The Shot of the Year divided the staff more than any other category among the 2022 Golfweek Awards because there are so many to consider. Pros make hard shots look routine every week, and sometimes Lady Lucky plays a part too, but the writers, reporters and editors also felt that the circumstances and the moment mattered. A miraculous shot in a major championship is just bigger than the same shot hit on a Thursday at a week-to-week event.
In the end, it came down to six shots. Five have been awarded honorable mention, and in some other years they each could have been the winner, but the 2022 Shot of the Year delivered in every way. A star player, on a massive stage, in a tight situation. The 2022 Golfweek Award winner for Shot of the Year goes to …
Honorable Mention: Jordan Spieth at Pebble Beach
“I never had a situation where you can see a ball, get a swing on it, but you’re not going to play it,” said Jordan Spieth after finishing his third round at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But after seeing that his tee shot came to rest on the edge of the cliff on the par-4 eighth hole, no one would have blamed him for taking a drop.
“Michael [Greller, his caddy] hated it. He tried to talk me out of it three times. I don’t blame him, looking back,” Spieth said. “I’m just glad I made the par to make it worth it, because I don’t think I would have made par with a drop, but if I made bogey it would have really not been worth it.”
Honorable Mention: Sam Ryder at Waste Management Phoenix Open
There is absolutely nothing special about the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, a 125-yard par 3. It’s flat, there is no water hazard and for elite golfers it’s either a sand wedge or a gap wedge, tops. But once a year the hole transforms into a frat party where good shots are cheered, bad shots are booed and shots like Sam Ryder’s hole-in-one become the stuff of legend.
Honorable Mention: Justin Thomas at the PGA Championship
“That was a nice one. I mean, the wind off the left with a 3-wood isn’t exactly my favorite,” said Justin Thomas, thinking back to his tee shot on the second playoff hole against Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills.
“I hit a beautiful shot in regulation in that bunker like we wanted to, and I just … I hit essentially the same shot, just had a little bit more cut on it, and for it to go up on the green was nice just to put a little bit of heat on Will. But I like these 17th holes in the PGA Championship, so I’d like to keep making a habit of that.”
Honorable Mention: Matthew Fitzpatrick at the U.S. Open
After dueling with Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris all day, Matthew Fitzpatrick stepped up to the 18th tee on Sunday at The Country Club with a one-shot lead. His tee shot went left, hit the face of a fescue-topped fairway bunker and then dropped back into the middle of the bunker.
With Zalatoris in a prime spot on the left side of the fairway, needing a birdie to tie Fitzpatrick, the Englishman hit the shot of his life to set up his first major championship.
Honorable Mention: Ashleigh Buhai at Women's British Open
South Africa’s Gary Player and Ernie Els have not only won British Open’s ar Muirfield, but they were among the best bunker players of their respective generations. Ashleigh Buhai added her name to the list of South African winner’s at Muirfield in August after hitting a magnificant bunker shot on the fourth playoff hole against over three-time major winner In Gee Chun.
Shot of the Year: Scottie Scheffler at the Masters
After Cameron Smith made birdie on the second hole Sunday at the Masters, Scottie Scheffler lead the tournament by just one shot. Then the Australian hit his tee shot left, into the patrons standing along the ropeline, but Scheffler hit his tee shot ever further left, into the pines. The Texan’s recovery shot from the pine straw hit the top of the slope, but bounced back, away from the green and then rolled to the bottom.
“Anything inside 6 or 8 feet, I think, would be golden,” said Frank Nabillo on CBS’s broadcast. “And left is no good,” added Dottie Pepper.
As Smith struggled, Scheffler delivered a haymaker that not only gave him a birdie, but also a comfortable lead and a clear lane to the green jacket. His third shot on the third hole is the 2022 Golfweek Shot of the Year.
