With major championship season quickly approaching, now's a great time to take a look at the talented players who haven't yet climbed the highest mountain in professional golf. Let's rank the top 10 golfers with the best chance to score their first major in 2025.
He’s got the jokes and he’s got the win.
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) March 30, 2025
Min Woo Lee is officially a PGA Tour champion! pic.twitter.com/dx2unm8gxw
Lee is just scratching the surface of his potential. The 26-year-old Australian just added a crucial bullet point to his resume by nabbing his first PGA Tour victory at the Texas Children's Houston Open, signaling he's ready to compete for major championships. Lee is one of the longest drivers on the planet and has a brilliant short game, which is a lethal combination for major venues.
Straka has to be one of the most underrated players on the PGA Tour. The Austrian is never mentioned alongside the big names in the sport, but all he's done since 2022 is win three times and rise to No. 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Look out for Straka and his red-hot approach play at the Masters this year.
Zalatoris isn't the same player he was before his back surgery in 2023, but there aren't many golfers in history who performed better in majors to start their careers. In his first 11 major championship starts, Zalatoris recorded seven top-10s and three runner-up finishes. The 28-year-old's iron play is starting to return to the elite level we saw during that run, so don't be surprised if he's back in contention this year.
Hatton mimics shooting at the internal OB on 18 after making 9. pic.twitter.com/9fLjWPnyM5
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterNS) July 21, 2023
Hatton is a three-time Ryder Cupper and eight-time DP World Tour winner, but he's won only once on the PGA Tour and has just one top-10 finish in his last 19 major starts. The talent is there, but his mental lapses on the course hold him back from major championship success.
If you don't follow golf religiously, you probably have no idea that Henley is the No. 7-ranked golfer in the world. Yes, seriously. The American has five PGA Tour wins, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, and he's recorded back-to-back top-10 finishes in majors.
Cantlay is a perplexing golfer to figure out. He's won eight times on Tour and is a consistent performer at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, but he has only five top-10 finishes in 31 major starts. He finally got a taste of major championship contention with his T3 at the U.S. Open last year, so maybe that experience will help him in 2025.
Fleetwood has eight top-20 finishes and four top-fives in his last 12 major championship starts, making him one of the most consistent major performers over the last three years. The problem is his inability to close out wins, which has been a theme for his 150 career PGA Tour starts.
This might be the year Niemann finally breaks out with a major championship. The LIV Golf star has won two of the last three tournaments on the rival tour, giving him six worldwide wins since December 2023. Niemann has never finished better than T16 in a major, but he's playing like a top-10 player in the world right now.
After a rough start to the 2025 season, Hovland rediscovered his game with a win at the Valspar Championship in March. The Norwegian is a top-five player in the world at his peak, as we saw in 2023 when he won the Memorial Tournament, BMW Championship and Tour Championship to close out a FedEx Cup title.
There’s not a static moment in the seconds before Ludvig Aberg pulls the trigger. Always moving. Trevino vibes.
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) January 25, 2025
Quick one-two club tap, then go. pic.twitter.com/7mfNPl3R0i
Aberg is a machine built in a lab to win major championships. The young star bombs it long and straight off the tee, is a brilliant long iron player and can putt the lights out when he gets hot. Aberg showcased his sky-high potential when he finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in his first career major start at the 2024 Masters, and he's ready to knock off his first major in 2025.
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