Who Are Golf's Future World Number Ones

Anybody who has watched Scottie Scheffler plying his trade over the past two years will surely agree that he is the best golfer in the world. There can be no argument.

In 2024 alone he has won seven times - The Masters, The Memorial, The Players, the Travelers, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage and the Tour Championship. And just for good measure, he also picked up the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. And even when he doesn’t win he contends. His level of consistency and brilliance is breathtaking.

As we stand, he leads the world rankings by a margin not seen since Tiger Woods was at his majestic best.

But it cannot - and will not - last forever. So who are the golfers who could be looking down on the rest?

Xander Schauffele

The American won two majors in 2024, The US PGA and The Open Championship, and has not missed a cut in any tournament since 2022. His slice of bad luck is that he happens to be playing the best golf of his life while Scheffler is doing the same thing - only even better!

Ludvig Aberg

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

What a talent! Hits the ball a mile, is a fabulous iron player, has a beautiful touch around the greens and putts like an angel. Oh, and he has a fantastic temperament. At the start of 2024 he hadn’t played in a single major. His first was The Masters, where he finished second!

Viktor Hovland

Hovland gave Scheffler a run for his money in the rankings in 2023 as he finished the season in spectacular season, winning the BMW and Tour Championship as well as The Memorial on his way to picking up the FedEx Cup. Inexplicably, he then made some ill-advised swing changes that failed to work. But he is on the right track again.

Tom Kim

Kim is arguably the most exciting young talent in the game. I love the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve, and it was no surprise to see him involved in a couple of spats at the 2024 Presidents Cup. Did not have a stellar 2024 PGA Tour season but he will be back with a bang. 

Robert MacIntyre

Before you start taking me to task over this one, I would point out that the Scot ended 2023 in 56th position in the rankings. He is now 16th after winning the Canadian Open and Scottish Open. Remember that the Scottish Open boasted a world-class field, as did the Canadian Open. Make no mistake - this is one gifted golfer.

Sahith Theegala

Could well be the pick of the current crop of young Americans (and there are plenty to choose from). Theegala has found an enviable level of consistency but needs to win more. You sense that if he can win a major soon it could change everything.

Cameron Young

Yes, I know! Why is a golfer who has yet to win a PGA Tour event featuring on a list of potential future world number ones? I would remind you that Scottie Scheffler found it very difficult to win when he first joined the PGA Tour but after recording his first success the floodgates opened. I remained utterly convinced that the same could happen with Young.

Will Zalatoris

This is entirely dependent upon two things - his ability to remain fit after undergoing back fusion surgery and his ability to hole putts. Zalatoris is a wondrous iron player but he struggled horribly with the short stick. However, using a long putter seems to have done the trick.

Luke Clanton

You may not have heard of Clanton - that will change! The world’s top-ranked amateur, Clanton has already climbed to 145th in the world rankings. He finished tied 41st at the US Open, tied 10th at the Rocket Mortgage, tied second at the John Deere and fifth at the Wyndham. This young man is a superstar in the making. Guaranteed.

Christo Lamprecht

Lamprecht is a 6ft 8in South African who hits the ball into the middle of next week. He won The Amateur Championship in 2023 and in September 2023 rose to the top of the amateur world rankings. He enjoyed a fabulous amateur career before turning professional in May 2024.

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