Think about some of the top players in golf today. Then consider where they were a few years ago. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is winless on the PGA Tour in 2022. In 2023, Wyndham Clark found himself in the same predicament before claiming two of the biggest titles of his career. Over the past year, Xander Schauffele has gone from a good, consistent player to a two-time major champion.
Breakthroughs happen every season on the PGA Tour, and while some like Scheffler and Schauffele are predictable, others like Clark are more surprising. Entering 2023, Clark is ranked No. 162 in the world, a position currently occupied by incoming PGA Tour rookie Taylor Dickson, but Clark is an afterthought. He then defeated Schauffele at the Wells Fargo Championship and then Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open. Suddenly, he was in the spotlight when it came to predicting major golf tournaments.
The American has since played for the U.S. Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams, and last season represented Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics while climbing to third place in the Official World Golf Ranking. Clark's rise began in his mid-twenties as he needed time to establish himself at the professional level. Others, like Scheffler and Ludwig Oberg, developed more suddenly.
With the 2025 PGA Tour season about to kick off, let’s take a look at the mix of breakout candidates for the 2025 season, including those who are young and bubbling on the surface, as well as others who have been close to sustained success before but may be about to Players who succeed have even greater success in the new year.