How did they do this? By getting even better. Clippd shows where they improved the most in 2024 — and offers some insights into the skills Rory needs to hone to secure that elusive fifth major.

We've tracked each player's Shot Quality right across the season, from the Sentry to the Tour Championship. The grey line on the graphs denotes male Tour Average, which is a Shot Quality of 100.

Scottie Scheffler

We've picked out six areas of the game that Scottie Scheffler showed marked improvement in. Starting with Scottie's irons in the 180+ yard bracket, we can see he was red hot at the start of the year but had already begun to fade by the time he slipped on his second Green Jacket at Augusta. And by fade, we mean he declined from being out of this world (112 Average Shot Quality) to merely excellent (106 Average Shot Quality), which still makes him comfortably better than most players on the PGA Tour.

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Scheffler's approach play from 50-100 yards showed a big improvement right across the season, peaking in mid-April, when he won the Masters and the RBC Heritage back to back and staying at that level right the way through to his playoff win at the Travelers. His bunker play from around the green (ARG Sand) also showed a significant improvement.

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It will come as little surprise to anyone who follows the game that three of the areas in which Scheffler improved most were on the green. His 15-35ft putting was better than tour average across the season, and builds on the upward graph of improvement that began in the early months of 2023. Admittedly, he was starting from a below-average base.

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Scheffler's long putting (35ft+) was among the best on tour last season, an example of the Texan turning an already strong part of his game into another weapon. His putting from 3-8ft is still well below the standards he sets in other parts of his game but his Average Shot Quality is now comfortably above average, which given the number of approach shots he fires in to this distance, makes a big difference when the prizes are being handed out.

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Xander Schauffele

The Californian was a model of consistency in 2024, breaking his major duck at the PGA Championship in May and following it up with another at the Open in Troon. As you can see from his graphs below, the improvement in many areas was significant. By March his mid to long irons (APP 180+) were matching the best level he hit in the previous season, and from that point on he kept on getting better with his peak coming in the Open Championship on a very tough golf course.

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Xander's long putting (PUTT 35ft+) was similarly unrecognisable from the previous year and maintained a steady upward trajectory right across the season.

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Xander's considerable prowess with the putter was strengthened with decent gains at 8-15ft and in the all-important 3-8ft category. In the latter we see a marked uptick from May when he won the PGA and a peak in early July as he came into the links season in Scotland.

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At the beginning of the year his chipping from rough around the green (ARG Rough) was at a similar level to where he was at by the end of the 2023 Tour Championship. It declined slightly through the spring before recovering and serving him well for the rest of the season.

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Rory McIlroy

While a season like the one the Ulsterman had in the US would be a cause for celebration for most, it will be remembered as one of near misses at crucial times. In the graphs below we can see three areas of the game where Rory performed at well below the levels he set in 2023.

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His approach shots from 100 to 180 yards (APP 100-140 yards, APP 140-180 yards, and APP 180+ yards) cover his scoring irons, and the graphs underline what the eye tests have said: his iron play was nowhere near his best or, more importantly, the standard required to topple Scottie and Xander.

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Rory's chipping from tightly mown grass (ARG Fairway) and from rough (ARG Rough) were also a significant way down on where he was in 2023.

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Better news for Rory fans is that his long putting (PUTT 35ft+) was considerably better than it was in 2023, although this might have something to do with the decline in his iron play and proximity.

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After entering just three rounds, Clippd users can see their game broken down in the What Work On priority list. You can click into each of 15 skill areas for even more detail on the distances where you excel and need to improve.