One of the hardest things to do for players on the PGA Tour is work to improve their game while trying to win every week against the best players in the world. But now, with the 2026 PGA Tour season concluded, Golfweek is taking a statistical look to see which players improved the most in key areas of the game, year over year.
A decade ago, the PGA Tour’s season-ending driving distance average was 290 yards and there were 27 golfers who averaged 300 yards or more off the tee, led by J.B. Holmes who averaged of 314.5. In 2026, the Tour average was a record-setting 306.2 yards, up 3.4 yards from last season’s 302.8, and there were 121 golfers who averaged 300 yards or more this season off the tee.
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In addition, there were two golfers (Aldrich Potgieter and Rory McIlroy) who averaged more than 330 yards off the tee. No one hard surpassed the 330-yard average before this season.
Holme’s 314.5 would have ranked 24th in 2026.
Max Homa improved his driving distance average more than any other golfer on the PGA Tour last season.
With those numbers in mind, it is easy to understand why the USGA and R&A feel that distance at the elite levels of golf has become a problem, and why the game’s governing want to mandate the use of distance-reducing golf balls starting in 2030.
At the same time, it is worth appreciating the golfers who worked hard last season to improve their performance off the tee while also trying to win tournaments and retain their PGA Tour cards. It’s not easy, as any of them will tell you.
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The table below shows the PGA Tour players who improved their driving distance average the most last season compared to 2025.
As you can see, Max Homa gained almost 11 yards off the tee this season, a massive jump for a player at this level. Homa also swung faster, going from an average club head speed of 118.92 (52nd) last season to 121.03 (27th).
It’s also interesting to see that Justin Rose, who turned 46 on July 30, gained nine yards off the tee this season and averaged just under 311 yards per drive. Thirteen years ago, during the 2013 season when Rose won the U.S. Open, he averaged 296.6 yards. The Englishman’s dedication to improving his swing and fitness, along with modern equipment, helped him shatter his previous longest season average of 303.9 during the 2014-15 PGA Tour season.
The table below shows a list of the 10 golfers who made the biggest improvements in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee last season.
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As you can see, many of the players who made big improvements in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee this season were terrible drivers of the ball who are now not as terrible. For example, Nick Dunlap was among the worst players off the tee on the PGA Tour in 2025, and he’s still not a good driver, but he is better than he was. The same could be said for Brian Campbell.
Min Woo Lee, however, went from being an average driver to an excellent driver, improving by 0.351 shots and vaulting from No. 105 in the standings to 26th.
Equally impressive were the performances from Gary Woodland and Doug Ghim, two players who were solid drivers that became elite this season.
Finally, while Kristoffer Ventura became one of the PGA Tour’s most-effective drivers this season, the Norwegian only recorded three top 10s and finished 104th on the FedEx Cup standings, having been let down by poor iron and wedge games.
David Dusek is a senior writer at Golfweek covering golf equipment.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Tour most improved in 2026: Driving distance, strokes gained off tee
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