(Photo: Getty images)
Tiger Woods and LIV Golf were Google’s most searched golf topics in the United States in 2023, according to data provided by the search engine. At least with Woods, a 15-time major winner, this comes as no surprise. But break down search interest by month and you’ll notice some eyebrows: Sam Ryder, Sam Bennett and even NBA legend Steph Curry.
The most popular golf topics in the search engine for 2023 have been divided into categories of golfers (overall), golfers (monthly), and golf-related terms (overall). To get a ranking for each, Google listed searches based on its trending data in the search engine. It analyzed “search interest” for topics by using a sample of all searches and then indexing topics against the top item in each list. So the best player in each category tops the list at 100 percent, and the percentages go down from there. Google did not provide raw numbers for search volume for 2023.
Let’s start with Woods. He also topped the Google list last year, and probably every year since its inception, despite the fact that the 15-time major winner has only played two official PGA Tour events in 2023.
At the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles that he hosts every February, Woods made his 2023 debut before shooting a thrilling 67 in the third round at Riviera. At Augusta National two months later, the 47-year-old tied a tournament record already held by Gary Player and Fred Couples with 23 successive Masters cuts made. But in cold temperatures and constant rain, Woods succumbed to his persistent plantar fasciitis and withdrew before the delayed third round resumed. He did not play again until December’s Hero World Challenge, although Woods made headlines for stepping up in the TGL simulation league that ultimately had to be postponed and for joining the PGA Tour Policy Board after the deal -frame of June with the Public of Saudi Arabia. Investment fund.
World number 2 Rory McIlroy finished second in Google searches, generating 88.7% of Woods’ search interest. McIlroy has made headlines, including several victories and close calls. He won the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour in January, and at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, a late bogey thwarted his hopes of ending a nine-year major tournament victory drought. In July, McIlroy won the Genesis Scottish Open the week before the Open Championship. At the end of September, the Northern Irishman had an outburst in front of the Ryder Cup clubhouse following a verbal altercation with Patrick Cantlay’s caddy, Joe LaCava, on the 18th green during a Day 2 match. In December, McIlroy resigned from the tour’s steering board, citing its inability to meet its time requirements.
In third place is LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka (70.8% of searches), who attracted many Google searches when he was shown in a vulnerable and injured light during a dedicated episode of the documentary series ” Full Swing” from Netflix. He finished second to Masters winner Jon Rahm and a month later, at the PGA Championship, Koepka became the first LIV golfer to win a major, capturing a fifth career title and third PGA title. He was also part of the losing U.S. Ryder Cup team in September.
As expected, the five most searched golfers each month highlighted the gap between what the internet finds interesting and the biggest golf-centric stories.
For example, you might think the biggest golf story in January was Rahm winning twice on the PGA Tour, at the Sentry in Maui and at the American Express in the California desert. The Internet would beg to differ. Sam Ryder wearing brown sweatpants at Torrey Pines – and getting roasted on social media for it by John Daly and Phil Mickelson – catapulted him to the ranks of the most Googled golfers in January. In February, Woods’ selection at Riviera gave him the top spot, while in March, Scottie Scheffler took over with his win at the Elite Players Championship.
In April, Rahm winning the Masters in his second career major wasn’t enough for the Spaniard to be the most searched golfer on Google that month. Instead, it was another Masters contender and amateur, Sam Bennett, with Rahm at No. 2. Bennett, the U.S. amateur champion and Texas A&M star, fought to the end of the weekend at Augusta National and had an emotional story that had sports fans rooting for him: He lost his father, Mark, to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in June 2021. Bennett got tattoo on his arm to honor his father.
In May, Michael Block and his story – a club professional who scored an ace in the final round of the PGA Championship while playing with McIlroy en route to a T-15 – made him the golfer most searched on Google.
By June, McIlroy was in first place thanks to his second-place finish at the US Open and his central role in the Umbrella Agreement news. July was a Google layup for famed golfer Steph Curry, with the Golden State Warriors icon scoring a hole-in-one and winning the U.S. Championship of the Century with an eagle on the final hole. Bad luck for the second most searched golfer in July, Brian Harman. All he did was win the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
In August, we don’t know if Lucas Glover’s winning weeks in a row — or his incredible sweats during those victories — made him the most sought-after golfer, but it was. Viktor Hovland’s win at the $18 million FedEx Cup earned him the second spot on Google for the month. In September, Woods returned to his Google throne, but was then No. 2 in October behind 11-time PGA Tour winner Andy Bean, who died aged 70 after undergoing a double lung transplant. Woods then returned to No. 1 for November, while in December the announcement of Rahm’s signing with LIV Golf allowed him to unseat Woods.
Finally, we discuss golf-related topics. For the second year in a row, “LIV Golf” was the most searched topic on Google, while “US Open Golf” was second. The only phrase including the name of a player in the top 20 might surprise you: “Sam Bennett Golf.”
Most searched golfers on Google in 2023: top 5 (by month) and top 10 (indexed search interest) January
- Sam Ryder
- Davis Thompson
- Max Homa
- Tiger Woods
- Rory McIlroy
FEBRUARY
- Tiger Woods
- Brooks Koepka
- Joel Dahmen
- Rory McIlroy
- Scottie Scheffler
March
- Scottie Scheffler
- Tiger Woods
- Rory McIlroy
- Jordan Spieth
- Rickie Fowler
April
- Sam Bennett
- Jon Rahm
- Tiger Woods
- Brooks Koepka
- Phil Mickelson
Then amateur Sam Bennett gained national attention when he competed at the Masters in April. Ben Walton
Can
- Michael Bloc
- Brooks Koepka
- Rory McIlroy
- Tiger Woods
- Harry Room
June
- Rory McIlroy
- Wyndham Clark
- Rickie Fowler
- Nick Taylor
- Sam Bennett
July
- Steph Curry
- Brian Harman
- Rickie Fowler
- Rory McIlroy
- Lee Hodges
August
- Lucas Glover
- Victor Hovland
- Rory McIlroy
- Tiger Woods
- Bryson Dechambeau
September
- Tiger Woods
- Rory McIlroy
- John Daly
- Ludvig Aberg
- Andrea Lee
October
- Andy Bean
- Tiger Woods
- Lexi Thompson
- Rory McIlroy
- John Daly
November
- Tiger Woods
- Jon Rahm
- George Bryan
- Rory McIlroy
- John Daly
December 1-18
- Jon Rahm
- Tiger Woods
- Rony Finau
- Rory McIlroy
- Nelly Korda
2023 (full year to date)
- Tiger Woods (100 percent)
- Rory McIlroy (88.7)
- Brooks Koepka (70.8)
- Jon Rahm (62.1)
- Rickie Fowler (58.5)
- Scottie Scheffler (51.1)
- Jordan Spieth (49.9)
- Phil Mickelson (46.0)
- Justin Thomas (35.5)
- Viktor Hovland (34.6)
Top 20 most searched golf terms on Google (full year)
- live golf
- we open the golf course
- golf channel
- callaway golfer
- play golf now
- golf shoes
- golf clubs
- pga tour
- golf ranking
- used golf clubs
- nike golf shoes
- world golf rankings
- golf scores
- Sam Bennett Golf
- pga golf
- golf simulator
- Live golf rankings
- world golf
- jordan golf shoes
- golf balls
