Recording birdies is more than just a way to score. It’s a mindset, an attitude, a hard-charging, take-no-prisoners approach to the game that can lead to a lot of red numbers on the scorecard but can also lead to disaster at any moment. It requires skill from the tee shot to the putt drop, one birdie at a time. From the average amateur to the best in the world, a birdie is the goal of each hole.
Since 1992, the LPGA Tour has seen many changes to its birdie statistics. For starters, the total number of birdies has gradually increased over the past 28 years. In the early 1990s, there were just a handful of players who recorded more than 300 birdies in a season. In the last five years, that number has expanded to include several dozen Tour players, with a few players consistently crossing the 400+ birdie mark in a year.
In 1993, Brandie Burton and Betsy King recorded over 300 birdies and led the LPGA Tour. The average number of birdies made that year – minimum of 56 rounds played – was 200. Since 2015, the average number of birdies on the Tour is 274.37 for at least 56 rounds played. Last year, the average was 261.19.
Total Birdies
In the last six years, the record for the most birdies in a single season has been rewritten three times. World Golf Hall of Fame member Lorena Ochoa’s record of 442 birdies in 2004 was not passed until 2014 when Stacy Lewis recorded more than 450 birdies in a year.
Lewis also became the first American since King in 1993 to win the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, Rolex Player of the Year and the money title.
Since then, Ariya Jutanugarn holds the top two records for the greatest number of birdies recorded in an LPGA Tour season since 1992 with numbers recorded during her 2016 and 2018 seasons.
Most Birdies – Single Season
LPGA Tour
| Birdies | Player | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 470 | Ariya Jutanugarn | 2018 |
| 469 | Ariya Jutanugarn | 2016 |
| 460 | Stacy Lewis | 2014 |
| 455 | Brooke Henderson | 2016 |
| 442 | Lorena Ochoa | 2004 |
Birdie Average
As birdie numbers increase, so do the averages. Tour players are making more birdies per round than ever before. And it shows in the averages. The average birdies per round in 2020 is 3.22, which has increased by 0.85 from three decades ago.
Through four events this year, four players have averaged at least five birdies per round – Sei Young Kim (5.25), Charley Hull, Jennifer Kupcho and Madelene Sagstrom (each with 5). Sagstrom, who became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, currently leads the Tour in birdies this season, with 60.
Birdie Averages (per round)
LPGA Tour
| Season | Average |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 2.37 |
| 2000 | 2.56 |
| 2005 | 2.59 |
| 2010 | 2.76 |
| 2015 | 3.04 |
| 2020 | 3.22 |
Since 1992, Annika Sorenstam holds the record for most birdies in one round with 13 while shooting her famous 59 in the second round of the 2001 Standard Register PING. Beth Daniel and Amy Yang currently rank first among players with the most consecutive birdies in one round, with nine.
Birdie Percentage
The percentage of time a birdie is scored has improved from 15.34 percent to 17.9 percent looking at the start of the last decade compared to this year. This is a 2.6 percent increase in birdies scored by LPGA Tour players in 10 years, a percentage that may continue rising in seasons to come.
Birdie Percentage Leaders
2020 LPGA Tour Season
| Player | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sei Young Kim | 29.17% |
| Charley Hull | 27.78% |
| Jennifer Kupcho | 27.78% |
| Madelene Sagstrom | 27.78% |
| Nasa Hataoka | 27.08% |
When you look at those names and consider the swashbuckling personalities behind them, it’s easy to conclude that birdie leaders on the LPGA Tour brim with confidence, and results.
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