Best Iron Seasons Since 2004: Tiger Woods vs Scottie Scheffler (PGA Tour Strokes Gained: Approach)

Who has the best approach play (iron play) in a single PGA Tour season since 2004? This bar chart race ranks every season by Strokes Gained: Approach, adding each year's top 10 from 2004 to 2026. The answer: Tiger Woods in 2006, at +2.07 strokes gained per round on approach shots. The second-best player that year, Adam Scott, was at +1.11, so Tiger was almost a full shot per round better than anyone else on Tour. No other player has reached +1.5 in any season since. The all-time top 10 approach seasons (2004–2026): 1. Tiger Woods, 2006: +2.07 2. Tiger Woods, 2007: +1.65 3. Tiger Woods, 2013: +1.53 4. Adam Scott, 2015–16: +1.49 5. Tiger Woods, 2009: +1.40 6. Scottie Scheffler, 2025: +1.29 7. Scottie Scheffler, 2024: +1.27 8. Henrik Stenson, 2014–15: +1.24 9. Tiger Woods, 2012: +1.22 10. Robert Allenby, 2008: +1.22 Key takeaways: - Tiger Woods holds 5 of the 10 best approach seasons on record. - Adam Scott's 2015–16 season (+1.49) was nearly double the next-best player that year, Kevin Na (+0.79). - Scottie Scheffler led the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach in 2022–23, 2024 and 2025. His best season, 2025 at +1.29, ranks 6th all time. - Henrik Stenson led the Tour in approach three times (2014–15, 2017–18, 2018–19). - No new season entered the all-time top 10 between 2016–17 and 2021–22. What is Strokes Gained: Approach? Strokes Gained: Approach measures how many shots a player gains or loses per round on approach shots, compared with the average PGA Tour player in the same field. Zero is Tour average. +1.00 means a player saved one full shot per round with their approach play. Approach shots are the shots into the green: mostly irons and wedges, not tee shots on par 4s and par 5s. Chapters: 0:00 The Tiger era (2004–2013) 0:24 Stenson, Adam Scott and the quiet years (2014–2022) 0:34 Scottie Scheffler (2023–2026) Track your own strokes gained for free: https://strokesgain.com #golf #strokesgained #tigerwoods #scottiescheffler #pgatour