Although the outcome was all but decided, Rory McIlroy’s performance on Sunday at the Masters was one golf fans won’t soon forget.

He sent the Augusta crowd into a frenzy when he holed out from the bunker on the 18th green and set the stage for his run to the top spot in our rankings.

But was it the top single round of 2022?

Below, we’ve found the single rounds that should be remembered as the best of the year, according to the FRACAS model.

Rounds are measured based on strokes gained relative to the field average and adjusted for strength of field for that round. A golfer who shoots 5-under par when the field average is 2-over par gains seven strokes on the field. If the field strength for that round is one stroke better than the PGA average, then the total strokes gained for that round moves up to eight strokes. 

FRACAS has included scores from the following tours: PGA Tour, LIV Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour, Challenge Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Korean PGA, PGA Tour Canada, Sunshine Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamerica, Champions Tour, Pro Golf Tour of India, All Thailand Golf Tour, Asian Development Tour, EuroPro Tour, Nordic Golf League, Pro Golf Tour (Europe), PGA Tour Australia New Zealand, Alps Tour, China Golf Tour, and Big Easy Tour into its strokes gained per round calculation. 

Last year, we identified the top-10 rounds worldwide. This year, we’ll take a slightly different approach and identify the top-five rounds worldwide as well as the top round from each tour we cover.

Here are the best single-round performances of 2022, ranked by strokes gained:

1. Cameron Tringale, PGA/DP World Tour

  • Tournament: Genesis Scottish Open
  • Round: 1
  • Strokes Gained: 10.99
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 98

Though Tringale has never had an OWGR-sanctioned win, he did win the most impressive round of the year. In the first round of the co-sanctioned Scottish Open, Tringale shot a 9-under 61 – three strokes better than the next lowest golfer. The round was highlighted by six straight birdies to start his back nine and featured just 22 putts. Tringale would shoot 6-over the next three days to finish in a tie for sixth.

2. Sebastian Muńoz, PGA Tour

  • Tournament: AT&T Byron Nelson
  • Round: 1
  • Strokes Gained: 10.03
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 60

Playing one of the easiest courses on tour, Muñoz opened his tournament with a 12-under 60. He was just 2-under through eight holes, but caught fire heading into the back nine with an eagle at nine and then another eagle and six birdies heading back into the clubhouse. On his 8-under back nine, his irons were dialed in with only two putting attempts from beyond 12 feet.

3. Taylor Montgomery, PGA Tour

  • Tournament: The CJ Cup
  • Round: 4
  • Strokes Gained: 9.58
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 34

A 2022 Korn Ferry graduate, Montgomery took full advantage of the fall swing to establish himself as the PGA rookie to watch in 2023. Montgomery was slow to get going at the CJ Cup, heading into Round 4 in 47th place out of 78 golfers. He bogeyed his first hole of the fourth round, putting him over par for the tournament. But he bounced back with four straight birdies and finished his round by shooting 6-under over his final seven holes. 

4. Bubba Watson, Major Tournament

  • Tournament: U.S. PGA Championship
  • Round: 2
  • Strokes Gained: 9.33
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 55

Watson headlines our first major tournament round on the list. His second round at the PGA Championship was a masterpiece of ball striking as he only gained 0.62 strokes putting in the round and gained almost nine strokes tee to green. He would struggle in his other three rounds (finishing in a tie for 30th) and has largely scuffled over the past few years, but the second round showed that the former Masters winner still has some magic left.

5. Rory McIlroy, Major Tournament

  • Tournament: Masters Tournament
  • Round: 4
  • Strokes Gained: 9.33
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 1

The round that perhaps initiated the impressiveness of McIlroy’s 2022 season, McIlroy shot an 8-under on Sunday at the Masters in his bid to catch runaway winner Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler would not falter in the final stretch, but McIlroy’s early heroics was something to behold. Highlighted by a hole-out from the bunker on the 18th green, this round set the stage for McIlroy to finish the season as the No. 1 golfer in the world by FRACAS.

Top golf rounds of 2022
(FS: Field Score, SOF: Strength of Field, Raw SG: Strokes Gained Not Adjusted for SOF)

Here’s a tour-by-tour look at the best rounds of 2022:

PGA

  • Golfer: Cameron Tringale
  • Tournament: Genesis Scottish Open
  • Round: 1
  • Strokes Gained: 10.99
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 98

LIV

  • Golfer: Talor Gooch
  • Tournament: LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster
  • Round: 2
  • Strokes Gained: 8.82
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 41

Korn Ferry

  • Golfer: David Lingmerth
  • Tournament: Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
  • Round: 3
  • Strokes Gained: 8.13
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 231

DP World

  • Golfer: Guido Migliozzi
  • Tournament: Cazoo Open de France
  • Round: 2
  • Strokes Gained: 8.72
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 254

Asian Tour

  • Golfer: Danthai Boonma
  • Tournament: DGC Open
  • Round: 4
  • Strokes Gained: 9.29
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 940

Challenge Tour

  • Golfer: Bernd Ritthammer
  • Tournament: Challenge de España
  • Round: 2
  • Strokes Gained: 7.18
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 1,082

Japan Golf Tour

  • Golfer: Taiga Semikawa
  • Tournament: Japan Open Golf Championship
  • Round: 3
  • Strokes Gained: 7.50
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 292

Korean PGA

  • Golfer: Sanghun Shin
  • Tournament: 65th KPGA Championship
  • Round: 3
  • Strokes Gained: 7.63
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 670

PGA Tour Canada

  • Golfer: Carter Jenkins
  • Tournament: Fortinet Cup Championship
  • Round: 4
  • Strokes Gained: 6.74
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 876

Sunshine Tour

  • Golfer: Ruan Korb
  • Tournament: Vodacom Origins of Golf
  • Round: 3
  • Strokes Gained: 8.23
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 1,206

PGA Tour Latinoamerica

  • Golfer: Cristobal del Solar
  • Tournament: Bupa Tour Championship
  • Round: 1
  • Strokes Gained: 5.99
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 519

Champions Tour

  • Golfer: Fred Couples
  • Tournament: SAS Championship
  • Round: 3
  • Strokes Gained: 7.01
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 869

Professional Golf Tour of India

  • Golfer: Arjun Puri
  • Tournament: Kapil Dev-Grant Thornton Invitational
  • Round: 2
  • Strokes Gained: 7.60
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 3,849

All Thailand Golf Tour

  • Golfer: Pattaraphol Khanthacha
  • Tournament: Singha all Thailand Premier Championship
  • Round: 1
  • Strokes Gained: 5.33
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 1,393

Asian Development Tour

  • Golfer: Tawit Polthai
  • Tournament: OB Golf Invitational
  • Round: 4
  • Strokes Gained: 6.27
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 1,137

EuroPro Tour

  • Golfer: Joe Dean
  • Tournament: The Matchroom Tour Championship
  • Round: 1
  • Strokes Gained: 6.49
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 2,051

Nordic Golf League

  • Golfer: Frithjof Astorp Rasmussen
  • Tournament: Holtsmark Open
  • Round: 2
  • Strokes Gained: 7.21
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 5,658

Pro Golf Tour

  • Golfer: Mathis Pansart
  • Tournament: Faberexposize Gelpenberg Open
  • Round: 1
  • Strokes Gained: 5.86
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 1,651

PGA Tour Australia New Zealand

  • Golfer: Braden Becker
  • Tournament: Vic Open
  • Round: 3
  • Strokes Gained: 4.82
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 3,511

Alps Tour

  • Golfer: Gregorio De Leo
  • Tournament: Memorial Giorgio Bordoni
  • Round: 3
  • Strokes Gained: 6.01
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 930

China Golf Tour

  • Golfer: Xuefeng Yao
  • Tournament: Hengdian Championship
  • Round: 1
  • Strokes Gained: 5.73
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 1,096

Big Easy Tour

  • Golfer: Reinhardt Blaauw
  • Tournament: Altron Big Easy Tour 5
  • Round: 3
  • Strokes Gained: 3.23
  • Year-End Global FRACAS Rank: 3,238