"People think a scratch golfer is good enough" - Paige Spiranac uses Tiger Woods' example to dismiss 'scratch golfers on tour' talks
Paige Spiranac is an established golf influencer, who is well-known for her golf videos. The American model recently expressed her thoughts about Scratch golfers being permitted on the tour in a social media post.
She illustrated her idea by using Tiger Woods as an example. A Twitter user called Lou Stanger shared a post saying:
"Back in 2008, Tiger's official handicap index would have been +9.4. If adjusted for tour conditions, somewhere between +11 and +12."
Paige Spiranac posted a picture of the tweet with a caption saying:
"Most people think a scratch is good enough to play on tour lol. They would have to give a scratch player at least 4 per side."
Most people think a scratch golfer is good enough to play on tour lol they would have to give a scratch player at least 4 per side https://t.co/7533TdNRhK
Fans also shared their opinion in the comments section. One wrote:
"And that still would not be enough shots."
@PaigeSpiranac And that still would not be enough shots
"Well said, scary good on the PGA tour," was another comment.
@PaigeSpiranac Well said, scary good on the PGA tour.
"That’s because “most people” don’t know how good Tour players are," opined another.
@PaigeSpiranac That’s because “most people” don’t know how good Tour players are
There is a vast difference between a scratch golfer and a PGA Tour pro. According to Arccos Golf, the biggest difference between the tour pro and the scratch player is driving distance.
The scratch players' average driving distance off the tee is around 259 yards, which is 40 yards behind the PGA Tour players. The professionals are more accurate with the tee.
PGA Tour pro and Scratch handicap stats
Here is PGA Tour pro and Scratch handicap key statics as reported by Arccos:
3-Putts per round
- Scratch: 1.3
- PGA Tour pro: 0.54
- PGA Tour leader: 0.27 (Talor Gooch)
1-Putter per round
- Scratch: 5.2
- PGA Tour pro: 7.04
- PGA Tour leader: 8.09 (Lucas Herbert)
Putts per round
- Scratch: 30.7
- PGA Tour pro: 29.06
- PGA Tour leader: 27.7 (Lucas Herbert)
Greens in regulation
- Scratch: 56%
- PGA Tour pro: 65.57%
- PGA Tour leader: Scottie Scheffler 72.29%
Driving distance
- Scratch: 259 yards
- PGA Tour pro: 299.8 yards
- PGA Tour leader: 321.4 (Cameron Champ)
Driving accuracy
- Scratch: 51%
- PGA Tour pro: 59.78%
- PGA Tour leader: 73.95% (Ryan Armour)
Birdies per round
- Scratch: 2.2
- PGA Tour pro: 3.64
- PGA Tour leader: 4.63 (Cameron Smith)
Bogeys per round
- Scratch: 4.6
- PGA Tour pro: 2.67
- PGA Tour leader: 2.0 (Sungjae Im)
Par 3 scoring average
- Scratch: 3.1
- PGA Tour: 3.07
- PGA Tour leader: 2.96 (Luke Donald and Talor Gooch)
Par 4 scoring average
- Scratch: 4.2
- PGA Tour pro: 4.04
- PGA Tour leader: 3.94 (Xander Schauffele)
Par 5 scoring average
- Scratch: 4.7
- PGA Tour pro: 4.64
- PGA Tour leader: 4.41 (Patrick Cantlay)
When will Tiger Woods play his next match?
The legendary golfer Tiger Woods has long been struggling with injuries and underwent surgery on his ankle in April. His leg forced him to withdraw from the Masters. Soon after, Woods opted for surgery and is still on rest.
He did not compete at the 2023 PGA Championship and will probably miss the US Open next month as well. However, Woods can return for the next major of the year — The Open Championship.
Tiger Woods is expected to come back once he is fully recovered. There is still no update on Woods' next match in 2023.