While the golf world has lost some key figures, the one constant we can always count on is the PGA Tour's ability to attract and develop new, talented young players.
Just when it seems like the PGA Tour needs some new potential stars, help is on the way.
Here are five new players on the PGA Tour who should make an immediate impact in 2025.
age: twenty one
How he qualified: PGA Tour U Drag Race
Why we watch: Clanton has not yet officially received his PGA Tour card, but will almost certainly get it by May. PGA Tour U Tournament Speed Up The program requires players to earn 20 “points” to qualify for a tour card. The Florida State product has 11 points on the 2024 PGA Tour. Clanton also received five points for becoming the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and one point for participating in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Clanton currently leads by 17 points. However, if he wins the Hogan Award (which is considered a lock at this point), he will receive an additional 3 points, bringing the total to 20 points.
Despite his inexperience, Clanton made an immediate impact on the PGA Tour. He had two runner-up finishes last season (John Deere Classic and RSM Classic) and two other top-10 finishes (Rocket Mortgage Classic and Wyndham Championship).
While the results are certainly noteworthy, it's his striking ability that makes him one of the most intriguing prospects in golf. Over the past 30 rounds on Tour, Clanton ranks second in strokes gained (a combination of strokes gained off the tee and off the tee) behind only Scotty Scheffler.
Clanton’s experience as an amateur in the pros should give him the toughness needed for the 2025 season. The ceiling is huge for Clanton, who already had the talent to compete with most of the top players in the world as a rookie.
.@FSUGolfLuke Clanton takes the lead in the RSM Classic! 👀
📺 Golf Channel | @TheRSMClassic pic.twitter.com/BFtAnZQdEv
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) November 24, 2024
age: 31
How he qualified: DP World Tour Top 10 Qualification
Why we care about him: Matteo Manassero is the only veteran on this list, but I felt the need to include him. The Italian was once considered an absolute star but has not played on the PGA Tour since 2014. When Mateo was just 16, he finished tied for 13th at the 2009 British Open at Turnberry. In the first two rounds, he fought alongside the then 59-year-old Tom Watson. The teenager quickly rose to the top 30 in the world rankings after winning four times on the DP World Tour between 2010 and 2013, culminating in victory at the 2013 BMW PGA Championship at the iconic Wentworth Club.
His rise to prominence in golf was swift, but his disappearance from public view was equally sudden. In 2015, the player once considered a “can't miss” prospect made the cut 18 times in 23 starts. He subsequently lost his spot on the DP World Tour and retired from competition.
However, this story has a happy ending. Manassero has reached the winner's circle twice on the 2023 Challenge Tour. In March 2024, he won the DP World Tour for the fifth time, breaking an 11-year championship drought. He defeated his rivals at the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa and regained the confidence that had once filled him with hope.
Following the win, the 31-year-old added six more top-10 finishes in his next 16 starts, ensuring he becomes one of 10 players on the DP World Tour to earn dual membership on the PGA Tour in 2025 .
I'm eagerly looking forward to witnessing Matteo Manassero's second chance at a fresh start on the PGA Tour.
He's back.
Birdied the last four holes to end the match in style🙌#JonssonWorkwearOpen | @ManasseroMatteo pic.twitter.com/sw43SsgsZP
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 10, 2024
age: twenty three
How he qualified: Korn Ferry Tourism Graduate
Why we care about him: Over the past few years, a number of PGA Tour Australian teams have migrated to LIV, led by former Open champion Cameron Smith. While veterans like Jason Day and Adam Scott remain, the arrival of Carl Willips should significantly reinvigorate this lineup.
Willips was destined for stardom from his teenage years. The talented phenom won the U.S. Kids World Junior Championship at ages 7 and 9 and the Callaway Junior World Championship at 10 and 12 years old. He also joined the legendary Bobby Jones in becoming the youngest winner of the Men's Southern Amateur Championship at just 15 years old. In 2024, after finishing his career at Stanford University, Willips turned professional and made a total of 10 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. Despite the shortened season, “Koala Karl” performed well enough to earn 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year honors. He won the Utah Championship in August and had four other top-20 finishes on KFT.
Carr is another rookie on the PGA Tour who will show off incredible clubhead speed right out of the gate. His speed of about 120 mph is tied with fellow young up-and-comers Nick Dunlap and Michael Thorbjornsen, Willips' former college roommate at Stanford. .
Vilips is coached by Colin Swatton, who helped fellow Australian Jason Day rise to No. 1 in the world and win a major championship in 20 years. From his teenage prodigy days, Carr showed all the signs of a golfer destined for stardom, aiming to become the fourth Australian to reach the pinnacle of the sport and become the world's number one.
Congratulations #gseworldwide Golf client Karl Vilips was rated @Glory International Travel Rookie of the Year. 👏 pic.twitter.com/n0Ez8HdCbp
— GSE Worldwide (@GSEworldwide) November 13, 2024
age: 20
How he qualified: Korn Ferry Tourism Graduate
Why we care about him: Last year, Aldrich Potgieter became the youngest player ever to win on the Korn Ferry Tour, and just two years later he became the second-youngest winner of the Amateur Championship.
Potgett was born in Mossel Bay in the Southern Cape Province of South Africa and has the South African flag next to his name. However, he lived in Australia from the age of 8 to 17 and won the South Australian Junior Masters in 2020 by a staggering nine strokes.
Potgett's story is fascinating, but what golf fans love most about him is his prowess off the tee. His average clubhead speed was 126 mph, 10 mph faster than the PGA Tour average of 115.9 mph. At the 2023 U.S. Open, the then-18-year-old Potgett led the field in driving distance, taking into account his proven long game against the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy It’s a shocking fact about batsmen’s confrontations.
This fall, Potgieter proved that success in his amateur and early career can translate into competing against some of the best players in the world. He finished tied for eighth at the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in Brisbane. Back-to-back 67s left him just two strokes behind Australian stars Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman heading into the final round. Just two weeks later, Aldridge was once again a contender for the 54-hole lead at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa. Despite a poor finish and an inability to convert his performance into a victory, Potgett will shake off the disappointment with some valuable experience.
Potgett's potential as a pro golfer isn't just in terms of yards off the tee (he has an abundance of distance), but in his potential star power. He honed his skills as a child at the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy in Mossel Bay, South Africa, and further perfected them in Western Australia.
Even though Potgett is one of the youngest players on tour in the 2025 class, there's every reason to believe he can make an immediate impact at the highest level.
South Africa's Aldridge Potgett currently leads by 2 strokes #PGAaunty pic.twitter.com/hgE8DMd4MW
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 23, 2024
age: 25
How he qualified: Korn Ferry Tourism Graduate
Why we care about him: Frankie Caplan III is the type of player ready to make an immediate impact on the PGA Tour.
The 25-year-old ended his Korn Ferry Tour season on a hot note, winning the National Children's Hospital Championship in September before finishing tied for fifth at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Kapan III is already experienced and showed last season that he was ready for the big stage, finishing tied for 41st at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
Frankie has had an extensive golfing journey, honing his skills in various regions. After starting his college career at the University of Alabama, he transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University for his final two seasons. Growing up, Kapan also developed his game in Minnesota and Arizona, adding a diverse background to his golf background.
He also broke the record held by Scottie Scheffler. In April 2024, Kapan III shot a ridiculous 58 in the first round of the Veritex Bank Championship in Texas, breaking Scheffler's previous course record of 59. However, Scheffler did it in a casual race with friends in 2020, while Kapan III did it at a professional event.
Kapan III is a very modern golfer who can hit the ball extremely low on any given day. At just 16 years old, he made his PGA Tour debut at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. Nine years later, I believe Kapan III may be the Korn Ferry Tour graduate most ready to make his mark on the PGA Tour in 2025.
See you in January @PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/osmqvTlRBG
— Frankie Capan III (@frankiecapan) November 4, 2024