One of the first questions asked about any golfer when their career ends is, how many majors did they in? No matter how a player’s career is, they will always be judged by how they did on the biggest stage. Here are the golfers set to break through and capture their first major.
15. Tony Finau
Finau, the first player of Samoan and Tongan descent to play on the PGA Tour, has come very close to winning a major with third-place finishes in the US Open and The Open Championship, a fourth-place finish in the PGA Championship and a fifth-place finish at the Masters.
14. Cameron Young
A native of Scarborough, New York, Young is only 27 but has already finished in the top 10 of five Majors. His closest efforts came at the 2022 PGA Championship, where he tied for third, and at the 2022 Open Championship, where he tied for second.
13. Chris Gotterup
Gotterup has not been on the Tour long but captured his first win at the Myrtle Beach Classic in May of 2024. Only 25 and one of the five longest drivers in the game, the New Jersey native has a chance at making serious noise in 2025.
12. Max Homa
It hasn’t happened for Max Homa yet, but that doesn’t mean it never will. The player, who attended Cal Berkeley, has won six times on the PGA Tour and finished 3rd at the 2024 Masters. He’s talented enough to win any event.
11. Sam Burns
Sam Burns has been on the cusp of a breakout for years now. He reached a Top 10 world ranking in 2022 and was selected to play in the US Ryder Cup team in 2023. Burns is still only 28 years old and 2025 could be a breakout year for him.
10. Russell Henley
Russell Henley became the first PGA Tour rookie ever to win his first event when he captured the 2013 Sony Open. He has yet to win a major but has finished in the top seven in the Masters, the US Open and the Open Championship.
9. Robert MacIntyre
The 28-year-old Robert MacIntyre hails from Scotland, the birthplace of golf. He had an impressive year in 2024, including wins at the RBC Canadian Open and the Genesis Scottish Open. He also finished in a tie for 8th place at the PGA Championship.
8. Joaquin Niemann
Still only 26 years old, Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann has already won events on the PGA, LIV, Asian and European Tour. He may be a little young for a breakthrough in a major, but he has been playing professionally since the age of 18.
7. Sungjae Im
Sungjae Im has been on these kinds of lists for years but is still only 26 years old. The Korean golfer has second and eighth-place finishes at the Masters. And he was in the mix at the 2024 Open Championship, finishing 7th overall.
6. Viktor Hovland
After a fantastic 2023 season that saw him win the FedEx Cup and three PGA Tour events, Hovland’s 2024 season, which saw him win no tour events, was shocking to fans. But when Hovland is at his best, he sure looks like he is a major in his future.
5. Akshay Bhatia
Akshay Bhatia won his first PGA Tour event when he was just 21 years old and added one at 22 by winning the Valero Texas Open in 2024. Bhatia has already shown he could win events, but could one of them be a major in 2025.
4. Sepp Straka
Austrian Sepp Straka has been making noise for years, winning two the Honda Classic in 2022 and the John Deere Classic in 2023. He also came tantalizingly close to winning the 2023 Open Championship, finishing in second place.
3. Sahith Theegala
A professional golfer since 2020, Sahith Thegala regularly pops off the screen during tour events by hitting impressive shots. The California-born golfer has already reached big heights, ranking 11th in the world in June 2024.
2. Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay has turned into the guy who always wins but has yet to win a major. The 32-year-old Cantlay has won eight times on the PGA Tour and has finished in third place in both the PGA Championship and the US Open.
1. Ludvig Aberg
At this point, it is not whether Ludvig Aberg will win a major but when. The 25-year-old Swede came to the States to play for Texas Tech University. Though he only turned pro in June 2023, he has already won a PGA Tour event and finished second during the 2024 Masters.
