Little did Scottie Scheffler know what was in store for his 2021-22 PGA Tour season.
Scheffler had never won on the PGA Tour before this season, yet in February, he won in a playoff at the WM Phoenix Open. Then, he won again. And again. And again.
Scheffler, who won four times in his incredible breakout season, was one of 13 first-time PGA Tour winners this season, but he undoubtedly went on to have the most success of any of them. He nearly won the FedEx Cup, too, had it not been for final-round heroics from Rory McIlroy.
There was a first-time winner in more than 25 percent of the PGA Tour events in the 2021-22 season. Those victories came in a major, a FedEx Cup Playoff event and more.
Here’s a look at the first-time PGA Tour winners from the 2021-22 season:
Lucas Herbert’s first PGA Tour victory came in Bermuda, where he shot a 2-under 69 in the windy final round to hold on for the win on Halloween. It came in his third PGA Tour event after earning his card through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
Talor Gooch has been in the news for other reasons lately, but he won his first PGA Tour event at the RSM Classic in South Carolina in November. Now, Gooch plays in the LIV Golf Series and recently tried to get a temporary restraining order against the PGA Tour to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but it was not granted.
In his 206th start on Tour, Luke List finally broke through at Torrey Pines, winning the Farmers Insurance Open. He did so beating Will Zalatoris in a playoff after waiting nearly two hours following his final-round 66 to see whether it was good enough, and it was.
Seven players held the lead at some point during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, including three-time major champion Jordan Spieth, but Tom Hoge was electric on the back nine, shooting a 4-under 68 on Sunday to win.
Scheffler’s magical season began in Phoenix when he beat Patrick Cantlay with a birdie on the third playoff hole for his first Tour victory. Since then, he has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and the Masters. He set a record for most official money won in a PGA Tour season.
Sepp Straka became the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour, shooting a 4-under 66 in the final round to win at PGA National. Daniel Berger, who led by five entering the final round, shot a 74 to fall back. Straka birdied three of his final five holes to win, including a clutch birdie on the 18th hole in heavy rain.
The 35-year-old Ryan Brehm needed a win or solo second to retain his PGA Tour card. Instead, he went out and won the Puerto Rico Open by six shots. The event was an opposite field event beside the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He finished at 20 under for the week.
Chad Ramey’s first PGA Tour title came in the Dominican Republic, where he won by one stroke during a windy final round. He closed with a 5-under 67, and Ben Martin missed a birdie putt on the final hole that would’ve forced a playoff.
In his 147th PGA Tour start, J.J. Spaun finally hoisted a trophy at the Valero Texas Open, shooting a 3-under 69 on Sunday for victory. He finished at 13 under for the week. He started with a double bogey but recorded five birdies and no blemishes on the card to finish the day.
Matt Fitzpatrick had a major moment at The Country Club at Brookline. He captured his first PGA Tour victory – and first major championship – at the U.S. Open, beating Zalatoris by one stroke. Fitzpatrick also won the 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club, becoming the second player ever to win a U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur at the same course. The other? Jack Nicklaus.
Trey Mullinax made a 14-footer for birdie on the final hole to take a one-shot lead at 25 under and earn not only his first PGA Tour win but the final spot in the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. The 30-year-old shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday.
Joohyung “Tom” Kim started his week at the Wyndham Championship with a quadruple bogey. The 20-year-old closed with a final-round 9-under 61 and the victory, becoming the second-youngest PGA Tour winner since World War II.
Zalatoris finally got the proverbial monkey off his back during the first FedEx Cup Playoff event, winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship on the third playoff hole. He beat Sepp Straka for the win. Zalatoris made a bogey on the par-3 11th hole, but Straka’s tee shot went into the water while Zalatoris’ stayed up, helping Willy Z finally get his much-earned victory.