With the completion of the FedEx Championship, another year has come and gone on the PGA Tour. Whilst some have had a year they will forever remember, for others it’s a case of back to the drawing board.
In this guide we will take a look at five players who have been able to sign off 2024 in style and five players who will hope to be back to form in 2025.
Five Players Who Have Had a Great Season
1. Scottie Scheffler
It makes sense to start any list of players of who have had a great season with Scottie Scheffler.
The undisputed best player in the game, Scheffler has emulated the feat of the great Tiger Woods by winning seven PGA titles. The winner of some of the biggest prizes in the sport, Scheffler was able to finally win a first FedEx title and win a second major when emerging victorious at Augusta for the second time.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Scheffler this season. He would have been frustrated not to have won more than one major and his unfortunate arrest ahead of the PGA Championship will be an incident that he will forever rue.
However, not since the days of Tiger Woods has one man been so dominant on Tour and with him leading a whole host of different statistics, he could be set to dominate for years to come.
2. Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele started this season as arguably the best player not to have won a major, but the Californian can now firmly put that unwanted record to bed.
Operating in a cool and calm fashion and looking like a man in complete control of his swing, Schauffele was able to put his near miss at the Wells Fargo behind him when he kept his nerve to win the PGA Championship.
Holding onto post the lowest ever score in a major, it wasn’t long before Schauffele was back in the majors winning circle, when he emerged victorious at the Open.
Now easily one of the best players in the world, Schauffele looks like he could be a perennial major contender for seasons to come. A truly special player from tee to green, it would be a surprise to nobody if he were to add to his major haul next year.
3. Collin Morikawa
After winning two majors within the first few years of turning professional, many believed that Collin Morikawa was the heir apparent to Tiger Woods.
Whilst Scottie Scheffler has taken over that mantle, after a lean period in terms of winning tournaments, Morikawa was back to his formidable best this season.
It may seem odd that he is included on this list given the fact that he didn’t win a tournament in 2024. However the man from LA put himself in numerous positions to win and often found himself denied by Scottie Scheffler.
Now back to fourth position in the world rankings, Morikawa looks back on track and will be hopeful of winning major number three next season.
4. Ludvig Aberg
Ever since he graduated from college many felt that Ludvig Aberg was a man destined for the top of the game. Boasting a swing that is as smooth as silk, the laid back Swede has had a fantastic season that has seen him rise to number five in the world rankings.
A winner of the RSM Classic, Aberg has just missed out on some of the sport’s biggest prizes when he finished second at the Masters and AT&T Classic. Despite his monumental rise in the game, it’s easy to think that Aberg has been around for decades, however this has been the Swede’s first full season and he would have been delighted with how he has played.
The next step for Aberg is to land a signature prize and if he keeps up this level of form, few would bet against that feat happening next year.
5. Robert MacIntyre
Starting out his first full season on the PGA Tour, Robert MacIntyre has enjoyed a brilliant first full season in America. One of the stars of the victorious 2023 European Ryder Cup team, MacIntyre looks like being one of Europe’s leading players at next year’s tournament.
A winner in Canada and in front of his own fans at the Scottish Open, MacIntyre has secured his tour card for the next few seasons and would have been ecstatic to have finished the year ranked as the 16th best player on Tour.
With high hopes going into next season, MacIntyre will hope to be Scotland’s first major winner since the turn of the century.
Five Players Who Are Heading Back to The Drawing Board
1. Jordan Spieth
You don’t win three majors without being a world class player. Despite being a hugely popular player to follow, the last few years have been a struggle for Jordan Spieth and his lack of form was clear for all to see this season.
Battling both form and a niggling wrist injury, Spieth is now ranked 44th in the world and saw his season end after the first playoff tournament.
With two top tens in his first three tournaments, Spieth then went onto miss a string of cuts and failed to feature in another top ten for the remainder of the season.
Chasing a career grand slam at the PGA Championship, Spieth will hope to bounce back to form next year, but this year could not have gone worse.
2. Patrick Cantlay
Now with his great friend Xander Schauffele having won his first major, the unwanted record of being the best player never to have won a major could now lie with Patrick Cantlay.
Having been a fixture in the top ten for the past few seasons and having won some of the game’s biggest prizes, 2024 was one to forget for Cantlay who couldn’t quite get his head in front when it came to winning a tournament this year.
Although he was able to post numerous top five finishes at prestigious tournaments such as the U.S Open, RBC Heritage and the Genesis, Cantlay will hope to win PGA title number seven next year.
3. Justin Thomas
Considering that he is considered a generational talent, this was another season that Thomas will want to forget.
Unable to win a title, Thomas just scraped through in 30th place to the Tour Championships and missed out on a selection for the Presidents Cup. Whilst considered a lock for events like the Presidents Cup for years to come, his omission will be a wake up call ahead of next year’s Ryder Cup and he will need to play much better golf.
Like his great friend Jordan Spieth, there is a fear that Thomas may not be living up to the hype and he will hope to put that right next year.
4. Max Homa
One man who was able to receive a call up for the Presidents Cup was Max Homa.
So often a consistent force on Tour, Homa’s form has dramatically tailed off since he put up a great showing at the Masters.
Unable to qualify for the Tour Championship, Homa’s season ended abruptly upon the conclusion of the BMW Championship and he finds himself searching for his best game.
With just one top ten finish since his close call at the Masters, Homa has his great display at the 2023 Ryder Cup to thank for his Presidents Cup place. If he is to help America keep up their impressive record in the competition he will simply have to play much better.
5. Rory McIlroy
It seems harsh to include McIlroy here considering he has won tournaments this season including the Wells Fargo and Zurich Classic, however it’s in the majors where McIlroy’s career will be judged and his winless run in majors has now extended to 11 years, despite that nearly ending this season.
The U.S Open is where it could have been so different, leading by two with just five holes to play, two short putts for par could forever haunt him and he had to watch Bryson DeChambeau come in and pick up the pieces.
Since his dramatic blowup, McIlroy has looked like a man who wants the season to end, he would go onto miss the cut at the Open and despite a spirited showing at the Olympics he was barely a feature during the FedEx Playoffs.
No man on the PGA Tour will be as glad that the season is over, it will take a lot for him to come back next year and land a blow at the majors, but hopefully after a summer where he rests, his long major drought will be over.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
