For decades some of Europe’s best players have been able to take the game in America by storm. Tony Jacklin was one of the continent’s first exports to find success, but since then the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy have all been able to fly the European flag high.
With Europe continuing to be a hotbed of talent, there are several European players who will be playing stateside this season and will hope to join the list of European greats who have tasted success on both sides of the Atlantic. Lets take a look at three players from Europe who will hope to make their mark on the PGA Tour this season.
Tommy Fleetwood
For well over a decade Tommy Fleetwood has been a stalwart of the DP World Tour, a winner of some of Europe’s biggest tournaments, Fleetwood is a former European Order of Merit Champion and has contributed to two Ryder Cup successes in both 2018 and 2023.
Likely to be a lock for Luke Donald’s side when Europe head to America to take on the U.S. team at Bethpage Black in September, Fleetwood will hope to hit one of America’s hardest courses fresh off the back of winning in America for the very first time.
Yes, you read that right, despite numerous runner up efforts at the majors and a plethora of European titles to his name, a win on the PGA Tour still very much eludes the Englishman and he will be desperate to write that wrong this season.
Usually immaculate from tee to green, Fleetwood is a firm favourite of the galleries thanks to his easy-going nature and effortless swing. However where it usually goes wrong is on the greens and if he is to finally make his American breakthrough he simply has to putt better.
Through the first fourt weeks of the season, Fleetwood has had a slow start to proceedings and he and his fans will desperately be hoping that his year will shift dramatically over the next few weeks and months. Many will be hoping that Fleetwood finally captures his first PGA title.
Nicolai Hojgaard
Whilst Rory McIlroy rightly earned all of the plaudits on the DP World Tour thanks to his third successive Race to Dubai title, McIlroy’s nearest challenger was the hugely talented Dane, Nicolai Hojgaard.
One half of the famous Hojgaard twins, Nicolai along with his brother Rasmus have long been talents that have been under the European microscope and despite Rasmus enjoying the better early career, it seems that Nicolai is now ready to be the dominant player.
Having missed out on his PGA Tour card in heartbreaking fashion at the end of the 2023, Nicolai set about rewriting the script with a string of hugely impressive performances at some of the DP World Tour’s biggest events.
Posting top five finishes at both the British Masters BMW PGA Championship, Hojgaard was able to capture the biggest title of his career when he produced a stunning finish at the 2024 Irish Open to deny home favourite McIlroy a famous win in front of his adoring fans.
A hugely talented ball striker, Hojgaard is a phenomenon off the tee and it’s clear that he has worked incredibly hard on his short game and putting. Like so many of his European counterparts, Hojgaard will know that to be considered a great he will need to put significant roots down on American soil and he will be desperate to leave his mark in what will be his first full season on the PGA Tour.
A name that many stateside don’t know about, he will be wanting to ensure that by this time next year he is a name that everyone in the world of golf is talking about.
Robert MacIntyre
What a twelve months it’s been for Robert MacIntyre. Hailing from the tiny seaside town of Oban in the West of Scotland, MacIntyre has put Scottish golf back on the map and the enigmatic Scot will hope that his superb golf in 2024 was just a pre-cursor for what is to come this season.
Having earnt his first PGA Tour card in 2023, the Scot found the first few months of 2024 difficult. By his own admission struggling to be away from his family and friends, MacIntyre seemed to be pining for a return to European shores but an inspired caddy change ahead of the Canadian Open launched his career to a completely new stratosphere.
Still feeling the effects of not having his close network around him, MacIntyre asked his dad to caddy for him in Canada and with some familiarity around him, MacIntyre would find himself flourishing.
Heading out in the final round with his first ever three round lead, MacIntyre and dad Dougie were able to keep it together and with him draining the winning putt on the 18th MacIntyre and his story instantly became one of golf’s greatest feelgood moments of 2024.
Buoyed by his win and with his immediate PGA future secured for at least another two years, the rest of 2024 saw a different MacIntyre emerge. Bullish about his prospects of winning the Scottish Open, MacIntyre avenged his narrow defeat in the 2023 event with a stunning victory. With two PGA wins in as many months, MacIntyre had arrived.
A plucky underdog this time last year, MacIntyre is now one of Europe’s leading men on the PGA Tour, but with that presence comes expectation and many are curious as to how MacIntyre will handle being in the spotlight this time around.
Still learning in America, the Scot will do incredibly well to match his exploits from 2024 but you can be rest assured he will be trying to surpass his efforts this year. With a Ryder Cup place to secure, MacIntyre will hope to continue to rewrite his memorable story this year with even more success in 2025.
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.
