The quest for increased ball speed and driving distance is reshaping the PGA Tour, where hitting long off the tee is becoming a crucial competitive edge in 2025. The PGA Tour longest driving distance figures reveal a new breed of players whose success relies heavily on combining power with precisely engineered driver setups to optimize launch and spin characteristics.
While rigorous training and strength conditioning contribute significantly to players’ ability to generate speed, the proprietary drivers and shafts chosen, often developed in collaboration with top brand fitters, are equally important to unlock peak performance. This has pushed many professionals to prioritize bomb-driving as a crucial tactic in response to the lengthening courses they face each week.
How Power Driving is Influencing Tour Strategy and Equipment Choices
With most PGA Tour courses lengthening, players are embracing the strategy of pushing the ball as far down the fairway as possible, reducing the need for longer approach shots from difficult lies. This trend was exemplified by Bryson DeChambeau’s success at the 2020 US Open, where his extreme driving distances gave him a distinct advantage on Winged Foot’s challenging layout.
The equipment these top players rely on is meticulously customized. Extensive testing ensures drivers are paired with the ideal shafts and grips to maximize clubhead speed, ball speed, launch angle, and spin rate, thus optimizing distance and accuracy. For instance, while some elite players opt for the latest driver models, others prefer to stick with proven setups tailored to their swing characteristics.
Profiling the Top 10 PGA Tour Longest Drivers and Their Equipment in 2025
The following breakdown reveals the drivers, shafts, and grips trusted by the leading long hitters on the PGA Tour this season. While familiar names dominate the leaderboard, several emerging talents also make a statement with their impressive driving stats.
1. Aldrich Potgieter and His Titleist GT2 Setup
Aldrich Potgieter stands out as the PGA Tour’s top long driver in 2025, averaging an impressive 327.6 yards per drive. The 20-year-old South African’s exceptional clubhead speed of nearly 126 mph contributes to ball speeds exceeding 190 mph during tournaments, playing a pivotal role in his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Rocket Classic last July.
Potgieter uses a Titleist GT2 driver with a 9° loft, combined with a notably stiff Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft, chosen for its stability to match his extraordinary swing power. Every club in his bag, including the driver, features Golf Pride Z-Cord grips, enhancing control and feel.
2. Rory McIlroy’s Consistent Power with a TaylorMade Qi10 Driver
Rory McIlroy remains near the top in driving distance, recording an average of 323.4 yards and demonstrating the durability of his equipment preferences. Despite the release of the TaylorMade Qi35 driver in early 2025, McIlroy retained his preferred Qi10 driver head at 9°, adjusted to 8.25° loft after the USGA deemed his original head non-conforming before the PGA Championship.
The Northern Irishman pairs this with a Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft tipped by one inch and grips his clubs with Golf Pride Multi Compound black and white grips. At age 36, McIlroy continues to combine power and precision in his quest for major championships.
3. Jesper Svensson’s Cobra Driver and Fujikura Shaft Combination
Jesper Svensson ranks third with an average driving distance of 319.4 yards and ball speeds around 184 mph. The 29-year-old Swede, a Cobra ambassador, selects the DS-Adapt LS driver head at 9°, lofted down to 8.25° with 0.75° upright adjustment. Like McIlroy, Svensson relies on the Fujikura brand, using a Ventus TR Blue 6X shaft to maximize his power output.
Svensson also uses Golf Pride Multi Compound grips and recently marked his second year on the PGA Tour with a solid 16th-place finish at The Open in Portrush, his best major result to date.
4. The Power Duo Tied at Fourth: Niklas Norgaard and Michael Thorbjornsen
Both Niklas Norgaard and Michael Thorbjornsen average a remarkable 319.2 yards per drive, tying for fourth place. Norgaard, ranked 123rd in the Official World Golf Rankings, leverages his 6’4” frame to produce 126 mph clubhead speed. He favors an older model, the Titleist TSR3 10° driver, paired with a Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8X shaft.
Despite his distance, Norgaard faces challenges in overall PGA Tour consistency, with nine missed cuts in 15 events, indicating his iron play requires improvement to complement his tee shot prowess.
Thorbjornsen, who earned his PGA Tour card by topping the PGA Tour U program in 2024, brings a unique approach with a baseball-style ten-finger grip that helps him generate notable power. The Stanford graduate’s top professional results include three top-10 finishes in 2025, driven by his TaylorMade Qi35 LS driver set at 9° and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Velocore+ Black 7X shaft. He uses Golf Pride Multi Compound black and white grips.
6. Nicolai Hojgaard’s Steady Driving from Callaway Equipment
Among the few siblings on tour, Nicolai Hojgaard leads his brother Rasmus in driving distance, averaging 318.4 yards. The 24-year-old Dane ranks 69th in the FedEx Cup, known for his ability to hit the ball both far and with impressive accuracy.
He continues to game the 2024 Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond + driver with a 10.5° loft, combined with a Fujikura Ventus Black TR 7X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips, yielding an average clubhead speed of 124.4 mph.
7. Kurt Kitayama’s Compact Power and Graphite Shaft Preference
Despite standing only 5’7”, 32-year-old Kurt Kitayama consistently drives long, averaging 317.2 yards with a season-best of 374 yards. The Californian uses a Titleist GT3 driver with an increased loft setting of 10.25°, diverging from other top bombers by opting for a Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7X shaft, also favored by Tiger Woods and previously by Justin Thomas.
Shared Eighth Place: Rising Stars Chris Gotterup and Rasmus Hojgaard
Chris Gotterup has made major waves lately, winning the Scottish Open and following it with a third-place finish at The Open. His late surge places him in contention for a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Gotterup averages 317 yards, wielding a Ping G440 LST driver lofted down to 8°, matched with a Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 70 TX shaft and Golf Pride Z-Cord grips.
Rasmus Hojgaard, Nicolai’s twin brother, also averages 317 yards by using last year’s Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond driver at 10.5° loft with a Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 TX shaft. Ranked 76th globally, Rasmus recently finished T-16th at The Open and is positioned just outside Ryder Cup automatic qualification. He employs Golf Pride Multi Compound black and white grips like many others in the top tier.
10. Will Gordon’s Solid Distance and Competitive Drive
Closing out the top 10 is 28-year-old Will Gordon, who averages 316.2 yards per tee shot. A Vanderbilt University alumnus, Gordon has recorded clubhead speeds around 124.3 mph while securing two top-10 finishes in 2025. Currently 137th in the FedEx Cup standings, he will need strong performances down the stretch to retain his tour card.
Gordon’s driver setup features a Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond 9° head, lofted down to 8°, paired with a Mitsubishi Tensei White CK 70 TX shaft. He is distinctive among the top 10 for using a Golf Pride BCT cord grip.
The Rising Influence of Equipment Choices on PGA Tour Success
The detailed look at the PGA Tour’s longest drivers in 2025 highlights how crucial driver, shaft, and grip combinations have become in maximizing power off the tee. As players continuously chase greater distance, the partnership between technology and athleticism grows stronger, enabling tour stars such as Aldrich Potgieter and Rory McIlroy to push performance boundaries.
With the FedEx Cup race intensifying and Ryder Cup selections looming, these driver choices and resulting distances will play a central role in shaping player success and tournament outcomes throughout the season. The continued evolution of equipment fitting and innovation promises to keep driving distance at the forefront of PGA Tour strategy moving forward.
Our Reader’s Queries
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