A look back at what we’ll remember in pro golf from the opening stretch of 2017.

Best Player: Justin Thomas

Not only did Thomas win both events in Hawaii, but he also became just the seventh player to break 60 in US PGA Tour history and set the tour’s 72-hole scoring record in a seven-shot romp at the Sony Open. Combined with his victory at the CIMB Classic in October, Thomas already has three wins in the 2016-2017 season. It’s taken a couple years, but Thomas, 23, is finally being asked about something other than being Jordan Spieth’s good friend.

Best (International) Player: Hideki Matsuyama

Like Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama also has a seven-shot win this season. Although that came last October in the early portion of the schedule at the WGC-HSBC, his hot play carried over into 2017. He finished runner-up to Thomas at Kapalua and then defended his title at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Most Disappointing Comeback: Tiger Woods

Woods set an ambitious schedule of four events in five weeks starting with the Farmers Insurance Open. He wound up playing just three rounds. After missing the cut at Torrey Pines, Woods shot an opening 77 in Dubai before withdrawing with back spasms. He then pulled out of his next two events and didn’t even attend his scheduled press conference at Riviera because of his doctor’s recommendation. Not surprisingly, his odds of winning the Masters have been slashed from 20/1 to 100/1. And at this point, even that higher number seems ridiculous.

Best Short Game: Phil Mickelson

Where do we begin? Putting off the green on purpose at Torrey Pines to set up a birdie? Playing a perfect pitch shot off Riviera’s sixth green? Holing three chips/pitches in a NINE-hole stretch? At 46, Mickelson’s short game is as sharp as ever.

Best Performance By A Former No.1: Jordan Spieth

As good as Thomas and Matsuyama have played in 2017, Spieth has been the most consistent. And the 23-year-old reminded everyone he’s not done winning by cruising to victory at Pebble Beach. According to oddsmakers, he’s the clear favourite at the Masters, where he has a win and two runner-ups in three appearances.

Best Performance By A New No.1: Dustin Johnson

The Official World Golf Ranking can be difficult to understand, but in this case, it makes perfect sense. Dustin Johnson, the reigning US Tour Player of the Year, dominated the field at Riviera to take the top spot from Jason Day. DJ also tops this list in the “best week” category. Two days before his latest win, fiancee Paulina Gretzky announced she’s pregnant with the couple’s second child.

Most Fun After A Round: Jordan Spieth and Smylie Kaufman

While their mate, Justin Thomas, made the media rounds following his 59, Spieth and Kaufman hopped in a kayak and took it for a spin. Well, until it capsized. When in Hawaii, right?

Biggest Breakout Star: Jon Rahm

With one (LONG) putt, Rahm announced himself as the US Tour’s next young star. Rahm drained a 60-footer on Torrey Pines’ 18th hole that capped a stunning back nine and guaranteed the former top-ranked amateur his first victory in the big leagues. He followed that up with a T-16 in Phoenix and a T-5 at Pebble, making Phil Mickelson’s claim that Rahm is already “one of the best players in the world” hard to dispute.

Worst Performance From Someone Who Is Supposed To Be A Breakout Star: Bryson DeChambeau

The former US Amateur champ’s switch to a side-saddle putting method drew a lot of attention, but so far, it hasn’t provided him with good results. DeChambeau began 2017 with a T-49 at the Sony Open and things have only gotten worse. He has three missed cuts and a WD since, while also learning that his putter was deemed non-conforming by the USGA. Of course, at just 23, he’s got a lot of time to tinker.

Best Cameo: Justin Timberlake

The superstar entertainer flashed an impressive golf game at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Making the cut with partner Justin Rose, Timberlake chipped in twice and just missed an ace on Pebble’s famed seventh hole. Timberlake and business partner Tiger Woods also invested in the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour. That deserves a standing ovation as well.

Best Trick Shot: Patrick Reed

Not only did Reed pull off the ol’ hit-it-to-yourself trick, he did it at the rowdiest spot in golf. Well, arguably the rowdiest. Maybe he’ll pull this out again at the next Ryder Cup. It’s just a pity he wasn’t in Perth (as promised) to replicate it.

Best Performance By A Trick-Shot Artist: Wesley Bryan

Formerly of viral video fame as a member of the Bryan Bros, Wesley’s ascension to world-class golfer continues to amaze. After winning three times during his Web.com Tour rookie year, Bryan’s first season on the big tour is off to a great start thanks to a T-4 at Riviera.

Best Day To Wear Clean Underwear: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano

The Spaniard stripped down to his boxers to hit a fantastic recovery shot in Palm Springs. He was thankful to be wearing a clean pair – and we were thankful he wasn’t wearing tighty-whities.

Pos	Player	Tot	Thru	Rnd
1	Scottie Scheffler	-16	F	4
2	Viktor Hovland	-13	F	4
3	Ryan Gerard	-12	F	4
T4	Alex Fitzpatrick	-11	F	4
T4	Jacob Bridgeman	-11	F	4
T4	Min Woo Lee	-11	F	4
T4	Russell Henley	-11	F	4
T4	Rory McIlroy	-11	F	4
T4	Chris Gotterup	-11	F	4
T4	Ludvig Åberg	-11	F	4
T11	Tommy Fleetwood	-10	F	4
T11	Cam Young	-10	F	4
T11	Adam Scott	-10	F	4
T14	Xander Schauffele	-9	F	4
T14	Tom Kim	-9	F	4
T14	Collin Morikawa	-9	F	4
T14	S.W. Kim	-9	F	4
T18	Akshay Bhatia	-7	F	4
T18	Justin Rose	-7	F	4
T18	Sam Burns	-7	F	4
T21	Patrick Cantlay	-5	F	4
T21	Hideki Matsuyama	-5	F	4
T21	Matt Fitzpatrick	-5	F	4
T21	Wyndham Clark	-5	F	4
25	Kristoffer Reitan	-3	F	4
26	Ryan Fox	-2	F	4
27	Alex Smalley	-1	F	4
28	Robert MacIntyre	E	F	4
29	Gary Woodland	+2	F	4
WD	J.J. Spaun	-	-

Pos	Player	Tot	Thru	Rnd
1	Michael La Sasso	-18	18	4
2	Jon Rahm	-17	18	4
T3	Bryson DeChambeau	-16	18	4
T3	Sergio Garcia	-16	18	4
T5	Richard T. Lee	-15	18	4
T5	Scott Vincent	-15	18	4
T5	Laurie Canter	-15	18	4
8	Dean Burmester	-14	18	4
9	Richard Bland	-13	18	4
T10	Marc Leishman	-12	18	4
T10	Thomas Detry	-12	18	4
T12	Björn Hellgren	-11	18	4
T12	Tom McKibbin	-11	18	4
T12	Matthew Wolff	-11	18	4
T12	Bubba Watson	-11	18	4
T12	Younghan Song	-11	18	4
T17	Lucas Herbert	-10	18	4
T17	Byeong Hun An	-10	18	4
T17	Abraham Ancer	-10	18	4
T17	Branden Grace	-10	18	4
T17	Joaquin Niemann	-10	18	4
T17	Harold Varner III	-10	18	4
T17	Thomas Pieters	-10	18	4
T17	Josele Ballester	-10	18	4
T17	Cameron Smith	-10	18	4
26	Ian Poulter	-9	18	4
T27	Charles Howell III	-8	18	4
T27	Peter Uihlein	-8	18	4
T27	Tyrrell Hatton	-8	18	4
T27	Caleb Surratt	-8	18	4
T27	Lee Westwood	-8	18	4
T32	Danny Lee	-7	18	4
T32	Brendan Steele	-7	18	4
T34	Anthony Kim	-6	18	4
T34	Adrian Meronk	-6	18	4
T36	Sebastian Muñoz	-5	18	4
T36	Yosuke Asaji	-5	18	4
T36	Carlos Ortiz	-5	18	4
T39	Do-Yeob Mun	-4	18	4
T39	Luis Masaveu	-4	18	4
T39	Dustin Johnson	-4	18	4
T39	Travis Smyth	-4	18	4
T43	Louis Oosthuizen	-3	18	4
T43	Talor Gooch	-3	18	4
T45	Paul Casey	-2	18	4
T45	Miguel Tabuena	-2	18	4
T45	Charl Schwartzel	-2	18	4
T45	Minkyu Kim	-2	18	4
49	David Puig	-1	18	4
T50	Martin Kaymer	E	18	4
T50	Ollie Schniederjans	E	18	4
T52	Cameron Tringale	+2	18	4
T52	Graeme McDowell	+2	18	4
54	Jason Kokrak	+5	18	4
55	Sam Horsfield	+6	18	4
56	Anirban Lahiri	+9	18	4
57	Max Rottluff	+10	18	4

Pos	Team	Tot	Thru	Rnd
1	LEGION XIII	-44	18	4
2	HYFLYERS GC	-38	18	4
3	RIPPER GC	-36	18	4
4	4ACES GC	-32	18	4
5	FIREBALLS GC	-31	18	4
T6	RANGEGOATS GC	-30	18	4
T6	TORQUE GC	-30	18	4
8	SOUTHERN GUARDS GC	-29	18	4
9	KOREAN GOLF CLUB	-27	18	4
10	MAJESTICKS GC	-26	18	4
11	CRUSHERS GC	-17	18	4
12	CLEEKS GOLF CLUB	-9	18	4
13	OKGC	-6	18	4

The best (and worst) of the US PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing

Best Player: Justin Thomas

Most Fun After A Round: Jordan Spieth and Smylie Kaufman

Biggest Breakout Star: Jon Rahm

Best Performance By A Trick-Shot Artist: Wesley Bryan

Best Day To Wear Clean Underwear: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano

Top 100 Spotlight: Avondale Golf Club

The making of The Cliffs

Course review: 7 Mile Beach, Hobart