Golf

PGA Tour: The Best Players Under 30

by
Dan Chemjor
December 22, 2022

Some of the youngest golfers on the PGA Tour have had the most success recently.
Golf has never been in better hands.
They leave their names in golf’s history books and will continue to add to them in the future.

Some of the youngest golfers on the PGA Tour have had the most success recently.

Since some of the sport’s biggest names are still relatively young, golf has never been in better hands. These golfers, who are firmly in the prime of their careers, have left their names in golf’s history books and will continue to add to them in the years to come.

All four golfers who won major championships in 2022 were under 30. If Phil Mickelson hadn’t won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in memorable fashion in 2021, the same would have been confirmed.

SportsLeo looks at some top PGA Tour golfers under 30 and what to look forward to from them in 2023.

Xander Schauffele (29)

Xander Schauffle.|PHOTO: GOLF|

Schauffele transformed this past year after being dubbed, like Tony Finau, a player who falters down the stretch of major tournaments. Along with Cantlay’s victory in the Zurich Classic and the peculiar circumstances surrounding his trophy-raising (restricted field, no cuts, The Olympics), Schauffele increased his tally throughout the summer. He defeated Sahith Theegala at the Travelers Championship and won again at the Scottish Open in his subsequent start. An impressive performance in the FedEx Cup Playoffs put a bow on a good season, but like Rahm, there was no sign of the significant championship know-how we are used to seeing.

Since 2017, Schauffele has competed in 22 major championships and has 15 top-20 finishes. Schauffele may have shed one label in 2022 but will probably add another in “best player without a major” in 2023 unless he does something significant. Of those, six were top-five finishes and two of those runners-up.

Will Zalatoris (26)

Although the bounces didn’t go in his favour for much of 2022, he is built for the present, and they eventually did. Despite losing in a playoff at the PGA Championship and finishing one stroke behind Fitzpatrick at the U.S. Open, Zalatoris was still one of the best major championship competitors in 2018. He has three runners-up finishes and three more top-10 placings in 10 major championship appearances. His ability to strike the ball well allows him to be a factor on challenging golf courses, and he did so at the St. Jude Championship in August. With the help of some accurate putting, Zalatoris defeated Sepp Straka in a playoff to win his first PGA Tour championship in Memphis.

When he was forced to withdraw from the BMW Championship the following week due to a back injury, the floodgates were swiftly shut, and he hasn’t been seen in action since. Back injuries are always terrifying when talking about golfers, and Zalatoris won’t be any different. He has a wiry build and will return at the Tournament of Champions, hopefully restoring any health concerns.

Cameron Young (25)

Cameron Young is just 25 years old. |PHOTO: PGA Tours|

In his first season, he won the podium seven times. Young consistently set himself up to prevail in golf competitions. Variation, good fortune, and possibly some inexperience hampered his efforts to win a trophy, but those factors won’t be acceptable justifications in 2023. His name became a fixture on the first page of the leaderboard in some of the year’s most significant competitions after placing second at the Genesis Invitational, third at the PGA Championship, and second at The Open. The presence of his father, who left his position at Sleppy Hollow to travel with Young full-time, may help Young reach new heights and claim victory.

Justin Thomas (29)

Justin Thomas.|PHOTO: GOLF|

Thomas is firmly established among the top players in the game after winning 15 times on the PGA Tour. To win his second Wanamaker Trophy at the PGA Championship and claim his lone championship for 2022, it took a herculean effort and some assistance from Mito Pereira. Thomas put himself in a position to win multiple times but was beaten by Sam Burns at the Valspar Championship and Rory McIlroy at the Canadian Open.

He only managed to win one trophy this year, the third time in the previous four seasons. The 2022 PGA Championship and the 2021 Players Championship may be among them, but Thomas is too good of a player to win just once a year. By 2023, this is likely to change.