Subsequent on the tee: The highest 25 golfers beneath age 25

The PGA Tour’s latest stars and most heralded rookies in current historical past simply graduated from faculty.

Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff are 22 years previous or youthful and wrapped up their collegiate careers this previous spring.

They did not wait lengthy to make their presence identified on the PGA Tour, as Wolff and Morikawa have already gained — and Hovland is likely to be essentially the most gifted participant among the many three.

The gifted trio appears like golf’s subsequent version of younger weapons, and so they headline ESPN’s checklist of the highest 25 gamers beneath the age of 25. The checklist is totally subjective, and there actually is not a agency standards in how they’re ranked. To be clear:

It is a mixture of efficiency, expertise, potential and outcomes.

The checklist solely contains gamers who’ve made a minimum of 5 PGA Tour begins, or, within the case of a trio of amateurs, are guys who performed at American schools or excessive faculties.

There are many names that you’re going to most likely acknowledge and some which may not be so acquainted.

There have been a handful of PGA Tour stars, together with Xander Schauffele (25), Bryson DeChambeau (25), Jordan Spieth (26) and Justin Thomas (26), who simply aged out of the group, so you will not see them right here.

Listed here are the highest 25 gamers beneath 25:

Jon Rahm. Gregory Shamus/Getty Photographs

1. Jon Rahm (24 years previous)
The large Spaniard is ranked sixth on this planet and has already gained thrice on the PGA Tour and 5 extra instances internationally, with greater than $16 million in profession earnings. His efficiency in majors is on the uptick with consecutive top-10s on the Masters and top-5s on the 2018 PGA Championship and the U.S. Open in June. He has 12 top-10s in 19 tour occasions this season.

2. Viktor Hovland (21)
The ultra-talented Norwegian did not safe his PGA Tour card throughout the common season, however he’s making an attempt to take action by ending among the many high 25 point-getters within the Korn Ferry Tour finals. He tied for 11th at this previous week’s Nationwide Youngsters’s Hospital Championship. Although Hovland hasn’t gained but as a professional, his immense expertise is simple. He was the low novice at each the Masters (tied for 32nd) and U.S. Open (tied for 12th) and likewise completed fourth on the Wyndham Championship. Hovland gained the 2018 U.S. Novice at Pebble Seaside and gained the 2019 Ben Hogan Award as the highest collegiate golfer as a junior at Oklahoma State.

Three. Collin Morikawa (22)
The previous Cal Berkeley star did not wait lengthy to win as a professional. He gained in solely his sixth Tour begin when he birdied 4 of the final 5 holes on the Barracuda Championship in late July. The breakthrough got here after he completed tied for second on the 3M Open (shedding to Matthew Wolff on the 72nd gap) and tied for fourth on the John Deere Basic. Morikawa already has gained greater than $1.75 million in 9 Tour begins and certified for the FedEx Cup playoffs. He would rank first in fairway accuracy (78.6 p.c) and second in greens in regulation (72.7 p.c) if he had sufficient rounds to qualify.

Four. Matthew Fitzpatrick (24)
We’re nonetheless ready for the Englishman to succeed in his potential on American soil, with a lot of his success up to now coming in Europe. He was runner-up on the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, ending 2 photographs behind Francesco Molinari, and likewise tied for fourth on the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. General, Fitzpatrick has solely 5 top-10s in 56 tour occasions. He gained the 2016 World Tour Championship, 2015 British Masters and the European Masters in 2017 and ’18.

5. Matthew Wolff (20)
The previous Oklahoma State star with the unorthodox swing most likely did not get as a lot hype as he deserved going into his rookie tour season. He gained six instances as a collegian (he was 83-under par in 35 rounds at OSU final season) and gained the 2019 NCAA particular person title by 5 strokes. However then Wolff caught the golf world’s consideration when he gained in simply his third occasion as a professional by making a 26-foot putt for eagle on the ultimate gap of the 3M Open. He joined Tiger Woods and Ben Crenshaw as the one golfers to win an NCAA particular person title and PGA Tour occasion in the identical 12 months. He was solely the eighth Tour participant since 1970 to win in 4 profession begins or fewer.

6. Sung-jae Im (21)
The South Korean began enjoying golf when he was Three, beat his father when he was Eight and was the main cash winner on the Internet.com Tour in 2018 (he was the second-youngest winner in Internet.com historical past when he gained the ’18 season opener at 19). He’s the highest Tour rookie in FedEx Cup factors this season and was the one one to advance to East Lake. He has 15 top-25s in solely 34 occasions. Different Tour execs have raved about his swing, and Worldwide Staff captain Ernie Els hinted that Im is likely to be in line for a captain’s decide to the Presidents Cup (he’s 11th within the Worldwide Staff standings).

7. Si Woo Kim (24)
Kim, from South Korea, gained twice throughout his first two full seasons on the PGA Tour with victories on the 2016 Wyndham Championship (he shot 60 within the second spherical) and 2017 Gamers Championship. He’s ranked 64th on this planet with greater than $10 million in profession earnings. He struggled down the stretch this season, nevertheless, lacking the minimize in 9 of 12 occasions, earlier than tying for 28th on the BMW Championship.

Eight. Haotong Li (24)
The Chinese language golfer spends most of his time on the European Tour, however he has had some success in majors and occasions on American soil. Li is among the eight worldwide automated qualifiers for the Presidents Cup. He completed third on the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and was tied for ninth on the WGC-Dell Applied sciences Match Play in late March. His greatest win got here within the 2018 Dubai Desert Basic, when Rory McIlroy squandered a two-shot lead within the final eight holes of the ultimate spherical.

9. Aaron Clever (23)
The previous Oregon star wants to seek out his type from Could 2018, when in consecutive occasions he tied for second on the Wells Fargo Championship and gained the AT&T Byron Nelson, setting a match scoring file at 23 beneath par. Clever had two extra high 10s in 2018, ending tied for sixth on the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and tied for fifth at The Northern Belief, however had just one high 10 in 21 occasions this season. He has earned about $Four.Eight million in 58 Tour occasions.

Joaquin Niemann Stuart Franklin/Getty Photographs

10. Joaquin Niemann (20)
The previous No. 1-ranked novice on this planet and 2018 Latin American Novice champion from Chile is just scratching the floor of his recreation. He bypassed the Korn Ferry Tour by incomes his PGA Tour card on the age of 19 in his eighth Tour begin. He struggled at instances in his second season with 4 high 10s in 28 occasions. He discovered his type late to make the FedEx Cup playoffs and fired a final-round 66 at The Northern Belief to advance to the BMW Championship, the place he tied for 31st.

11. Jazz Janewattananond (23)
The participant often called “Clean Jazz” splits his time between the Asian and European excursions, however he hopes to someday play on the PGA Tour. He prompted a stir on the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black in Could, when he had birdies on 4 of the primary 10 holes to fireside a Three-under 67 and seize a share of second place. He completed tied for 14th after which missed the minimize at The Open in July. He’s No. 10 within the Presidents Cup standings and is in competition for one in every of Els’ captain picks. In 2010, he turned professional at age 15 and spent two weeks as a monk at a Buddhist temple in his native Thailand in 2016.

12. Sam Burns (23)
Again points after which a damaged ankle — he was injured whereas grabbing a rebound whereas watching youngsters play basketball in his neighborhood — hampered what had been a so-so first full season for Burns on tour. He completed tied for third on the Sanderson Farms Championship, ninth on the RBC Heritage and tied for seventh on the 3M Open. He’d already made the FedEx Cup playoffs earlier than he was harm, incomes him a tour card for subsequent season.

13. Cameron Champ (24)
Champ, a former All-American at Texas A&M, regarded like one in every of golf’s subsequent massive stars when he had a wire-to-wire victory on the Sanderson Farms Championship in October in his ninth Tour begin. He adopted that with 4 extra finishes within the high 12, however then the wheels got here off. In his subsequent 18 begins, he missed the minimize 11 instances and withdrew as soon as. Champ was third on Tour in driving distance (328.Four-yard common), however struggled together with his accuracy off the tee (50 p.c).

14. Scottie Scheffler (23)
The previous College of Texas star locked up his PGA Tour card throughout his rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour and gained his second occasion this previous weekend. He led the KFT in birdies and was third in factors throughout the common season. In Could, he got here from six photographs again and fired a 9-under 63 within the remaining spherical to win the Evans Scholar Invitational for his first professional victory. He additionally completed second twice. He was a member of the 2017 Walker Cup staff and made the minimize on the 2017 U.S. Open and completed tied for 27th as an novice.

Robby Shelton Steve Dykes/Getty Photographs

15. Robby Shelton (23)
The three-time All-American at Alabama completed second on the KFT in factors and secured his PGA standing for 2019-20. Shelton gained the Knoxville Open and Nashville Golf Open Benefiting the Snedeker Basis and had three different high 5s this previous season. At Alabama, he helped lead the Crimson Tide to an NCAA championship in 2014, was named SEC golfer of the 12 months and gained the Phil Mickelson Award because the nation’s high freshman. He completed third on the 2015 Barbasol Championship, the very best end by an novice since Mickelson gained the 1991 Tucson Open.

16. Kristoffer Ventura (24)
Ventura was born in Mexico, raised in Norway and educated at Oklahoma State, the place he teamed with Hovland and Wolff to guide the Pokes to the 2018 nationwide championship. He is fluent in three languages and already has secured his Tour standing for 2019-20 by ending fourth in The 25 whereas enjoying in simply eight KFT occasions throughout the common season. He gained the Utah Championship and Pinnacle Financial institution Championship.

17. Doc Redman (21)
The 2017 U.S. Novice champion spent most of this season enjoying on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada. However he shot a 62 in a Monday qualifier for the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Basic in Detroit and shot rounds of 68-67-67-67 to complete solo in second. That earned him a spot in The Open, the place he completed tied for 20th. The previous Clemson star earned particular short-term membership for the rest of the 2018-19 season and gained greater than $1 million in seven tour occasions.

18. Beau Hossler (24)
Hossler briefly led the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic Membership as a 17-year-old novice and appeared destined for large issues. Final season, he was runner-up on the Houston Open, shedding to Ian Poulter in a playoff, and tied for second on the Vacationers. His sophomore season on Tour wasn’t almost pretty much as good, nevertheless, as he did not end higher than a tie for 15th on the Genesis Open in February. He misplaced his Tour card for 2019-20, however reclaimed it when he tied for second on the Nationwide Youngsters’s Hospital Championship, securing his spot within the KFT Finals 25.

19. Curtis Luck (23)
The Australian had three high 25s in his rookie tour season and is combating to retain his standing within the KFT finals. He tied for seventh this previous weekend. The 2016 U.S. Novice champion made the minimize in 18 of 36 PGA begins and has earned about $800,000. He tied for fifth on the Zurich Basic with accomplice Hank Lebioda and was tied for 13th on the Valspar Championship.

Brandon Wu Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports activities

20. Brandon Wu (22)
Here is how Wu spent his summer time: He helped Stanford declare a nationwide title by successful every of his three matches on the NCAA championships; he grew to become the primary novice since 1967 to qualify for the U.S. Open (tied for 35th) and The Open (missed minimize) with out an exemption; and he was the stroke-play medalist on the U.S. Novice at Pinehurst. Wu has already graduated from Stanford (he obtained his diploma on the 18th inexperienced at Pebble Seaside), and he’ll play on the Walker Cup staff at Royal Liverpool on Sept. 7-Eight. He hasn’t but introduced when he’ll flip professional.

21. Cole Hammer (19)
Hammer, a rising sophomore at Texas, is at the moment the No. 1-ranked novice on this planet. He reached the semifinals of the 2018 U.S. Novice and gained the 2018 Western Novice. At Texas this previous season, he gained the Phil Mickelson Award as the highest freshman and helped the Longhorns attain the finals of the NCAA championships, taking down Matthew Wolff Four&Three (with eight birdies) within the semifinals. He completed within the high 10 in 11 occasions and tied for medalist honors in three tournaments. He’ll additionally symbolize the U.S. on the Walker Cup subsequent month.

22. Shubhankar Sharma (23)
The Indian golfer has gained eight instances internationally — six instances on the Skilled Golf Tour of India and twice on the European Tour — and has a pair of high 10s in 18 PGA begins. He tied for ninth on the 2018 WGC-Mexico Championship, tied for 10th on the CIMB Basic in October and tied for 51st on the Open Championship. Sharma is making an attempt to get his PGA Tour card within the KFT finals.

23. Maverick McNealy (23)
The Stanford graduate was previously ranked the No. 1 novice participant on this planet and shall be a PGA Tour rookie subsequent season. He completed 23rd in KFT factors and had three high 10s in 20 begins this previous season, together with a runner-up on the LECOM Suncoast Basic. At Stanford, McNealy gained 11 instances, tying Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers for essentially the most in class historical past.

24. Vincent Whaley (24)
Whaley, from Georgia Tech, was the final participant from the KFT to earn his PGA standing — and he needed to wait two days to study if his factors whole would maintain up after lacking the minimize within the remaining occasion. He made the minimize in 15 of 23 occasions throughout his rookie professional season, together with three top-10s. He was a two-time tutorial All-American with the Yellow Jackets.

25. Akshay Bhatia (17)
Bhatia has already introduced that he plans to skip faculty and switch professional on his 18th birthday in January. He has signed with a administration and advertising and marketing firm, however stays an novice as a result of he hasn’t been paid. The Wake Forest, North Carolina, resident would be the youngest participant ever on the U.S. Walker Cup subsequent month at Royal Liverpool Golf Membership. He obtained a sponsor’s exemption and missed the minimize on the Valspar.