With Cameron Young recently winning the Players Championship, I thought it would be a good time to take stock of the youth (pun intended) and talent in the men’s professional game.
Young, 28, is not fresh 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 peak of a golfer’s career is still much later compared to other sports. Some professional athletes are retiring at the age when a golfer is reaching his prime.
So being in your 20s is still pretty youthful for golf.
Who are the top 10 players in this category?
Let’s take a look (age in parentheses).
10. Min Woo Lee (27)
Let it cook!
“Chef” has been a consistent performer in 2026, finishing 2nd at Pebble Beach and T6 at Bay Hill. His short game is excellent and it’s nice to see a pro rely on those tools as their strength.
Lee has just one PGA Tour win (2025 Houston Open), but also claimed the 2021 Scottish Open and 2023 Australian PGA. He’s a name to keep an eye on moving forward.
9. Sam Burns (29)
Burns has quietly carved out a fine career, winning five times in the 2021-2023 time frame. It’s been three years since his last win, but he’s still a constant on the leaderboards.
More than any top 20 player in the world, Burns is an elite footballer. He led the tour in Strokes Gained: Putting last season.
8. Robert MacIntyre (29)
An underrated talent, MacIntyre has come on strong over the past year with a win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a runner-up finish at the 2025 US Open and a top-five finish at The Players last week. That puts him at number 10 on Data Golf.
The big lefty is a fantastic shooter and relies heavily on that part of the game. He never seems to back down and is a legitimate threat to win a major.
7. Chris Gotterup (26)
You could probably argue that Gotterup should be higher on this list, and rightly so. He has won three times since last July and has an outstanding ability to be a ball handler.
The only catch is that he tends to bottom out on weeks when he doesn’t have his stuff together.
He will definitely be a part of Team USA golf in the future if he continues to play the way he has been playing.
6. Akshay Bhatia (24)
Bhatia is easily the youngest on this list. When people ask who is the next young star in golf, Bhatia is usually the answer.
He has really come into his own in 2026 with a win 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 collapse on Sunday at The Players, Aberg is seen in the same light as Bhatia – a world-class talent who has the ability to reach world No.1 one day.
His swings are simple and effective. He is a tremendous ball handler and has no obvious weaknesses in his game if his shooter continues to cooperate as he has of late.
We were perhaps a little quick to anoint Aberg, but it looks like his future is bright once he gets a little more spice.
4. Cameron Young (28)
The latest Players Champion is certainly on the rise.
Despite competing in multiple majors, it took a long time for Young to win a Tour event. He finally made it at the Wyndham Championship and has been trending in the right direction for a while.
The footballer was a problem earlier in his career, until he began to rely more on his box for the green read. Young’s main weakness right now is a solid part of his game.
Watch out because he could be in line for a big title this year.
3. Viktor Hovland (28)
Hovland had been wildly inconsistent in recent years, but appeared to have course-corrected 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 Masters? He is under discussion.
2. Collin Morikawa (29)
Morikawa is on the verge of turning 30, but still qualifies for this list.
The two-time major winner has been very good in 2026 with a win at Pebble Beach and quality starts at Genesis (T7) and Arnold Palmer (5th) before withdrawing from The Players.
Morikawa has struggled in the first team recently and had a so-so campaign in 2025, but he is clearly a top 20 player in the game.
1. Scottie Scheffler (29)
Scheffler turns 30 this June, just in time for when he will look to cap off his Grand Slam career by winning the US Open.
While Scheffler is not young he still has a ton of years ahead of him. He feels a lot older than he is – maybe it’s the four main titles or because he just looks like he’s middle-aged.
It’s still a reminder that, barring injury, Scheffler could dominate for another decade.
So that’s 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.
