizen
52: Daniel Berger
51: Hideki Matsuyama
The “His Brother Got a Raw Deal So I Hope He Sticks it to Everyone” Tier
50: Danny Willett
The “Pure Unbridled Rage Potential” Tier
49: Tyrrell Hatton
The “Pure Unbridled Energy Potential, Which Includes Rage” Tier
48: Billy Horschel
The “I Don’t Care if They’re Playing or Not, This Person Will Always Be Interesting” Tier
47: Jason Dufner
46: Miguel Angel Jimenez
The “Hmmm, What Could This Next Swing Say About Potential Captain’s Picks?” Tier
45: Padraig Harrington
44: Steve Stricker
The “Write Him Off, and He’ll Win a Major at a Famous Course” Tier
43: Zach Johnson
The “I Want to Care More, But You Have to Make Me” Tier
42: Matthew Fitzpatrick
41: Tony Finau
40: Cameron Champ
The “Seemingly Nondescript/Good, But Might Throw You a Massive Curveball” Tier
39: Webb Simpson
The “Staid Gentlemen/Class Act/Pro’s Pro/High Character/Gracious Fellows” Tier
38: Adam Scott
37: Justin Rose
The “Old, Wily, Brilliant Ryder Cup Dudes Who Will Never, Ever Go Away and Will Still Be Playing High Level Golf When You’re Dead and Gone” Tier
36: Ian Poulter
35: Paul Casey
34: Lee Westwood
33: Graeme McDowell
The “I Guarantee You Something Weird Will Happen With This Guy Within, Like, a Month” Tier
32: Kevin Na
The “I Am Now Very Interested in You Because of the Presidents Cup” Tier
31: C.T. Pan
30: Adam Hadwin
29: Joaquin Niemann
28: Sungjae Im
27: Abraham Ancer
The “You Used to Be Cool, But Now We Know Too Much, Yet We Must Watch” Tier
26: Matt Kuchar
25: Sergio Garcia
The “Most Inspiring Comeback” Tier
24: Brendon Todd
The “Please Have an Inspiring Comeback” Tier
23: Jordan Spieth
The “Wild Young Guns Who Will Deliver America From Ryder Cup Damnation” Tier
22: Collin Morikawa
21: Matthew Wolff
The “Wild Young Gun Who Will Send America Right Back to Ryder Cup Damnation” Tier
20: Viktor Hovland
The “Compelling Normally, but Beyond Compelling in a Ryder Cup Year” Tier
19: Francesco Molinari
18: Tommy Fleetwood
The “Future Fleetwoods and Molinaris of America” Tier
17: Xander Schauffele
16: Patrick Cantlay
The “Extreme Talent That Maybe Burns a Little Too Bright” Tier
15: Jon Rahm
The “Extreme Talent That Maybe Burns a Little Too Soft” Tier
14: Jason Day
The “Please Let This Guy Be Extremely Good Again, I Love Him, Can’t You See I Love Him?” Tier
13: Henrik Stenson
The “Dear God Just Win a Major to Stop the Ceaseless Soul-Killing Discourse” Tier
12: Rickie Fowler
The “Talent Goes a Long Way” Tier
11: Dustin Johnson
The “Patrick Reed’s Understudy” Tier
10: Bryson DeChambeau
The “Became Fascinating Almost Overnight, and We Want More” Tier
The “Match Play Genius Who Will Almost Certainly Be Snubbed for the Ryder Cup Yet Again” Tier
8: Kevin Kisner
The “What Will it Take to Get My Editors to Set Up Some Kind of Story Where I Drink Lots of Beer With This Man and We End Up Singing Irish Songs on Top of a Table?” Tier
7: Shane Lowry
The “This Tier is Reserved For Phil Mickelson Until He Dies, and Possibly Beyond” Tier
6: Phil Mickelson
The “Just Wait … When All Is Said and Done, I’m the Alpha” Tier
5: Justin Thomas
The “Delicious, Possibly Historic Rivalry of the Next Decade” Tier
4: Rory McIlroy or Brooks Koepka
3: Brooks Koepka or Rory McIlroy
The “Villain Who Wouldn’t Be Believable in a Work of Fiction” Tier
2: Patrick Reed
The "Eternal Golf God Who Will Command Our Attention Until the Universe Implodes" Tier
1: Tiger Woods
The best of Golf Digest delivered daily
Sign UpWill be used in accordance with our PRIVACY POLICY