The current golf landscape seems to be dominated by a few players, especially Scottie Scheffler who earned $10 million more than any other player and Xander Schaufelle, who won two majors last year. That doesn’t mean rising stars and talented pros can’t get their careers back on track in 2025. These are the players who need to do so the most.
Joaquin Niemann
Joaquin Niemann is only 26 years old, has played on several tours, and is currently playing in LIV. While he has been a threat to win any event that he enters, the Chilean has a career-best majors finish of T16 at last year’s Masters. He’s won an LIV event at Adelaide so far.
Rickie Fowler
The fourth ranked player in the world in 2016, Rickie Fowler is popular and talented, but has been slumping for years and is currently ranked 97th in the world. The veteran golfer has only won one PGA Tour event since 2019, the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, Michigan.
Will Zalatoris
A three-time runner up at a major championship and the 2020-2021 PGA Rookie of the Year, injuries have stalled Will Zalatoris from breaking through. He had back surgery in 2023 and had some nice results upon returning last year including a T9 finish at the Masters.
Jordan Spieth
A golf prodigy who played in his first PGA Tour event at 16 years old, Jordan Spieth had a spectacular start to his career becoming a world number one and winning three majors. None of his 13 career Tour wins have come since 2022 and he’s looking to change that in 2025.
Matthew Fitzpatrick
When Matthew Fitzpatrick won the 2022 U.S. Open and the 2023 RBC Heritage, it seemed like his career would take off like a rocket ship. But he hasn’t won since April of 2023 and he failed to make the cut at the 2024 PGA Championship and finished T64 during the 2024 U.S. Open.
Max Homa
The ball explodes off of Max Homa’s driver in an incredible way, but thus far, it hasn’t helped him consistently win on the PGA Tour. He did have a T3 at the Masters in 2024, but hasn’t won an event since the January 2023 Farmers Insurance Open.
Denny McCarthy
Denny McCarthy is commonly called the best putter on the PGA Tour, but that has not resulted in an event win to this point. McCarthy had four top-tens and a runner-up finish in 2024. 2025 should be the year he breaks through.
Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland is currently a top-20 player in the world, but he is certainly capable of going higher. 2022 felt like the year it would happen as he rose to 3rd in the world, but the Norwegian didn’t win in 2024 and was cut from three of the four major events.
Sahith Theegala
Like with Viktor Hovland, a move up for Sahith Theegala means moving into the upper echelon of golfers in the world. Theegala did not win an event in 2024, but he had nine top-10 finishes and was the runner-up at the Sentry and the RBC Heritage.
Matt Kuchar
For Matt Kuchar, once the number four player in the world, this could be the end of the line. Kuchar had one of his worst seasons ever in 2024, missing 13 of 26 cuts and recording one top-ten finish. If things don’t improve in 2025, he may need to consider hanging it up.
Joel Dahmen
Thanks to his hilarious, self-deprecating sense of humor, Joel Dahmen is one of the easiest players to like on the PGA Tour. In 2020, he was one of the top 60 golfers in the world, but he has now fallen to 178. He needs a strong 2025 to change things.
Tom Kim
South Korean player Tom Kim is only 22 years old, but he already has significant success on the PGA Tour with three career wins. He nearly won the Open Championship in 2023 and could break through for a major championship in 2025.
Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg doesn’t have to show that he can be one of the best players in the world, he already is. He finished in second place at last year’s Masters and has already won the 2025 Genesis Open. His next test will be taking home one of those major championships.
Maverick McNealy
Now 29 years-old, Maverick McNealy has moved from the Web.com Tour to the Kohn Ferry Tour and had his best year on the PGA Tour in 2024 with six top-tens and a win at the RSM Classic. The next step is performing better in majors as he’s yet to make the cut at the U.S. Open and Open Championship.
Ben Griffin
Ben Griffin is in his third season on the PGA Tour and is already off to a great start this year with three top-ten finishes. Griffin’s best result on the tour is a runner up at the 2024 RBC Canadian Open and he should win his first event this season.
