The most UNDER-PAR player on the PGA Tour in 2023 is not who you think it is...
Taylor Montgomery earned his first PGA Tour card from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 and he is taking full advantage with impressive low scoring.
In 2022, Rory McIlroy, Cameron Smith and a host of other players topped the average scoring table on the PGA Tour. The top of this particular leaderboard was occupied by the most consistent players of last season.
But as we creep into 2023, we are still yet to see the Tour's top players appear on a regular basis. In their absence, one player has been particularly impressive and is in the hunt for his first win on the circuit.
Taylor Montgomery earned his first Tour card on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, making nine top-10s to finish seventh in the Korn Ferry Tour Eligibility Points List.
So far in the new season, Montgomery is the lowest under-par of every player. After top-10 finishes at the Fortinet Championship, the Sanderson Farms Championship and Mayakoba, he has reached 61st in the world rankings which is his best mark yet.
In seven events, plus one round at the Sony Open on Thursday, he is 79-under-par for the season. No player is lower under par than him and only Patrick Rodgers has made more birdies than him, having played slightly more golf than Montgomery too.
Taylor Montgomery tying the lead @SonyOpenHawaii pic.twitter.com/Yx4JG0bQYK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 13, 2023
The 27-year-old American carded another 6-under 64 at Waialae Country Club to reach the top of the leaderboard with Jordan Spieth and Chris Kirk.
"There are so many good golfers in the world nowadays that I feel like to just comes down the guys that can do it when it matters," he said after the opening round in Honolulu.
"It's nice to come out here and play well when it really matters and not just at home with some buddies."
Montgomery used to take inspiration from the likes of Tiger Woods and Fred Couples when he was a young boy. It is no wonder he has become a promising Tour pro.
Last season, the likes of Cameron Young and Sahith Theegala showed what you can achieve as a rookie and Montgomery is certainly providing a glimpse of his colleagues' form in 2023.
