Si Nacho Elvira is one of the best iron players in the world, it should be said without hesitation. He always has been. It’s nothing new. It’s not a matter of getting carried away by his victory at the Dubai Invitational this Sunday. It’s about acknowledging a reality. Moreover, it’s not even something we say, with a more or less trained eye, but the numbers demonstrate it. Always stubborn. Always compelling.
The statistics of the DP World Tour are not particularly detailed, but they do provide an approximate picture. Nacho finished in 2025 in 76th place in strokes gained in approach, that is, shots to the green. It doesn’t seem like a ranking to fall over backwards, but it has its significance. Firstly, because he gained 0.15 strokes on the field average in each round. Yes, it’s not something to set off fireworks, but it’s not bad at all. And secondly, because this year, although the season is still young (six tournaments), he is in 32nd place and is gaining 0.61 strokes per round. Watch out. This is more serious, as it amounts to more than two strokes per tournament.
However, we are going to give these numbers a spin. We put them through the PGA Tour centrifuge with the help of David Morago, caddie of Nacho Elvira and the man who keeps the statistics, and the result is very impressive. In approach shots between 110 and 130 metres, according to his strokes gained, he would rank eighth on the PGA Tour. Meanwhile, in shots between 130 and 160 metres, he would be the sixteenth best on the American tour. This, any way you look at it, is being one of the best iron golfers in the world between 110 and 160 metres.
Last year the eighth on the PGA Tour from 110 to 130 metres was Chris Kirk, just ahead of Rory McIlroy. Meanwhile, from 130 to 160, the sixteenth was Tom Kim, one place above Hideki Matsuyama. Of course, this comparison is not scientific and should not be taken literally, mainly because we are crossing two different circuits with different courses and players. However, it does give us an idea of the overall picture. The one that says without dispute that Nacho Elvira is one of the best iron players in the world.
Nacho has always also been a very prominent golfer around the green and a more than notable putter. Thus, his main evolution in recent months has been with the driver, specifically since he changed the type of head on his Callaway. There was significant room for improvement and, for now, Elvira has taken a step forward. In 2025 he lost a total of 0.32 strokes per round to the field average, while so far in the 2026 season, from December to the Dubai Invitational, he has gained 0.33. We insist, it’s more than two strokes per tournament. He has moved from 149th place in this ranking to 41st. Almost like night and day.
In other words, what Nacho’s victory at the Dubai Invitational tells us is that if you make one of the best iron players in the world improve a bit with the driver, they can achieve significant things like the victory at the Dubai Creek Golf Club. Nacho and Morago have been working this way for a while. It’s not about changing everything at once or going crazy. The goal is to go little by little, refining things, first the driver head, now the claw grip… even if Nacho doesn’t like it one bit.
By the way, don’t miss what Nacho Elvira said about the PGA Tour in the podcast Bola Provisional…
Podcast: hoy la Bola Provisional tiene un presentador de lujo
