The golfing major calendar of 2024 has run its course as big names have shown their dominance yet again while some surprise winners also emerged.
The attention of many fans will now be focused on the four grand individual events of 2025 which could encapsulate breakthrough years for some of the talents on the brink of the top 50 rankings.
Here we will pinpoint some stars that could make strong strides towards becoming mainstream names at the elite level of golf next year.
Austin Eckroat
Austin Eckroat is one of the United States’ most talented golfers – with the entirety of his prime days ahead of him, he has established a position as a comfortable top 100 player and already has a PGA Tour win under his belt.
Eckroat will be seriously aiming for further success in 2025 and that could come in the form of strong finishes across the quartet of major competitions.
The US Open is set to be the most likely venue for an impressive showing from Eckroat according to next year’s betting on golf. The American is a 150/1 outsider to win the event, although his 2023 10th-placed finish is evidence that he could finish near the peak of the rankings.
Starting the #FedExCup Playoffs with a chip-in birdie
Austin Eckroat is off and running @FedExChamp. pic.twitter.com/IbJLYPttr2
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 15, 2024
Eckroat followed up last year’s career-high major finish by making the halfway cut in three out of four of the major championships this year, which is a clear sign that he is fast becoming a serious competitor at the highest level possible.
If the trend of consistent improvement and swift movement up the world rankings continues into 2025 for Eckroat then the United States could have yet another star break into the elite level in the early stages of his career.
Thomas Detry
Thomas Detry is by far Belgium’s leading player, and he has already made a name for himself as one of his nation’s greatest ever. However, he still has work to do in 2025 if he is to earn a place among the world’s most consistent stars.
He has enjoyed an excellent year in 2024 which has seen him rise from the lower end of the top 100 to the verge of being a top 50 golfer. The Belgian’s tied-fourth finish at the PGA Championship represented the highlight of his 2024 major season, and his 14th-placed US Open finish helped to back up his top-level credentials.
Update from Mexico!
New blog post available https://t.co/PJKVJoeq7m pic.twitter.com/5GMNu26VaP
— Thomas Detry (@tomdetry) November 2, 2022
Detry’s biggest aim in 2025 will be to end his seven-year winless streak across the professional tours and that alongside continued consistency across the board could secure a true breakthrough season for him. He last won an event in the Melbourne World Cup of Golf in 2018.
The Belgian’s position in the rankings and his stature in the sport could also be improved massively by a successive set of strong finishes in the major competitions – multiple top-10 finishes are certainly a realistic possibility for Detry in 2025.
The two stars mentioned here are ultimately some exciting players who are driving quickly towards the prime days of their careers. Both Eckroat and Detry look poised to showcase further improvements to their games next year and that should see them truly enter the top group of players in the world.
