PGA Tour Season Gets Off To An All-American Start

With the first third of the PGA tour season in the books, the American pros have asserted their dominance. All 13 tournaments have been won by American golfers heading into this weekend’s Shell Houston Open, where the streak is expected to continue.

Out of the 13 tournaments played to this point, Jupiter Island resident Tiger Woods leads everyone with three victories (Torrey Pines, Doral, and Bay Hill). The streak started in Hawaii when Dustin Johnson won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The Loxahatchee River resident has been joined by several other seasoned tour pros including Woods, Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, and Matt Kuchar. Even tour rookie Russell Henley has got into the win column when he won his first ever PGA tour tournament at the Sony Open in Hawaii in they year’s second event.

Including Henley, there have been five first time tour winners to come out of the group of Americans this year. Michael Thompson won the Honda Classic at PGA National, Kevin Streelman won the Tampa Bay Championship, John Merrick won the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, and Scott Brown won the Puerto Rico Open.

American’s winning on the PGA tour is nothing new. In the past five years, U.S. golfers have won 70% of all tournaments played, however the only other time we have seen a run this dominant is in 2010 when European golfers won 7-of-8 tournaments that included Rory Mcllroy’s (Palm Beach Gardens) first tour win at Quail Hollow, Grame McDowell’s U.S. Open win at Pebble Beach, and Old Palm resident Lee Westwood’s win at the St. Jude Classic.

The ultimate question is, will the American’s be able to continue their success in this years major tournament events. The last time U.S. players swept all four majors was in 1982 and the closest they have been since then was in 2006, when they won three of the four majors.