The Tour Championship is now behind us and, aside from the Presidents Cup and a pair one-off appearances in lower-tier occasions, golf’s prime stars are shutting issues down till 2025.
Prefer it did final 12 months, the retooled FedEx Cup season begins in January as a substitute of the autumn. Whereas Korn Ferry Tour gamers, journeymen and others battle for standing on the large Tour, the highest guys relaxation till the brand new 12 months.
That makes it an incredible second to look again at this 12 months to take inventory of the place among the sport’s finest at the moment stand. I do know LIV just isn’t completed with the 12 months, however I feel we’ve greater than sufficient outcomes handy out some grades.
Here’s a rating of 15 star gamers (on the PGA Tour or LIV) and the way they fared in 2024. If I didn’t really feel they qualify for “star standing” then I left them off the record.
1. Scottie Scheffler (A+)
The one letdown for Scheffler is that he solely got here away with one main victory.
Scheffler earned $62 million on the course this 12 months, destroying the season report (per spherical, he made greater than $800,000!). That’s greater than half the on-course cash Tiger Woods earned in his complete profession.
The Texan had seven Tour victories plus a gold medal. Whereas his Masters win is essentially the most significant to his legacy, we’ll bear in mind his Sunday costs on the Gamers Championship and the Olympics.
2. Xander Schauffele (A+)
You not often see two A+ grades in a season, however you must award two this 12 months.
Schauffele turned the primary participant since Brooks Koepka to win two majors in the identical season. He was additionally the primary participant since Jordan Spieth to have his first two main victories are available the identical 12 months.
Schauffele’s fame has modified quickly. He’s firmly the No. 2 participant on the earth with no qualms.
3. Bryson DeChambeau (A)
Simply based mostly on the primary three majors alone, DeChambeau deserves an A.
He obtained into the combination on the Masters, got here one stroke shy on the PGA Championship after which lastly broke by on the U.S. Open.
His LIV outcomes have been simply OK given a participant of his caliber, however rather a lot is forgiven if you happen to win a significant. It’s additionally price mentioning how a lot his inventory rose exterior of event golf.
4. Rory McIlroy (A-)
It’s a lofty normal to set, however I feel McIlroy shall be disillusioned in his season.
He received thrice—together with a victory over Schauffele within the Wells Fargo Championship—and had six different top-five finishes. The flexibility and drive remains to be there.
However we’ll largely bear in mind his late psychological collapse within the U.S. Open after which throwing away an Olympic medal with a tragic mistake on the fifteenth gap of the ultimate spherical.
5. Hideki Matsuyama (A-)
Nicely this one snuck up on us.
Matsuyama received two massive occasions with the Genesis Invitational and FedEx St. Jude Championship to associate with a bronze medal within the Olympics.
5 different top-10 finishes cemented Matsuyama’s place as one of many prime gamers on the earth, though he might want to carry out higher within the majors to be thought-about in the identical class as these above him on this record.
6. Collin Morikawa (B)
In a wierd statistical oddity, Morikawa performed barely higher golf in 2024 than he was throughout the begin of his profession when he received two majors—however this time round, he didn’t win a single time.
Morikawa recorded seven top-five finishes and solely missed one lower the complete 12 months. He was very sturdy within the majors, by no means ending worse than T16.
Hyper constant and clearly among the many prime few gamers on the earth, Morikawa is due for some victories in 2025.
7. Tommy Fleetwood (B)
Persistently a prime 20 participant on the earth over a lot of the final decade, Fleetwood had a pleasant 2024 highlighted by a Dubai Invitational win, a silver medal within the Olympics and a T3 on the Masters.
Fleetwood is quietly as much as No. 8 within the Information Golf rankings, which represents arguably the very best statistical play of his profession exterior of 2018.
He nonetheless hasn’t received within the U.S. but, so that’s the subsequent step for him to take.
8. Jon Rahm (B-)
I’m going to provide Rahm a slight break right here.
Though his main season was a nightmare for a participant of his caliber, Rahm has began to revive his sport with a LIV victory and a robust efficiency within the Olympics the place he blew a late lead. He’s nonetheless the No. 3 participant on the earth in accordance with Information Golf.
I’m considering Rahm wanted a while to emotionally regulate to LIV. We’ll see higher play out of him within the majors subsequent 12 months.
9. Patrick Cantlay (B-)
Cantlay, who has received eight instances on Tour, has not captured a victory since August 2022.
He had a handful of strong tournaments this 12 months, together with a T3 on the U.S. Open. Entering into main competition is a step ahead for Cantlay, a participant who has a depressing main report all through his profession.
For that motive, I’ll depart him at a B- moderately than a C+.
10. Cameron Smith (C+)
Misplaced in all of the LIV-Tour nonsense is how Smith went from 2022 Open Champion to an afterthought.
Whereas he had three runner-up LIV finishes and a T6 within the Masters, Smith struggled within the different three majors and has exited the golf fan’s focus.
He must be within the prime of his profession proper now. Smith wants a greater main report than what he’s put collectively the final two seasons.
11. Brooks Koepka (C+)
Sure, Koepka received twice on LIV. That’s nonetheless not sufficient to excuse his horrid main report this 12 months.
Apart from 2022 when he was clearly injured, Koepka has by no means suffered a worse main season than this one. He by no means factored into any of them, his finest end being a T26.
It’s arduous to provide him something greater than a C for that efficiency.
12. Justin Thomas (C)
I’m cautiously optimistic that Thomas will get issues stepping into the precise course.
It’s regarding that he hasn’t received for the reason that 2022 PGA Championship, and his incapacity to get into severe competition all year long was powerful to look at.
Nevertheless, I’m inspired that he fought his means into the Tour Championship. His iron play appears to be getting nearer to earlier ranges, as he improved from thirty ninth to eleventh in strokes gained strategy.
Thomas does really feel rather a lot like Clemson soccer at this level—respectable however a good distance off from the tempo set just a few years in the past.
13. Max Homa (C-)
It was a reasonably substantial step again for Homa, a participant who got here into the 12 months with six Tour wins and a ton of momentum.
His spotlight got here on the Masters when he completed T3, however Homa had a tough summer time and didn’t even make it into the Tour Championship. He’s all the way down to No. 86 in Information Golf.
It’s arduous to say how regarding that is for the long-term, however golf is rather a lot higher off when he’s contending.
14. Viktor Hovland (C-)
Regardless of profitable the FedEx Cup final 12 months, Hovland took on a swing change that led to some short-term bruises.
He did have a few random moments the place all the things clicked—he virtually received the PGA Championship and performed nicely in Memphis—however these have been his solely top-10 finishes of his season.
Hovland is just too proficient to be down ceaselessly. I’d be shocked if he didn’t return to higher kind subsequent 12 months.
15. Jordan Spieth (D+)
One among our prime articles of the 12 months at MGS is that this story I wrote on how Jordan Spieth is a shell of the participant he was earlier in his profession.
Issues solely deteriorated after that article. Spieth went 19 tournaments with just one top-10 end (a T10 on the Valero Texas Open).
He simply underwent surgical procedure on his wrist, an damage that has proved troublesome the previous few years. Hopefully he comes again wholesome subsequent 12 months as a result of Spieth is deep into JAG (simply one other man) territory.
Do you agree with these grades? Let me know beneath within the feedback.
High Picture Caption: Justin Thomas made the Tour Championship however has didn’t win since Could 2022. (GETTY IMAGES/Kevin C. Cox)
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