Five golfers bidding for first major in 2025

With the 2024 PGA TOUR season over, attentions turn to 2025 and who will write their name into the golfing history books.

The four majors in 2024 were all spectacular viewing, with Ludvig Aberg falling short of Scottie Scheffler on his major debut, as Scheffler took his second Green Jacket. Xander Schauffele then finally shedded the tag of the best golfer without a major, taking the PGA Championship, before Rory McIlroy came up agonisingly short at the US Open.

Schauffele then took a second major of 2024, being crowned Champion Golfer of the Year.

In 23 of the last 24 years, at least one major winner has been a first-timer and, as we did last year, we’re looking at five players looking to break through in 2025.

Last year’s picks and best major finish:

Viktor Hovland - 3
Ludvig Aberg - 2
Xander Schauffele - WIN
Patrick Cantlay - T3
Cameron Young - T9

Last year's picks included Ludvig Aberg prior to making his major debut, in which he finished second to Scheffler, and Xander Schauffele, who finally broke his major duck at the PGA Championship.

Ludvig Aberg

Since turning professional in 2023 and immediately entering the golfing stratosphere, people have wondered when – not if – Ludvig Aberg will win his first major, suggesting it could even come at his very first attempt at the 2024 US Masters.

And it almost did.

Aberg came second on his Augusta debut after an already-stellar start to the campaign, though his form dipped somewhat in the second half of the season.

What was later discovered is that Aberg was battling a knee injury picked up in May. Indeed, Aberg’s eight results before May were T9-2-T19-T25-8-T14-2-T10 with five of them coming in Signature Events.

Although he enjoyed a strong first campaign on the PGA TOUR, the Swede went winless in 2024, something he’ll be looking to rectify in 2025, and there’s every chance it’s at a major.

Ludvig Aberg to win a major - 7/2

Viktor Hovland

But for his coaching changes and his short game abandoning him once again, 2024 could have been Viktor Hovland’s year.

After a phenomenal 2023 in which the Norwegian won the TOUR Championship, Hovland went looking for improvements in the off-season. As is often the case, damage was done rather than repaired, with Hovland recording just two top-10s all season, with his strokes gained around the green actually worse than in 2022.

It’s a part of his game he’s going to have to rectify, but if he does, there’s no reason Hovland can’t contend in all four majors.

Viktor Hovland to win a major - 11/2

Tommy Fleetwood

There’s every chance that Tommy Fleetwood ends his career without a major, going down alongside fellow English golfers Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter, retiring with a stellar CV, a handful of near misses in majors and lots of wonderful Ryder Cup memories.

Of course, Fleetwood would much rather find himself alongside the likes of Justin Rose and Danny Willett, and there’s no reason to think he can’t.

The Southport man isn’t the longest hitter in the word but is supremely accurate both off the tee and out of the fairway, and loves testing conditions. He’s twice contended at TPC Sawgrass and has five top-fives at The Open and US Open, and though he might be too short to win a Masters or PGA Championship, he does have a pair of top-five finishes at those, too.

2025 will see The Open return to Royal Portrush, where Fleetwood finished solo second behind a rampant Shane Lowry, and you couldn’t rule out him going one better.

Tommy Fleetwood to win a major - 13/2

Patrick Cantlay

Say it quietly, but Patrick Cantlay is steadily building a decent major resume. Although he’d never really contended at majors, in his last 10 starts, he’s finished T14 or better six times.

2024 was actually a disappointing season for Cantlay; after eight top-fives in 2023, he posted four top-fives this time around, though all four were either in majors or Signature Events.

We’ve seen that Cantlay can contend and win tournaments with stellar fields, going back-to-back to take the BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship in 2021; the next step is finally doing it at a major.

Patrick Cantlay to win a major - 10/1

Sungjae Im

Sungjae Im won’t be 27 years of age until the US Masters rolls around so has plenty of time on his side, and Augusta has been a venue that has already yielded some good results for the South Korean.

Im finished T2 on debut, following up with another top 10 two years later, finishing T16 the year after that.

Im’s form at the start of 2024 was dismal, and Augusta isn’t a place to find it; the 26-year-old missed the cuts in the year’s first three majors but did start to return to the form he showed a couple of years ago.

After the Masters, Im finish 12th or better in four Signature Events and finished T7 at The Open, finishing the season strongly at the TOUR Championship.

Ranking a modest 113th in driving distance in 2024, it’s the only part of his game that you could question; a superb iron player and putter with a wonderful touch around the greens, Im could find himself on major leaderboards once again in 2025.

Sungjae Im to win a major - 16/1