The Best Putting Rounds in History

Grand Slam winning golfer Gene Sarazen believed that putting mattered too much in the sport, unsuccessfully lobbying for the hole to be enlarged from four inches to a diameter of eight. Several years ago in the United States, 15-inch cups were trialled at a selection of venues, in the hope that it would make the ancient game easier and more accessible. For proponents of that venture, the legend born in 1902 was clearly ahead of his time.

But putting does matter, greatly, in a variety of contexts. It's often the first introduction we have to golf, it can be the most tantalising of challenges, offering the most pressured situations, and has defined some truly unforgettable moments.

However, what are the greatest examples of putting? We have delved into the sketchy and sometimes unsatisfying realm of tour statistics to uncover prime examples of mastery on the greens.

Fewest Putts-Per-Round

The PGA Tour possesses the most comprehensive stats in golf, including detailed records on the simplest judgement of putting, merely counting the number of putts in a round. It's the easiest to calculate and decipher, but it does have to be caveated in the respect that it can be influenced by the quality of iron play and individual short game magic. You may have a high total of single putts - but that could be a result of having chipped in or close from short distance.

Nonetheless, these stats on the PGA Tour are stunning. Sam Trahan at the 1979 IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic was the first player recorded to complete 18 holes just needing 18 putts. Averaging one putt per hole. That has since been equalled ten times by a list of golfers that includes Andy North, Corey Pavin and Gary Woodland. In the third round of the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, Xinjun Zhang required only 18 putts. Incredible.

Doing it over one round is impressive, but what about over four days of golf? At the 2005 Heritage at Harbour Town, South Africa's David Frost completed 72 holes with just 92 putts, an improbable average per hole of 1.277. Intriguingly, the acclaimed layout on Hilton Head Island accounts for most of the best on the PGA Tour, with Kenny Knox, Bob Tway and former Masters winner George Archer each bettering 95 putts over four rounds in the 1980s. The unusually small greens on the Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus design are the likeliest explanation for that trend.

But has anyone gone lower than 18 putts in a round? Research suggests that they have. Famous softball player Joan Joyce later transitioned into a career on the LPGA Tour, with her most notable achievement being a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for the lowest number of putts (17) in a single round (both men and women), set at the 1982 Lady Michelob. She one-putted 11 greens, and holed out from off the green four times. Astonishing.

How You Compare to the Best Putters on the PGA Tour

Using this measurement, what is your best putting round? If you have a Golfshake Score Tracker Account, see what the finest is there.

Most Feet of Putts Made in a Round

However, as noted above, putts per round can be an unreliable stat for determining great putting. Most feet of putts made would appear to be a better judge, simply adding up the footage of putts holed in a round. Since ShotLink was incepted in 2003, the PGA Tour has been counting this for all players and every round.

Brent Geiberger - son of former PGA champion and 59-shooter Al - holds the record for making 240 feet (and four inches) of putts in the first round of the 2006 Booz Allen Classic. There have been many examples of players surpassing 200 feet, the most recent being Kevin Na in October's Shriners Hospitals For Children Open, who shot rounds of 62 and 61 on the Friday and Saturday after making 202 and 177 feet of putts. Na made 445 feet, seven inches of putts through 54 holes.

Consider that in the 2018/19 season, Jordan Spieth led the tour average at 84 feet, 10 inches per round. Astonishing from Na - who won the event in a playoff and ultimately surpassed the 72-hole record total of 551 feet, two inches set by Ben Martin at Colonial in 2015, holing 558 feet, 11 inches over the regulation 72 holes in Las Vegas.

The American was +14.263 in Strokes Gained: Putting. Unbelievable.

So, while the great Gene Sarazen wanted to make the hole bigger for all of us, for these players, making it smaller would seem more appropriate.

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