10 Golfers You Need to Watch in 2024

Putting the politics to one side, I cannot wait for the 2024 season to unfold. I believe that many exciting things lie ahead and that we are going to see the emergence of some exceptional talent on both sides of the Atlantic.

Here are my players to watch in 2024:

Ludvig Aberg

It is not going to surprise anybody that Aberg features at the top of this list. Not since Tiger Woods way back in 1996 has a new pro taken the game by storm in the way that Aberg has. He already has victories on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour to his name and has made his Ryder Cup debut - and all of this without ever having played in a major. That, of course, is all going to change in 2024. The only question is: just how good can Aberg become? I believe he will be in the top five in the world rankings by summer. He will become a regular winner and there is no question that he will contend in the majors. We really could be watching emergence of golf’s next superstar.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Marco Penge

You may not have heard of Penge but he took the Challenge Tour by storm in 2023, gaining his DP World Tour card with statistics that blow the mind. He averages around 340 yards from the tee. Let me repeat that - he averages THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY yards from the tee. He also finds plenty of fairways. He only knows one way to play - attack, attack, attack. That means there are going to be weeks where he misses the cut by a country mile. But there are also going to be weeks when everything clicks into place.

Adrian Meronk

If ever there was a European golfer who was equipped to succeed on the PGA Tour then it is Meronk, already the best golfer Poland has ever produced. He is a serial winner on the DP World Tour and is still smarting from being overlooked by Luke Donald for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. He is a magnificent ball striker and has a wonderful temperament. I will be astonished if he does not win on the PGA Tour in 2024.

Nicolai Hojgaard

Will be playing most of his golf on the PGA Tour in 2024 and there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that he will take to life in America like a duck to water. He is a big hitter, a proven winner and possesses a wonderful temperament. He relishes tough golf courses. A deep thinker and a genuinely pleasant young man.

Cameron Young

The American was rookie of the year in 2022 after a host of runner-up finishes, including finishing second at The Open. He was expected to kick on during 2023 but it never really happened. He is still looking for his maiden PGA Tour victory but I am absolutely convinced that will change in 2024.

Dan Bradbury

Bradbury is one of the most exciting talents in European golf. The 24-year-old won the Joburg Open in 2022 and finished third in his recent title defence. He was fifth at the DP World Tour Championship and tied sixth at the Open de Espana. Bradbury loves to attack but has matured hugely, and I expect to see him win multiple times in the year ahead - and rocket up the world rankings in the process.

Tom McKibbin

A product of the same Holywood Golf Club that produced a certain Rory McIlroy, McKibbin became the youngest winner from the island of Ireland since McIlroy as he triumphed at the 2023 Porsche European Open on what was his 26th start on the DP World Tour. He only turned professional in 2021 and played on the European Challenge Tour the following year. Earned his DP World Tour card after finishing tenth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings. Still only 21, McKibbin has the world at his feet. Like so many others on this list, he has a wonderful temperament.

Sahith Theegala

Theegala has just turned 26. He turned professional in 2020. He got his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October 2021 and finished third at the Phoenix Open in February 2022. In June 2022, Theegala tied for second in the Travelers Championship and qualified for the Tour Championship. He enjoyed a consistent 2022-23 season, narrowly missing out on the US Ryder Cup team. His breakthrough came when he won the Fortinet Championship. He finished 31st in the FedEx Cup standings.

Akshay Bhatia

Akshay Bhatia won the 2023 Barracuda Championship. The big-hitting left-hander won his first time out as a pro on the Korn Ferry Tour and claimed his maiden PGA Tour title in his 36th event on the big stage. His swing has a lot of moving parts but, like so many left-handers, he is a genius on the greens.

Rose Zhang

Definitely one to watch on the LPGA Tour. She had a storied amateur career, earning two NCAA Women’s Golf Championship Individual Championship titles (2022, 2023), back-to-back ANNIKA Awards (2022, 2023) and a win at the 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur, among many other accolades. She is the first player since Beverly Hanson way back in 1951 to win on her professional debut on the LPGA Tour. Big things are expected of her going forward.