There was a time when the only measure of a players ability in terms of their iron game or approach play was the greens in regulation statistic. This is very limited and can be extremely misleading, however. For example, the GIR stat is hugely related to the quality of a players tee shots. If that player spent all day in the trees and fairway bunkers then 10 greens in regulation might be a fantastic return! Whereas if the same player was 330 yards in the middle of every fairway from the tee, 10 greens would likely be deemed a poor day with the irons.
Furthermore, just simply counting whether the green was hit or not gives very little indication of the quality of the approach shot. For example, hitting it to 8 feet from 220 yards should not be given the same level of success as a 100 yard wedge shot to 60 feet!
Fortunately, now we have Strokes Gained statistics which provide a significant leap in the ability to accurately assess different areas of players games.
With that in mind, we wanted to show you the top ten players in Strokes Gained approach to the green on the PGA Tour in 2023 and which of the best golf irons they used to achieve this status...
10. Tom Kim - Titleist T100 & T200
21-year-old South Korean sensation Tom Kim has racked up three PGA Tour victories early in his career and his accurate approach play is a hallmark of his impressive game.
Kim uses the Titleist T100 iron for the bulk of his set 4- 9 iron with Project X 120 6.0 shafts. For his 2-iron Kim selects the T200 also from Titleist, but plays this with a graphite shaft, the Fujikura Ventus Hybrid Black 10 TX.
Kim was +0.655 for the season in Strokes Gained approach.
9. Tom Hoge - Titleist 620MB & T100
Tom Hoge finished in 43rd position in the FedEx Cup standings this season, in no small part due to his exceptional approach play. Hoge gained 0.706 shots per round over the field with his iron play.
To do so Hoge trusted his Titleist 620 MB Irons in 5-PW and opted for a little more forgiveness and launch with the T100 4-iron for those longer approaches. All of these are fitted with Project X 6.5 shafts. These are very strong shafts and designed to minimise spin.
8. Rory McIlroy - TaylorMade Rors Proto & P760
Another typically strong season for the irrepressible Northern Irishman. Whilst that fifth major continues to elude him, several victories, a stellar Ryder Cup in Rome and another DP World Tour order of merit title were among the highlights.
TaylorMade makes a special 'Rors Proto' blade for McIlroy. Based off the P730 from a couple of seasons ago, these irons have a slightly different shaping and a more satin finish. In his 4-iron, Rory opts for another older model, the P760 iron, again from TaylorMade.
All of Rory's irons are shafted with an extremely strong Project X 7.0 shafts. Rory gained 0.721 strokes with his approach play in 2023.
7. Rickie Fowler - Cobra King Tour
Fowler roared back into the public eye with his first PGA Tour title in more than four years at The Rocket Mortgage Classic and his iron play that week was nothing short of spectacular!
This was the case for the majority of the season where Fowler gained 0.740 strokes on the field over the course of the year.
Rickie uses the Cobra King Tour iron 4-PW with a KBS C Taper 125 S+ shaft - it's no surprise we crowned it the best iron for low handicappers for 2023.
6. Gary Woodland - Cobra King MB
Gary Woodland has slipped off the radar somewhat since his US Open victory at Pebble Beach. A combination of illness and injury has limited his progress, but if his approach play is anything to go by, it won't be long before we see him back at the top of the game.
Woodland gained 0.741 strokes in approach during the 2023 season using his Cobra King MB Irons in 4-PW with Project X Rifle 125 6.5 flex shafts.
5. Tony Finau - Ping Blueprint & Nike Vapor Fly Pro
Finau has always been an exceptional tee-to-green player and his approach stats back this up. Finau gained over three quarters of a shot (0.789) per round over the tour average, which is a great return.
Long time Ping staffer Finau used the company's Blueprint irons in 4-PW with Nippon Modus3 120 TX Shafts. His 3-iron is the cult classic Nike Vapor Fly Pro and this is fitted with a Graphite Design Tour AD shaft.
4. Jon Rahm - Callaway Apex TCB
LIV Golf will now be benefitting from the big Spaniard's talents following its recent acquisition of his services. It will see him peppering the flagstick with his approaches, coming off a +0.878 season in that category, making him the 4th most effective player on the PGA Tour.
Rahm is a Callaway staffer and uses the Apex TCB irons in 4-PW and an older model Apex UT as his 3/driving iron. The main set is fitted with Project X 6.5 shafts and his UT has a KBS Tour Prototype Hybrid 105X shaft.
3. Xander Schauffele - Callaway Apex TCB
Xander generally features highly in any rankings to do with iron play and this is no different. Schauffele gained 0.880 strokes per round on the field in 2023 with his approach play.
Another on the Callaway payroll, Schauffele uses the same Apex TCB as Rahm but opts for a raw finish which makes them rust over time. Xander plays the classic True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts throughout his iron set.
2. Collin Morikawa - Taylormade P770, P7MC & P7CM
Morikawa is the only player in the top ten of this list to use a true 'combo' set, blending three different TaylorMade models to make up his bag.
Collin uses the hollow bodied P770 4-iron, before sliding into the P7MC for his 5 & 6 irons, then finally into a custom made P7CM model from 7-iron down to pitching wedge.
Morikawa uses a Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts throughout and was one of only two players to gain over a full stroke (1.012) over the field in approach.
1. Scottie Scheffler - TaylorMade P7TW
Scottie Scheffler is nothing short of phenomenal from tee-to-green, topping both this and the Strokes Gained from the tee category - tough to beat. But Scheffler does all of this with a set of irons designed for someone else!
His TaylorMade P7TW irons were originally created for the great Tiger Woods before TaylorMade opened them up to a wider audience. Scheffler is not the only one to benefit from Tiger's design input either with Tommy Fleetwood among a number of other tour pros gaming the P7TW.
Scheffler uses the P7TW in 5-PW with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts and also carries the 3 and 4 iron models of the Srixon ZU85 iron to help with launch.
Scottie topped the pile here, gaining 1.194 strokes per round in approach.
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