Top 10 Golfers Of 2019 - Who Had The Best Year?

We rank the 10 best golfers of this year...

Top 10 Golfers Of 2019 - Who Had The Best Year?

The 2019 golfing year has been one to remember with highlights including Tiger Woods winning his 15th Major, the Open Championship taking place in Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years and Europe winning back the Solheim Cup.

Below, we pick out our 10 best players of the year...

10. Tommy Fleetwood

The Englishman ended his 22-month win drought at the Nedbank Golf Challenge with a playoff victory over Marcus Kinhult after shooting a 65 with three eagles on Sunday.

Fleetwood was then 2nd at the DP World Tour Championship the following week to finish 2nd in the final Race to Dubai standings.

He was also 2nd to Shane Lowry at the Open Championship, T5th at the Players Championship and didn't miss a single cut all year!

9. Hannah Green

Green won her maiden Major and maiden LPGA Tour title at the Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine, beating defending champion Sung Hyun-Park by one after a clutch sand-save on the 72nd hole.

The Aussie then won her second LPGA Tour title in September at the Cambia Portland Classic and saw her world ranking rise as high as 18 having been as low as 147th earlier in the year.

8. Gary Woodland

Woodland captured his maiden Major Championship at the US Open at Pebble Beach in June.

The American held off challenges from World No.1 Brooks Koepka and No.4 Justin Rose with a two-under-par 69 on Sunday.

Woodland also had a 2nd at the Tournament of Champions, a 3rd at the CJ Cup and was T8th at the USPGA Championship.

His good play also earned him a wildcard pick for Tiger Woods' USA Presidents Cup team.

7. Hinako Shibuno

The young Japanese sensation had never won a professional title before 2019 but is now a five-time winner.

The 21-year-old, known as the 'Smiling Cinderella', won in her first ever Major championship appearance at the Women's British Open.

She birdied the 72nd hole to beat Lizette Salas by one in what was, incredibly, her first ever time playing golf outside of her homeland.

As well as that phenomenal win, Shibuno also won four times on the LPGA of Japan Tour including a Major there too.

6. Jon Rahm

Jon Rahm became the second Spaniard to win the Race to Dubai (or Order of Merit title) after winning the DP World Tour Championship for his 10th pro title in just three years.

The Spaniard also successfully defended both the Irish and Spanish Opens this year and had another 13 top-10s including a 2nd at the BMW PGA and a T3rd at the US Open.

He rose to 3rd in the world.

5. Shane Lowry

Lowry may have thought winning the Irish Open in 2009 whilst still an amateur would never be topped but he certainly did that this year by winning his maiden Major at the Open Championship in Portrush.

The Irishman dominated to win by six in what turned out to be a festival-style atmosphere with golf bringing together the isle of Ireland.

Lowry's 63 on Saturday was arguably the round of the year and he was so composed on Sunday to shoot +1 in absolutely brutal conditions to ease to victory.

He also won a Rolex Series event at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship where he hit a stunning fairway wood into the 72nd green to set up a winning birdie.

4. Rory McIlroy

McIlroy undoubtedly played the most consistent golf of anyone in 2019 with 19 top-10s from 24 starts including four victories.

He won the Players Championship, RBC Canadian Open, Tour Championship (and FedEx Cup) and the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Rory was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year and saw his world ranking rise from 8th to 2nd.

3. Brooks Koepka

The World No.1 had one of the best Major seasons of all time with top-4 finishes in all four.

Koepka won his fourth Major with a successful defence of his USPGA Championship at Bethpage Black and was T2nd at the Masters, 2nd at the US Open and T4th at the Open.

The American also won the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational.

2. Jin Young Ko

The young Korean has dominated the women's game this year, ending 2019 almost three points clear atop the world rankings.

Ko won two Majors at the ANA Inspiration and Evian Championship as well as two LPGA Tour events and one on the LPGA Tour of Korea.

She also won the Rolex Annika Major Award, Vare Trophy and the Rolex Player of the Year.

As well as all of those trophies, she also beat Tiger Woods' 110-hole bogey-free record dating back to 2000 by going 114 holes without dropping a shot.

1. Tiger Woods

The year belongs to Tiger Woods who did the unthinkable by winning his 15th Major Championship at the Masters.

The American won his first Major in 11 years with his fifth Green Jacket after a superb final day display, beating the likes of Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele.

Woods then received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump, the highest US Civilian honour available, before a quiet summer.

He came back in scintillating fashion, winning the Zozo Championship in Japan wire-to-wire and seemingly from out of nowhere.

The 43-year-old shot 19 under par for the week to beat in-form home favourite Hideki Matsuyama by three and wrap up his 82nd PGA Tour title, matching Sam Snead's record.

He then captained the US Presidents Cup side to a comeback victory where he won all three of his matches.

Other notables -

Bernd Wiesberger - Three European Tour titles, 3rd on Race to Dubai

Shugo Imahira - Two Japan Golf Tour titles, five runners-up finishes

Xander Schauffele - Won Tournament of Champions, 2nd in Masters, FedEx Cup and WGC-HSBC Champions, T3rd in US Open

Dustin Johnson - Won Saudi International and WGC-Mexico Championship, 2nd at Masters and USPGA

Jazz Janewattananond - Two wins, three third-places and 10 other top-1os, Asian Tour Order of Merit winner

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