The PGA Tour is the place superstars are made.
It’s not straightforward, nonetheless, and it’s getting increasingly more troublesome as a result of there are fewer full discipline occasions and never so many full playing cards out there on the finish of the season.
It’ll subsequently take sensational high quality for kids to make the grade in 2026, not least as a result of Scottie Scheffler is kind of assured to mop up many of the wins on supply (and loads of prime 10s when he doesn’t raise the trophy).
However there may be good motive to imagine that we’ll witness the primary (or second) steps within the careers of future stars within the coming weeks.
Listed below are seven golfers to keep watch over within the subsequent 12 months.
Johnny Keefer
If the 24-year-old maintains his rankings developments in 2026 we’re in for one heck of a rookie yr. That’s as a result of he ranked first on the third tier Tour de las Americas in 2024 and first once more on final yr’s second tier Korn Ferry Tour.
As a path to the highest tier it’s completely distinctive and he completed seventh within the RSM Basic on the finish of final yr, too. The truth is, in simply 39 begins as a professional he has 20 prime 10 finishes, three of them wins.
Don’t anticipate these stats to go undented, however bear in mind the title.
Michael Thorbjornsen
The 24-year-old with a cosmopolitan background (Norwegian dad, Zimbabwean mom, represents the US) is because of take the subsequent step in his profession and there’s good motive to imagine he can ship in 2026.
He topped the PGA Tour College rankings in 2024 (which earned him instant enjoying rights) and since then has been twice second, as soon as third and twice fourth.
The one proviso to his promise is that, though he’s an elite driver of the ball, the remainder of his sport – whereas succesful of top of the range – has a decrease base degree.
Christo Lamprecht
The primary two rounds of the 2023 Open stated a lot about this enormous-hitting South African. He was enjoying because the British Novice Champion and thrashed a 66 to tie the primary spherical lead however adopted it with a 79 to solely simply make the reduce.
Since turning professional he has continued to supply brilliance or mayhem however a victory on the Korn Ferry Tour final yr has vaulted him onto the primary stage and he’s aiming to emulate his fellow big-hitting Springbok, Aldrich Potgieter, in changing into a fast winner.
In case you get the prospect, watch him. The peak (6’8”), the swing and the dip are all nothing much less then extraordinary.
Neal Shipley
For all his undoubted ability there was a contact of the dorky highschool child about Shipley (doofus hair, tubby physique) when he was the low beginner at each the Masters and US Open in 2024.
However a full yr as a professional noticed him win twice and graduate from the Korn Ferry Tour, and in addition sharpen up his health. His methodology was neat too: he topped the placing stats and he hits it miles off the tee.
He’ll be a fan favorite and may also be a winner in 2026.
Ryan Gerard
A barely completely different angle right here as a result of the 26-year-old is already a PGA Tour winner. It was, nonetheless, an reverse discipline occasion so he stays beneath the radar. Furthermore, there’s good motive to imagine that he has it in him to contend in massive occasions.
To start with he was T8 within the PGA Championship in Might 2025, however he additionally ranked prime 30 for Strokes Gained Tee to Inexperienced final season and that stable base works very properly all through a season and on the hardest assessments.
He went to Mauritius in December – a protracted journey from his North Carolina base – to complete second and safe a world prime 50 spot, and with it an invitation to the Masters.
Michael Brennan
Let’s go together with one other winner from final yr however one who stays one thing of a thriller to many. In his case it was as a result of he’d spent the season on the third tier Tour le las Americas. Not unfruitfully, nonetheless. The truth is he’d gained 3 times on it.
Then, within the Fall Sequence, he landed the Utah Championship in type, topping each the Off the Tee and Tee to Inexperienced stats, thumping the ball miles. He’s maintained that since and it ought to supply him alternatives in 2026.
His caddie knew: halfway by means of 2024 he informed Brennan that he wouldn’t want the second tier to get to the highest.
David Ford
The 23-year-old David Ford was the 2025 winner of the PGA Tour College rankings and whereas he solely added one end higher than T40 in 13 begins in 2025 it was third place within the Utah Championship.
There should not many golfers who emerge from the faculty rankings with no win, however Ford landed seven of them which was a program document at North Carolina.
A lefty, he’s additionally a triplet and one in all his brother, Maxwell, can be a advantageous golfer.
