Golf Score trends look a lot different when you zoom in on the latest averages. In the 2023 PGA Tour season, players posted a scoring average of 70.96, while Scottie Scheffler led at 69.50 and the Masters field averaged 73.45 in 2022. By the time you compare that to amateur benchmarks and historic major low scores like Annika Sorenstam at 255 in 2001, you start to see why “good” can mean very different things across levels.
Key Takeaways
- The average USGA index for amateurs is 14.2 for men
- 54% of male golfers have handicaps between 13-20
- Average score for male amateur golfers is 91 strokes for 18 holes
- Lowest men's amateur major score 265 (-15) by Bobby Jones 1926 U.S. Open
- Old Tom Morris lowest Open score 149 for 36 holes in 1862
- Youngest major winner Young Tom Morris at 17 years with score 170 in 1868 Open
- Nelly Korda led LPGA scoring average in 2023 at 69.41 strokes per round
- Lydia Ko's 2023 LPGA scoring average was 69.79 strokes
- The lowest LPGA Tour 72-hole score is 255 (-25) by Annika Sorenstam in 2001
- Tiger Woods won 15 major championships with average winning score of -12.5 strokes
- Jack Nicklaus holds record 18 major wins, average score relative to par -11.2
- The 2023 Masters winning score was 276 (-12) by Jon Rahm
- The average scoring average for PGA Tour players in the 2023 season was 70.96 strokes per round
- Dustin Johnson holds the PGA Tour record for lowest 72-hole score at 257 (-31) from the 2020 Travelers Championship
- In 2022, the field average score at the Masters Tournament on PGA Tour was 73.45 strokes
Amateurs average 91 strokes for 18 holes, while top pros post scoring near 70 per round.
Related reading
01 · Category
Amateur And Handicap Data25 stats
01
The average USGA index for amateurs is 14.2 for men
02
54% of male golfers have handicaps between 13-20
03
Average score for male amateur golfers is 91 strokes for 18 holes
04
Female amateur average handicap is 28.1
05
72% of golfers play to a handicap of 18 or higher
06
Bogey golfer (handicap 18-20) averages 90-100 strokes
07
Improvement rate: golfers reduce handicap by 1 stroke every 2 years on average
08
Single-digit handicap golfers represent 20% of all indexed players
09
Average 9-hole score for juniors is 45 strokes
10
40% of amateur rounds are scored under 90 by men
11
Women golfers average 108 strokes per 18 holes
12
Handicap distribution: 0-5 hcp is 2.1% of men
13
Average driving distance for amateurs is 215 yards for men, correlating to 92 avg score
14
Senior amateurs (60+) average handicap 19.5
15
18-hole average for beginner golfers is 110 strokes
16
Course handicap calculation: 95% of best 8 of 20 scores used
17
Average putts per round for amateurs is 36.5
18
65% of female golfers have handicaps over 30
19
Par 3 course average score for amateurs is 65 for 18 holes
20
Handicap index median is 14.2 for men, 27.5 for women
21
Golfers with 10-18 hcp average 82-90 strokes
22
Junior boys average handicap 12.8 at age 16
23
Fairways hit average 40% for amateurs impacts score by 5 strokes
24
Average GIR for amateurs is 30%
25
Post-COVID handicap rose 1.5 strokes on average
Interpretation
Amateur And Handicap Data Interpretation
Within the Amateur And Handicap Data, the typical male amateur plays with a USGA index around 14.2 and most golfers sit at handicaps 18 or higher, with 72% playing to 18+ and bogey golfers (18 to 20) averaging 90 to 100 strokes.
02 · Category
Historical Records21 stats
01
Lowest men's amateur major score 265 (-15) by Bobby Jones 1926 U.S. Open
02
Old Tom Morris lowest Open score 149 for 36 holes in 1862
03
Youngest major winner Young Tom Morris at 17 years with score 170 in 1868 Open
04
Francis Ouimet 1913 U.S. Open playoff score 72-72 to win
05
Harry Vardon 7 majors, average score era-adjusted -8 to par
06
Lowest U.S. Open 72-hole pre-1950 was 287 (+7) by multiple
07
Joyce Ziske 1954 LPGA Championship record 299 low for women majors then
08
Ben Hogan 1953 Open record 282 (-6) first American post-WWII
09
Patty Berg career scoring avg 73.2 in LPGA founding era
10
Arnold Palmer 7 majors avg winning margin 2.7 strokes
11
Babe Zaharias 10 majors avg score -12 equivalent
12
Lowest Masters 72-hole pre-1980 274 (-14) by Ben Hogan 1953
13
Sam Snead 82 PGA Tour wins, scoring avg 70.28 career
14
Lowest 72-hole PGA Tour pre-1960 257 by Mike Souchak 1955
15
Louise Suggs 11 majors avg -10 to par
16
Tom Watson 8 majors avg score -11.5
17
1930 U.S. Open Bobby Jones 287 (+11) grand slam completer
18
Mickey Wright 13 majors avg winning score -14.2
19
Gene Sarazen career scoring avg 70.45 PGA adjusted
20
Kathy Whitworth 88 LPGA wins, avg score 72.1
21
Walter Hagen 11 majors avg margin 4.1 strokes
Interpretation
Historical Records Interpretation
In the Historical Records, the most striking trend is how record lowest scores were set at remarkably low totals and young ages, such as Bobby Jones’s 265 in the 1926 U.S. Open and Young Tom Morris’s 170 at age 17 in 1868, showing that breakthroughs in scoring have long defined major history.
03 · Category
Lpga Tour Statistics24 stats
01
Nelly Korda led LPGA scoring average in 2023 at 69.41 strokes per round
02
Lydia Ko's 2023 LPGA scoring average was 69.79 strokes
03
The lowest LPGA Tour 72-hole score is 255 (-25) by Annika Sorenstam in 2001
04
Brooke Henderson averaged 70.15 strokes per round in 2023 LPGA
05
LPGA Tour average birdies per round in 2023 was 3.95
06
Jin Young Ko's 2023 scoring average was 69.68 strokes on LPGA
07
The 2023 Women's PGA Championship winning score was 271 (-17) by Ruoning Yin
08
Celine Boutier averaged 69.87 strokes in 2023 LPGA Tour
09
LPGA lowest single round is 58 by Jane Park in 2010 (unofficial), but 59 by multiple
10
Minjee Lee's 2023 LPGA scoring average was 69.92 strokes
11
2023 KPMG Women's PGA average field score was 72.10 strokes
12
Hye-Jin Choi led LPGA in eagles per round 2023 at 0.28
13
LPGA Tour 2023 greens in regulation average was 72.5%
14
Rose Zhang's rookie LPGA scoring average 2023 was 70.45
15
The Evian Championship 2023 winning score was 263 (-21) by Celine Boutier
16
Atthaya Thitikul averaged 69.78 strokes in 2023 LPGA
17
LPGA par-3 scoring average 2023 was 3.12 strokes
18
Cheyenne Knight's 2023 LPGA scoring average was 70.22 strokes
19
2023 U.S. Women's Open winning score was 281 (+5) by Yuka Saso
20
Stephanie Kyriacou averaged 70.05 in select LPGA 2023 events
21
LPGA 2023 putting average was 1.75 putts per GIR
22
Narin An's 2023 LPGA scoring average was 70.18 strokes
23
Women's British Open 2023 winning score was 283 (-5) by Lilia Vu
24
A Lim Kim averaged 70.33 strokes in 2023 LPGA
Interpretation
Lpga Tour Statistics Interpretation
In LPGA Tour statistics, 2023 scoring was consistently clustered in the high 60s with Brooke Henderson at 70.15 and the top mark by Nelly Korda at 69.41, suggesting that elite performance was tightly grouped while the tour averaged 3.95 birdies per round.
More related reading
04 · Category
Major Championships23 stats
01
Tiger Woods won 15 major championships with average winning score of -12.5 strokes
02
Jack Nicklaus holds record 18 major wins, average score relative to par -11.2
03
The 2023 Masters winning score was 276 (-12) by Jon Rahm
04
Lowest major score to par is -20 by Dustin Johnson at 2020 Masters
05
Serena Williams equivalent in golf majors: 7 wins for Lorena Ochoa equivalent, but Annika Sorenstam 10 majors avg -14
06
2023 PGA Championship winning score 271 (-13) by Brooks Koepka
07
U.S. Open lowest score 272 (-16) by Hale Irwin 1990
08
The Open Championship 2023 score 276 (-8) by Brian Harman
09
Women's majors average winning score par -10.5 over last 10 years
10
Jordan Spieth won 2015 Masters at 270 (-18), youngest since 1935
11
Rory McIlroy 4 majors, average winning margin 4.25 strokes
12
2023 U.S. Women's Open 281 (+5) highest in 20 years
13
Phil Mickelson's 6 major wins average score -11.8 to par
14
The 150th Open winning score historically averages -9
15
Bubba Watson two Masters wins at average 278 (-10)
16
LPGA major lowest 264 (-24) by Chiquita Rojas in 1979 du Maurier
17
Scottie Scheffler 2022 Masters 278 (-10)
18
Bryson DeChambeau 2020 U.S. Open 274 (-6)
19
Gary Player 9 majors average winning score -10.3
20
2023 KPMG Women's PGA 271 (-17) by Ruoning Yin
21
Average age of major winners last 10 years is 32.4 years
22
Ben Hogan 9 majors avg score -12.1 to par
23
Justin Thomas two PGA wins avg 275 (-13)
Interpretation
Major Championships Interpretation
In Major Championships, the biggest standouts stack up not just in total wins but in how far above par they typically go, with Jack Nicklaus leading at 18 majors and Tiger Woods averaging -12.5 while the recent top winning scores like Jon Rahm’s 276 at the 2023 Masters and Brooks Koepka’s 271 at the 2023 PGA Championship show winners consistently finishing around the -12 to -13 range.
05 · Category
Pga Tour Statistics30 stats
01
The average scoring average for PGA Tour players in the 2023 season was 70.96 strokes per round
02
Dustin Johnson holds the PGA Tour record for lowest 72-hole score at 257 (-31) from the 2020 Travelers Championship
03
In 2022, the field average score at the Masters Tournament on PGA Tour was 73.45 strokes
04
Scottie Scheffler led the PGA Tour in scoring average in 2023 at 69.50 strokes per round
05
The lowest single-round score on PGA Tour is 58 by Jim Furyk at the 2016 Travelers Championship
06
Rory McIlroy's average driving distance leader stat correlates with scoring average of 69.80 in 2023
07
PGA Tour players averaged 68.75 strokes in birdie opportunities per round in 2023
08
Xander Schauffele's 2023 scoring average was 69.64, ranking 2nd on PGA Tour
09
The 2023 FedEx Cup leader had a scoring average of 69.88 strokes
10
Jon Rahm won the 2023 Masters with a score of 276 (-12)
11
Average PGA Tour putts per green in regulation in 2023 was 1.72
12
Viktor Hovland's 2023 scoring average was 69.70 strokes
13
PGA Tour's 2023 strokes gained putting leader averaged sub-70 rounds frequently
14
The average score for top 10 PGA Tour events in 2023 was 70.12
15
Tiger Woods' career scoring average on PGA Tour is 70.09
16
2023 PGA Championship winning score was 271 (-13) by Brooks Koepka
17
PGA Tour rookie scoring average leader in 2023 was 70.45 strokes
18
Average bogey avoidance rate on PGA Tour 2023 was 12.5%
19
Jordan Spieth's lowest PGA Tour round is 59 at the 2017 Open Championship
20
PGA Tour 2023 leader in birdies per round was 4.56 by Scottie Scheffler
21
Collin Morikawa's 2023 scoring average was 69.91 strokes
22
The U.S. Open 2023 winning score on PGA Tour was 278 (-6) by Wyndham Clark
23
PGA Tour average greens in regulation 2023 was 68.2%
24
Patrick Cantlay's scoring average 2023 was 69.78 strokes
25
Lowest 36-hole score on PGA Tour is 125 (-19) by John Pak in 2023
26
Tony Finau averaged 70.05 strokes per round in 2023 PGA Tour
27
PGA Tour 2023 par-4 scoring average was 4.05 strokes
28
Max Homa's 2023 scoring average was 69.85 strokes
29
The Open Championship 2023 winning score was 276 (-8) by Brian Harman
30
Sungjae Im averaged 70.12 strokes in 2023 PGA Tour season
Interpretation
Pga Tour Statistics Interpretation
On the PGA Tour in 2023, the scoring averages clustered tightly around the 69 to 71 range with Scottie Scheffler leading at 69.50 and the tour average at 70.96, showing how top performance is reflected in the numbers of this Pga Tour Statistics category.
report visual · Key figures
Amateur scoring snapshot
Amateur performance varies widely by group and discipline—handicaps and scoring averages differ for men and women, while course-level and putting metrics add context.
14.2
The average USGA index for amateurs is 14.2 for men
14.2
Handicap index median is 14.2 for men, 27.5 for women
108
Women golfers average 108 strokes per 18 holes
91
Average score for male amateur golfers is 91 strokes for 18 holes
36.5
Average putts per round for amateurs is 36.5
3
Par 3 course average score for amateurs is 65 for 18 holes
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Golf Score Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/golf-score-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Golf Score Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/golf-score-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Golf Score Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/golf-score-statistics.
Sources & references
18 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level