The pursuit of distance in professional golf has been a big talking point within the sport over the last decade or so, as players continue to hit the ball further than ever.
Obviously, there are many benefits to hitting the ball further, especially as it leaves you less club into the green, thus more likely to put the second shot closer to the flag.
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There have been plenty of instances where players have increased their distance significantly and, after doing some digging between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf, I’ve found nine players who have seen big gains post-Covid.
Comparing stats from 2019 to 2025, a healthy six year period, there are some notable players who have famously chased distance, with some succeeding and some not.
So, with that in mind, which players have gained the most distance in the six year period, and what exactly has that done to their careers and, indeed, their games?
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Before jumping into the numbers below, we must explain how average driving distance is calculated and, for all three circuits, two holes are selected which are usually running back-to-front of one another.
From there, the average number is taken from the two tee shots, irrespective of whether the ball finished on the fairway or not.
This obviously doesn’t incorporate the other tee shots produced throughout the round, or factors like altitude and severity of slopes etc, but the increase in distance is a good indicator that these players have gained a notable amount of distance during this time frame.
Bryson DeChambeau
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2019 – 302.5 yards (PGA Tour)
2025 – 328.8 yards (LIV Golf)
Of course, it’s only right we start with the best example of a player who has famously chased distance, with that being two-time Major winner Bryson DeChambeau.
Returning after Covid, many couldn’t quite believe the American’s transformation, putting on 40 pounds of weight and increasing his club and ball speed significantly.
At the end of the 2019 season he was averaging 302.5 yards, 12 months later, that was 322.1 yards, with DeChambeau topping the circuit’s driving distance charts in the process.
Going on to finish runner-up at the 2022 World Long Drive Championship, it was his performance on the course that caught the eye, as he overpowered Winged Foot at the 2020 US Open to win his first Major. Not only did he overpower Winged Foot, but he lapped the field, claiming a six stroke win.
Following on from that victory, he then won another US Open in 2024, as well as moving to the LIV Golf League and amassing notable successes there. Although he won six times on the PGA Tour before the pursuit of speed, his increase of distance has no doubt helped the 32-year-old.
Joaquin Niemann
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2019 – 301.5 yards (PGA Tour)
2025 – 330.4 yards (LIV Golf)
Joaquin Niemann possesses one of the most athletic swings in the professional game and, earning his PGA Tour card for the 2018-19 season, he produced an average driving distance of 301.5 yards.
Jumping to 310.6 yards in 2020-21, his biggest figure on the PGA Tour, Niemann has stepped it up a level on LIV Golf, as he has finished inside the top six for driving distance over the last three years. In fact, the Chilean topped the standings in 2025, averaging a whopping 330.4 yards, two more than DeChambeau in second.
Winning twice on the PGA Tour, most recently in 2022, Niemann’s increase in distance has helped him dominate on the LIV Golf League since making the jump, as the 26-year-old won twice in 2024 and five times in 2025.
Although he has racked up these victories, as well as the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour and Australian Open on the DP World Tour, his Major form hasn’t been great; although Niemann did register his first top 10 at a Major in 2025, finishing T8th at the PGA Championship.
Matt Fitzpatrick
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2019 – 282.3 yards (DP World Tour)
2025 – 306.8 yards (DP World Tour)
Like DeChambeau, Fitzpatrick is one of the most notable players when it comes to increases in speed and distance, with the Englishman seeing an incredible 17 yard jump between 2021 and 2022.
For those wondering if the increase in distance helped that season, that happened to be the year he claimed his maiden Major at the US Open, which added to his seven DP World Tour wins from 2015-2021.
Now averaging over 300 yards on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, Fitzpatrick credits his increase in distance and speed to to the Stack System.
The Stack System is a speed training program that involves making numerous swings with a training club that has a variety of different ring weights on it. By following the program, Fitzpatrick was able to win around The Country Club in Brookline, as well as register further wins at the RBC Heritage, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and two Ryder Cups.
Jordan Spieth
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2019 – 295.2 yards (PGA Tour)
2025 – 306.6 yards (PGA Tour)
During his peak, around 2013-2017, Jordan Spieth was sat around the 285-295 yard mark in terms of average driving distance but, in 2020, he surpassed the 300 yard mark for the very first time.
However, with the extra distance came troubles for the three-time Major winner, who has only two victories since 2017, his last coming at the RBC Heritage in 2022.
There has been injury trouble for Spieth, in fairness, but in 2020, former World No.1 David Duval revealed a conversation he had with Spieth in 2016, stating: “When we got done talking at the end of the year in 2015, after that historic season he had, one thing I said and cautioned him on, and hoped he wouldn’t do, was chase distance.
“He came back in 2016 saying he was trying to find 5 or 10 yards in the offseason and I was like: ‘oh boy.'”
Rory McIlroy
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2019 – 313.5 yards (PGA Tour)
2025 – 323.0 yards (PGA Tour)
Rory McIlroy is regarded as one of the best drivers of a golf ball the game has ever seen, with the five-time Major winner regularly topping the standings in various driving categories.
Back in 2007, he averaged 285.6 yards on the DP World Tour but, as he got older, that number sky rocketed, with his average jumping from 303.7 in 2016 to 313.5 in 2017.
McIlroy’s love of speed hasn’t always been a healthy one, though, as in 2020 he was influenced by DeChambeau’s US Open win and, after chasing even more distance, McIlroy admitted it was a mistake that was “detrimental to my swing”.
The 36-year-old has done it all in the game and, with his career spanning over two decades, it’s safe to say that, overall, his distance has been more of a help than hinderance.
Jon Rahm
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2019 – 305.6 yards (PGA Tour)
2025 – 323.3 yards (LIV Golf)
Playing his first full PGA Tour season in 2016-17, Jon Rahm averaged comfortably more than 300 yards and has continued to do so ever since, with his distance only getting longer.
Despite his short back swing, his incredible power through his shoulders and back means he can generate incredible speeds that, during 2025, have given him a 323.3 yard average driving distance on the LIV Golf League.
Like McIlroy, Rahm has been an extremely consistent performer with the distance increase. Not only did he claim two Majors in two years, but also 11 PGA Tour wins and back-to-back LIV Golf individual titles.
Amazingly, in 2025, Rahm had his first winless season and, despite multiple top 10s and playing a key part in Europe’s Ryder Cup win in New York, he was unable to convert a tournament victory.
Michael Kim
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2019 – 279.3 yards (PGA Tour)
2025 – 299.7 yards (PGA Tour)
Having won the John Deere Classic in 2018, Michael Kim endured a seven year wait for his next win, which came at the 2025 FedEx Open de France, an event played on the DP World Tour.
During that time, the American struggled with form but, in terms of driving distance, he actually saw a significant increase from 2019 to 2020, jumping from 279.3 to 287.6.
He then went to 293.2 in 2021, adding 14 yards in two years, with Kim then claiming in 2023 that he had put 20 yards of distance on. How, you may ask? Well, by hitting the gym.
Writing on X/Twitter, he stated: “I weighed 145 lbs when I turned pro. I now weigh about 165. I do general strength stuff like Trap bar deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, incline dumbbell bench, pull ups, core work etc. Glutes and core are a must to make sure the back is healthy.” He too also recommended the Stack System, which Fitzpatrick used.
Peter Uihlein
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2019 – 297.5 yards (PGA Tour)
2025 – 324.6 yards (LIV Golf)
Up until 2021, Peter Uihlein had an average driving distance of between 285-300 yards but, in 2022, he found another 10 yards as his statistics went up to 310.9 yards.
Joining LIV Golf that year, his driving numbers don’t appear to be slowing down, as the American sat inside the top 10 for driving distance on the circuit for all four seasons, with Uihlein even topping the table in 2023 with 322.5 yards.
Averaging 324.6 yards in 2025, the former Amateur World No.1 claimed his first professional title in 2013, before a four year wait ensued until his next win.
In 2021, he managed to win a second Korn Ferry Tour title, but another long wait occurred, with Uihlein then winning two International Series Events on the Asian Tour, showing that the increase in distance had perhaps helped him and his career.
Will Zalatoris
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2018 – 305.9 yards (PGA Tour)
2022 – 314.7 yards (PGA Tour)
Although Will Zalatoris has been out for the majority of 2025 with injury, with the American set to return in December, we’ve included him due to the fact that his pursuit for distance has been well documented.
Post-Covid, Zalatoris has gradually been adding more weight and power into his game. In 2022, he added five yards extra from the previous year and, in 2024, revealed he had “picked up 15 pounds of muscle” in the off-season.
The issue with the 29-year-old has been injuries. Enjoying an excellent 2022, including his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, he was forced to withdraw at the next event with back injury.
Returning in 2023, he then withdrew from The Masters in April and underwent more surgery which sidelined him until January 2024. Upon returning, he revealed that he had been using a 46″ driver to gain 12-15 yards, but had resorted back to his usual 44.5″ model for added control.
