The 2025 golf year has been a blockbuster across the board. Back in April, Rory McIlroy ended an 11-year wait and a mountain of close calls to finally claim his grand-slam with his emotional Masters triumph, banishing the ghosts of his 2011 collapse in the process. But while the Northern Irishman flooded the leader board with tears of joy, rival Scottie Scheffler set a clinical pace that looked, at times, downright untouchable.
The American superstar seized both the PGA Championship and The Open with a blend of relentless precision and nerveless consistency that no one could keep up with. His 17-under at Royal Portrush in the latter was borderline unplayable at times, with the rest of the field four strokes away and it could have been more. All of that is without mentioning the Ryder Cup, with Europe coming across the pond to silence the ruthless US crowd and claim their first title on enemy territory since 2012.
So now, as the applause fades on a year for the books, the conversation turns—who is next? In a season that found its drama in every corner, who will write the next chapter? Let’s take a look at three perennial contenders who could claim their maiden major championship next year.
Ludvig Åberg
After turning 26 on Halloween, Ludvig Åberg stands as the next disruptor—precision engineered for the biggest moments. The Swede catapulted himself to No. 3 in the world this year, snatching the Genesis Scottish Open to sit alongside his breakout runners-up medal from last year’s Open Championship. More persuasive than the trophies, though, is his consistency: top-5 on tour in strokes gained on approach, top-10 in driving distance, and even under the bleakest Open Championship sky, his chin rarely dips.
His game, once reduced by critics to a “potential ball-striker,” has matured, proven by the way he responded to a putting crisis mid-season—his decision to overhaul his grip paid off almost instantly, evidenced by a surge in birdie percentage when it mattered most. Åberg possesses the modern toolkit for either Augusta’s slopes or Pinehurst’s labyrinth but it’s his icy calm—the “Ryder Cup effect,” some say—that gives him rarefied poise on Sundays.
The online sportsbooks’ odds certainly seem to agree. The latest prices from the popular Bovada online sportsbook currently list Åberg as a 16/1 shot to win April’s Masters, the shortest odds of all players without a major under his belt. Still, he will have his work cut out in finding a way past kingpins Scheffler and McIlroy.
Tommy Fleetwood
British golf has always valorised its nearly men—Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter — but Tommy Fleetwood may be poised, finally to break the mold. For years, he’s been the best player without a major, his signature the poetic agony of golf’s hardest-earned lessons. The 35-year-old Merseysider has emerged from the bruises of Carnoustie 2018 and countless close shaves emboldened, not embittered.
There has certainly been plenty to shout about over the last few years: top-five finishes at three majors, a statement win at the Dubai Desert Classic, and a resplendent Open run spoiled only by the caprice of a final green. How is he doing it? Proximity to the hole—Fleetwood led the tour in that metric—now pairs with career-best strokes gained off the tee, courtesy of years-long swing retooling.
On the links, his game looks fluid and inevitable; his putting on fescue greens has become a clutch weapon, not a liability. As such, 2026 could well represent the best, and perhaps final, opportunity to write the name Fleetwood into the history books.
Russell Henley
Golf rarely rewards the meticulous as spectacularly as it should, but Russell Henley makes the case for patience, planning, and the slow accretion of advantage. The American turns 37 by the time the 2026 Masters rolls around, with his game now honed, sharpened by hard lessons. Crucially, his relentless devotion to fitness and fine margins should mean that there is no career twilight slump, ensuring that Henley can keep playing his very best golf for the next decade should he so wish.
The 2025 resume makes for startling reading: top-10 finishes in all four majors, a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and tour-leading greens in regulation at an eye-watering 72%. He’s not just finding fairways; he’s dissecting golf courses, reducing them to their numbers and executing with unwavering discipline under the harshest pressure. The improvements are there for all to see: a 70% driving accuracy, mental coaching minimizing Sunday wobbles, and a short game the envy of even the wizards around the green.
Most quietly agree—Pinehurst’s U.S. Open fits Henley like a glove. On a layout demanding nerve and tactical nous, expect the Georgia man to once again find the summit of the leader board. For all the attention focused on bombers and ball-strikers, Henley could yet script the greatest silent coup of all.
