Could You Beat A PGA Tour Pro… If You Had A Superpower?

It’s amazing what golfers will discuss after a round. The conversations tend to get sillier after a few drinks.

I’ll give you an example. A friend of mine, a 6-handicapper, boldly claimed recently that he would be able to beat Scottie Scheffler head-to-head (no shots) if he could have one mulligan a hole. How we all laughed.

A scratch golfer wouldn’t beat the World No.1 with the luxury of being able to take a mulligan on every hole. Not. A. Chance. The conversation moved on.

After realizing that the sun (and a few liquid refreshments) had affected his ability to make a sound case, the said golfer responded, ‘Ok then, what superpower would it take for you to take down a tour pro?’...

Could I Beat A PGA Tour Pro At Golf… If I Had A Superpower?

It’s one of those debates we like to have from time to time, similar to the one that does the rounds every April… Could an 18-handicapper break 100 at Augusta if they didn’t have to putt out from inside 10 feet? (the answer is no).

Without question, the superpower you’d need to have a competitive match with a tour pro is short-game related.

I’ve spent many years asking tour pros what the most important part of the game is, what separates the good golfers from the very best, and the quickest way for club golfers to lower their handicaps.

Almost every response has been something to do with pitching, chipping or putting.

So, here’s what it might take to beat a PGA Tour pro. Could you shoot a lower score than a PGA Tour pro if your superpower was a guaranteed up-and-down from 100 yards and in (excluding par 3s, where you have to play the tee shot and putt out)?

Superpower Rules

Right, let's get serious. To clarify, any time the ball finishes within 100 yards of the hole, a maximum of two more shots are added to the score, although the challenger has the opportunity to better that.

For example, they hit their drive 250 yards down the center of the fairway and hit their approach from 200 yards to three feet. They still get the chance to make their birdie three.

Now, for this particular debate, I’ve gone with your typical 14-handicap golfer versus a PGA pro who has a scoring average of 73 - which was roundabout bottom of the rankings last season.

The course? It has to be a PGA Tour venue , off the back tees. There are no shots for the amateur player, not when the USGA and R&A have permitted the use of the superpower for this match, a kind of one-off local rule.

Some other crucial numbers: par 72, three par 5s, three par 3s, 12 par 4s. Course length, 7,212 yards.

Who wins?

The Result

Well, the PGA pro is boring, shooting bang on his average, a 73.

Now, the 14-handicap golfer, who’d normally be getting 22 shots off the back tees on this course, has no such luxury in this match.

However, if they can just get the ball within 100 yards of the hole - which must be confirmed by a laser - they’re guaranteed an up-and-down.

It sounds easy enough, but it’s really not. In the end, this particular superpower isn’t enough to defeat the PGA Tour pro.

The first reason is lost balls. Whereas the PGA Tour pro safely negotiates his way around the golf course with the same ball, the 14-handicapper loses two, which is roughly average for a player of this ability.

It’s three off the tee in both cases and despite making a par with the second ball - helped of course with the guaranteed up-and-down from 100 yards and in - it’s two double bogeys.

The three par 3s also cause some issues. With no safety net in place on these holes, they’re on their own and play this trio in a combined +6.

The superpower is useful, saving them on a number of occasions, although they’re unable to make a single birdie, even on the par 5s, all of which measure over 550 yards.

Quite simply, this 14-handicapper just isn’t long enough to take advantage of their superpower.

The challenger cards an 85 (+13) and is not only reminded of just how good the best golfers in the world are, but how frequently they, the average golfer, waste shots off the tee.

It’s worth adding, even if the 14-handicapper had had an additional superpower of being able to record a par on the par 3s (not playing them), he’d have shot a 79, therefore still losing by a distance.

Clearly, for the average golfer, a bigger and better superpower is needed. How about a mulligan on every hole AND a guaranteed up-and-down from 100 yards.

Maybe we should all stop talking nonsense in the clubhouse and spend more time practicing on the range...