With Cameron Young recently winning the Players Championship, I thought it would be a good time to take stock of the young (pun intended) and talented within the men’s professional game.
Young, 28, is not exactly just coming out of college. But, as we examined earlier this year, pro golf is being dominated by guys in their 30s.
For all that has changed over the years, the prime of a golfer’s career is still much later compared to other sports. Some professional athletes are retiring by the age a golfer is reaching his peak.
So being in your 20s is still pretty youthful for golf.
Who are the 10 best golfers who fall into this category?
Let’s take a look (age in parentheses).
10. Min Woo Lee (27)
Let him cook!
The “Chef” has been a consistent performer in 2026, finishing runner-up at Pebble Beach and T6 at Bay Hill. His short game is exquisite and it’s fun to see a pro rely on those tools as their strength.
Lee only has one PGA Tour victory (2025 Houston Open) but also claimed the 2021 Scottish Open and the 2023 Australian PGA. He’s a name to keep an eye on moving forward.
9. Sam Burns (29)
Burns has quietly put together a nice career, winning five times in the 2021-2023 time span. It’s now been three years since his last victory but he’s still a constant on leaderboards.
More than any top 20 player in the world, Burns is an elite putter. He led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting last season.
8. Robert MacIntyre (29)
A grossly under-appreciated talent, MacIntyre has been coming on strong over the past year with a victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a runner-up in the 2025 U.S. Open and a top-five finish at The Players this past week. That puts him at No. 10 in Data Golf.
The big lefty is a fantastic putter and leans heavily on that part of the game. It seems like he never backs down from the moment and is a legitimate threat to win a major.
7. Chris Gotterup (26)
You could probably argue that Gotterup should be higher up on this list, and that’s fair. He’s won three times since last July and has a standout skill with being a top driver of the ball.
The only knock is that he tends to bottom out during weeks when he doesn’t have things together.
He will definitely be a part of American team golf in the future if he continues to play like he has.
6. Akshay Bhatia (24)
Bhatia is easily the youngest on this list. When people ask who the next young star is in golf, Bhatia is usually the answer.
He’s really come into his own in 2026 with a victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and four other quality finishes, including a T3 at the WM Phoenix Open.
Bhatia definitely has the pedigree, talent and aura to be a top-10 golfer in the world for years to come.
5. Ludvig Aberg (26)
Despite his Sunday collapse at The Players, Aberg is viewed in the same light as Bhatia—a world-class talent who has the ability to reach No. 1 in the world some day.
His swing is simple and effective. He’s an incredible driver of the ball and has no obvious weakness to his game if his putter continues to cooperate as it has been recently.
We were perhaps a little quick to anoint Aberg but it still seems like his future is bright, once he gets a little more seasoning.
4. Cameron Young (28)
The recent Players champion is certainly on the rise.
Despite getting into contention at multiple majors, it took Young a long time to win a Tour event. He finally got it done at the Wyndham Championship and has been trending in the right direction for a while.
The putter was a problem earlier in his career until he started relying more on his caddie for green reading. Young’s main weakness now is a solid part of his game.
Watch out because he could be in line for a major title this year.
3. Viktor Hovland (28)
Hovland had been wildly inconsistent the past few years but has seemed to course-correct in 2026 as he has made all six cuts and has four top-15 finishes.
His ceiling is higher than others on this list but Hovland’s floor is also lower as he tends to run hot and cold.
Is he the best active player without a major? He’s in the discussion.
2. Collin Morikawa (29)
Morikawa is on the cusp of turning 30 but still qualifies for this list.
The two-time major winner has been very good in 2026 with a victory at Pebble Beach and quality starts at the Genesis (T7) and Arnold Palmer (5th) before having to withdraw from The Players.
Morikawa has struggled in the majors recently and had a so-so 2025 campaign but he’s definitely a fixture in the game’s top 20 players.
1. Scottie Scheffler (29)
Scheffler is turning 30 this June, right around the time when he will be looking to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open.
While Scheffler isn’t young he still has a ton of years ahead of him. He feels much older than he is—maybe it’s the four major titles or because he just looks like he is middle-aged.
It’s still a reminder that, barring injury, Scheffler could be dominating for another decade.
So that is the list. Which golfer under the age of 30 will break out in an even bigger way this season?
Let me know below in the comments.
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