They say that chics dig the long ball, so it’s important to be long off the tee, right? There is something to be said about the importance of driving – especially if you’re betting on golf or playing daily fantasy. Case and point: the top-ranked golfer in the world also happens to rank No. 1 in Driving Distance. However, there’s a lot more to it than just distance. Here’s at the best men off the tee so far in 2017.
Why It’s Relevant?
Driving distance is one of the most examined statistics in golf because people feel that whoever can hit the ball the furthest has the best chance of winning. In many cases, that’s accurate. Being further off the tee means you have shorter chips, shorter putts and so on. However, there are other factors that come into play, like the length of the course. If the course is massive, then driving distance is a telltale sign of who might do well. But what if the course is shorter or the fairways play thin? Then you’ll need to keep an eye on stats like driving accuracy.
When you start to put it all together, you start to see which golfers put themselves in the best position off the tee. Those are often the ones you’ll want to have on your roster for fantasy and the ones you’ll want to bet on in head-to-head matchups.
Dustin Johnson
No driver has been able to hit the ball harder than Johnson this season. The top-ranked golfer in the world has hit the ball a total of 11,384 yards. His PGA-best 316.2 yards per drive is a big reason why he has finished in the top-six in five of his seven starts, including back-to-back wins. D.J. dominated at the Genesis Open and then followed it up with another big win at the WGC-Mexico Championship. Johnson ranks in the top-125 in Driving Accuracy but it’s his ability to cover distance at an unrivalled rate that has him at the top of this list.
Gary Woodland
Woodland ranks 16th on the PGA Tour in Driving Distance and he ranks in the top-110 in Driving Accuracy. His total distance covered so far this season is 18,268 yards and he has averaged 304.5 off the tee. Woodland has four top-10 finishes in 10 starts this season. His driving ability is a big reason for his success so far this season.
Tony Finau
Finau has recorded three top-10 finishes in his last seven outings. His performance off the tee is a big reason for it. Finau ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in Driving Distance and he is inside the top-102 in Driving Accuracy. Finau’s Driving Distance is easily his best tool. He has averaged 305.9 yards per drive off the tee, It should be no surprise that Finau is ranked third on this list of the best drivers so far in 2017.
Jason Kokrak
Kokrak is another golfer that offers an excellent blend of power and accuracy off the tee. The Canadian has four top-25 finishes in his 11 starts and his work off the tee has been his biggest strength. Kokrak ranks 19th on the PGA Tour in Driving Distance and 133rd in Driving Accuracy. Kokrak has some work to do to improve his overall game. However, his work odd the tee has been good enough to earn a spot on this list. He still has some work to do as Kokrak is 87th in the FedEx Cup rankings and is 106th in the World Rankings.
Francesco Molinari
The final spot on this list goes to Molinari, who has been absolutely on fire so far this season. Molinari ranks tied for 86th in Driving Distance. More importantly, he ranks third on the PGA Tour in Driving Accuracy behind only Brian Stuard and Jerry Kelly. Molinari has three top-10’s and seven top-25 finishes in eight starts this season. His accuracy off the tee is about as good as it gets. The fact that Molinari can drive the ball with power solidifies his position on this list of the top golfers off the tee in 2017.
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