Who is the best Wedge/Short game player on PGA, European, or Champions Tour?

[BallerNate]

With the Tournament of Champions starting today, I’m wondering who you guys think is the best Wedge/Short game player on the PGA, Champions, or European Tour (for all the International guys)?

Edited January 8, 2021 by BallerNate

[BC33]

Not Phil Mickelson...just because he's hit some memorable flop shots over the years doesn't make him great.

 

Spieth's short game is still really good.  Rahm's is good.  DJ has improved his wedge play from 100 yards.  If I had to pick one, Patrick Reed.  Saw the other day Chamblee said his GIR was out of the top 150 but he saves a lot of pars with his short game.

[nitram]

Luke Donald & Zach Johnson

Edited January 7, 2021 by nitram

[Superbrit]

Pains me to say it but id go for Reed after watching him at the DP world tour, if it wasnt for his short game he wouldnt have been in the top 40, and it wasnt just one round, it was basically all 4 rounds

[Ferguson]

28 minutes ago, BC33 said:

Not Phil Mickelson...just because he's hit some memorable flop shots over the years doesn't make him great.

 

Spieth's short game is still really good.  Rahm's is good.  DJ has improved his wedge play from 100 yards.  If I had to pick one, Patrick Reed.  Saw the other day Chamblee said his GIR was out of the top 150 but he saves a lot of pars with his short game.

 

 

"Not Phil Mickelson...just because he's hit some memorable flop shots over the years doesn't make him great."

 

 

Best post of 2021!

 

[MattyO1984]

This is something that we were talking about when we played last weekend. My vote would have been for Luke Donald. He got to World Number 1 based on his putting and ability to get it up and down. He was a short and crooked driver but somehow scored and competed on a more consistent basis that anyone else in the world for a ridiculous period of time inspite of the shortcomings that he would readily admit to having.

 

Quite whether his short game is at the level now though, I don’t see it and the numbers haven’t backed it up. Grudgingly, as will others, Reed’s is impressive. JT is sneaky impressive. His last few wins have been down to his long game getting him into contention and then his short game saving him when the driving and irons have become wild.

 

Special mention to Bret Romford over on the European Tour. His bunker play and chipping is a thing of beauty.

[Bye]

As mentioned JT, Butch Harmon was constantly talking about how good his short game is during the masters. Jordan Spieth has to be worth a mention and Jason Day.

[3whacker]

the two TW's Tiger Woods and Tom Watson were the two best wedge players I ever saw...nowadays Im not sure because so many guys use wedge for their approach shots not just to get up and down around the green

[ryan84]

P Reed and it's not close. So many stories of pros mind blown of where he gets up and in from and the shots he can hit.

[Mcgeeno]

I agree with the general consensus on short game. I don't like him but its probably Patrick Reed.

 

Wedge player though I would throw out the name Ryan Moore. He's been in the top proximity to the hole from inside 100 for a few years IIRC.

 

Spieth is dynamite too.

[Arn]

P Reed. Kuch is pretty reliable as well.

[BallerNate]

Yeah, Patrick Reed is the guy that impresses me the most too...his feel within 100 yds is off the charts and seems like a wizard around the greens! I only started watching a lot of golf this year though (kind of obsessed now), so wanted to get a more long-term perspective and see if I was seeing the same thing as you more seasoned guys.

 

Cameron Smith and JT are the other 2 guys that have been really impressive to me as well.

 

From the European Tour, the guy that’s really impressive to me is Christian Bezuidenhout, but I know that view is very skewed by his incredible performance in his Back-to-Back W’s in South Africa...

Edited January 7, 2021 by BallerNate

[3whacker]

being a wizard around the greens also means you might be missing a lot of greens...what did Trevino say "..two things that dont last...dogs chasing cars and pros chasing pars"

[dropkicked]

P. Reed.

[swagee]

4 hours ago, BallerNate said:

With the Tournament of Champions starting today, I’m wondering who you guys think is the best Wedge/Short game player on the PGA Tour or European Tour (for all the International guys)?

I enjoy JT’s short game lately. Beautiful touches with extra smooth tempo. 
He’s definitely up there.

[SamboRoll]

Wesley aka Wedgeley Bryan.
 

Grew fan of the Bryan bros during covid lockdown last spring watching their match plays against each other. Fun to watch a PGA Tour Pro during casual rounds, their skill level comes across in a whole different way.
 

 

Edited January 7, 2021 by SamboRoll

[J Bez]

Reed was T59 for proximity to hole from 50-125 yards for the 2020 season  - sounds like an average wedge player.....

[Mitchell]

Justin Thomas or Patrick Reed on PGA, Brett Rumford on European

[Insidious2]

Just look at the PGA approach stats from the 50-125 category or the 100-125 category.

[BallerNate]

2 hours ago, 3whacker said:

being a wizard around the greens also means you might be missing a lot of greens...what did Trevino say "..two things that dont last...dogs chasing cars and pros chasing pars"

 

52 minutes ago, J Bez said:

Reed was T59 for proximity to hole from 50-125 yards for the 2020 season  - sounds like an average wedge player.....

Why do you guys think there’s a perception by so many knowledgeable golf people (myself not included) that Patrick Reed is the best wedge player on Tour? Is it that he’s below average on accuracy with irons on approach shots and then is the best at scrambling from the rough/bunkers and getting up & down to save Pars?

[b.mattay]

I've always really liked JT's short game, as well as Rory's (he is really underrated short game wise). I like Francesco Molinari's action too! 

 

Edited January 7, 2021 by b.mattay

[BallerNate]

7 minutes ago, GoTime said:

Just look at the PGA approach stats from the 50-125 category or the 100-125 category.

For sure. I was looking more for WRX’rs thoughts and opinions and see how they compared to my own observations as someone new to watching as much golf as I can on TV. I’ll check the stats too though, that’d be interesting!

[Christosterone]

Anecdotal 

 

ancer

im sung-jae

morikawa

rory

hatton

overall tiger is better than any human in world history at 80-130 yards....

-chris

[BallerNate]

17 minutes ago, Christosterone said:

Anecdotal 

 

ancer

im sung-jae

morikawa

rory

hatton

overall tiger is better than any human in world history at 80-130 yards....

-chris

Im would’ve been on my list too, but I was just watching him meltdown on the Back 9 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on my DVR today, Lol! He’s usually pretty amazing to watch though for sure! Ancer is awesome too, and of course Rory is a stud! Hatton is too much of a hothead for me...I just get distracted and laugh at his antics!

[BallerNate]

2 hours ago, SamboRoll said:

Wesley aka Wedgeley Bryan.
 

Grew fan of the Bryan bros during covid lockdown last spring watching their match plays against each other. Fun to watch a PGA Tour Pro during casual rounds, their skill level comes across in a whole different way.
 

 

Very cool video, thanks for posting! Just watched it...wish I had a Hype-man like that with me every time I went to the range too, Lol!! Very interesting that he takes his backswing back to shoulder height on every distance and just measures out the speed of his downswing...that would take a ton of feel and experience for sure!

[brutus27]

Reed, because he’ll somehow improve his lie!

[noodle3872]

20 minutes ago, brutus27 said:

Reed, because he’ll somehow improve his lie!

By “lie” do you mean how the ball lies or the words coming out his mouth? 

[Mitchell]

2 hours ago, Christosterone said:

Anecdotal 

 

ancer

im sung-jae

morikawa

rory

hatton

overall tiger is better than any human in world history at 80-130 yards....

-chris

Ancer is a great choice as well, Mike Taylor speaks very highly of his abilities around the green and he’s made tools for and observed “a few”😃great wedge players.

[brutus27]

39 minutes ago, noodle3872 said:

By “lie” do you mean how the ball lies or the words coming out his mouth? 

Both

[Shankieboink]

The best on those two tours I don’t know. The best in the world, probably Bernhard Langer. I remember when A Norén was teamed with him for the 2019 Masters. He was chocked by Langer. He got up and down from everywhere. Noren had never seen anything like it (and his short game is fantastic)

Edited January 8, 2021 by Shankieboink