Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele are widely regarded as some of the finest iron players dominating elite-level golf today.
Scheffler’s iron play is reminiscent of Tiger Woods’ heyday and has underpinned his success during what has been a simply remarkable 2024 season.
It’s a similar story for Schauffele and McIlroy, who have both impressed at different stages this year. Despite going winless since the Wells Fargo Championship, McIlroy has been in contention on multiple occasions and pulled off some exquisite approaches in the process.
As for Schauffele, the American’s ball-striking played a vital role in his double-major winning campaign.
However, despite the success of those above, one-time PGA Tour winner Michael S. Kim has claimed there’s one shot where he’s the number one player in the world.
Michael S. Kim explains why he’s number one 225-yard player in the world
Kim is never afraid to let his thoughts be known on X, and the Seoul-born American often delivers insightful threads on areas in which amateurs could improve.
The 31-year-old’s latest post centres around why he’s the number-one player from approximately 225 yards, which is his four iron.
“I’ve been the number 1 golfer in the world (surprising, I know, haha) from around 225 yds, if you look at the last 2 years. 4i for me,” Kim wrote on X.
He added: “Swing wise, it’s mostly the same stuff I’m working on with my driver. Keep it wide and deep, stay back on the transition and release the club fully. Personally, I have to focus on fully releasing it with my hands and arms once it gets to 6 or 5i. The longer the club the more I have to use my arms and hands to release it. You can’t hold on to it with the longer stuff.”
Top ten PGA Tour players from 200-225 yards
Currently, Kim is second on the PGA Tour when it comes to approaches from 200-225 yards. Andrew Novak is the man to beat, with an average distance of 33′ 8″.
Third is Vitkor Hovland. The 2023 FedEx Cup champion averages 34 feet to the hole from his approaches over 200 yards and before 225 yards. Two-time major winner Schauffele is fifth in the metric, managing a distance of 34′ 10″ from the hole.
Other notable names in the top ten list include Robert MacIntyre and Tony Finau. Speaking on his success from 225 yards, Kim revealed that a more forgiving four-iron has played a massive part in his success.
“I started using a much more forgiving 4i starting in 2013, and I’ve never looked back since,” Kim wrote on X.
“It’s just so much more forgiving with distance and accuracy. I think 90% of amateurs should be using hybrids or woods, and the longest iron is a 6i.
“Woods are better from the rough, easier to get up in the air and better off mishits. I still use my long irons because i don’t have as much problem getting the ball up and my dispersion is slightly better.”
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