10 Golfers Who Will Have a Breakthrough Season in 2024

It is not easy to predict golfers who are ready to make a breakthrough. There are so many world-class golfers plying their trade around the world who are so close to joining the sport’s superstars.

Nothing ever stays the same, and we will surely see some players coming through next season whom we are not currently really familiar with.

I watch a lot of golf and have decided the time is right to gaze into my crystal ball and try to identify some golfers whom I believe are ready to rise to the top in 2024. You will recognise some of these names, while others may be new to you.

Freddy Schott

There is a large crop of promising young Germans and Schott may just be the best of the lot. He came through final qualifying in first place, shrugging off a miserable third round of 75. He is a fearless young golfer who hits the ball a mile. Can get hot under the collar but he is a huge talent.

Eric Cole

If ever there was a golfer who did not want the 2022-23 season to come to an end, it is Cole. The son of Bobby Cole and Laura Baugh, he is a serial winner on the mini-tours but finally got to play with the big boys last season. It started inauspiciously for the 35-year-old with four missed cuts. But then he began to find a way to make it to the weekend. He served notice by finishing second at The Honda Classic, was tied fifth at the Mexico Open and then took off during the fall season, finishing fourth at the Fortinet, tied third at the Shriners, tied second at the Zozo and tied third at the RSM Classic. He is now in the top 50 in the world. What price a win in 2024?

Thomas Detry

How is it possible that Detry is still looking for his first win as a professional? It simply doesn’t make sense. He made 42 starts on the PGA Tour season in 2022-23, making the cut 33 times. Rory McIlroy made 18 starts! Detry found an impressive level of consistency, finishing tied ninth at the Sanderson Farms, second at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and comfortably kept his card. Could 2024 be the year he finally makes the breakthrough?

Garrick Higgo

Won the Palmetto Championship in what was his first start on the PGA Tiour in 2021, having already tasted success on the DP World Tour. He is a left-hander who possesses massive power and, like most South Africans, has the touch of an angel around the greens. He had a poor season in 2022 but had seven top-25 finishes in 2023 and is ready to win again.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout

The more I see of the South African the more convinced I become that he has the game to become a global star. Maybe it is just a question of self-belief. He is a fabulous ball striker who possesses a wonderful, calm temperament. He is a three-time winner on the DP World Tour and narrowly held on to his PGA Tour card. I remain convinced that he can win at the highest level.

Austin Eckroat

Eckroat is a young American to watch. In May 2023, he was runner-up at the AT&T Byron Nelson to Jason Day. A month later, in the final round of the US Open, he tied the nine-hole record of 29 on his way to finishing 10th.  

Wilco Nienaber

One of the biggest hitters in the world and a potential superstar. The young South African needs to learn to harness his power but he will surely learn that there are times when discretion is the better part of valour. If he can only be persuaded to stop reaching for the driver then he will make the breakthrough. Massive potential.

Tom Kim

You may well be wondering what an established winner is doing on this list. Well, hold you hard. Kim is here because I believe that 2024 is the year when we will see this incredible young talent winning his first major. He has every shot in the book and is one of the most exciting young talents in the paid ranks.

Rasmus Hojgaard

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Saw his twin brother Nicolai make his Ryder Cup debut, win the DP World Tour Championship and gain full playing privileges on the PGA Tour. He admits that he was bitterly disappointed not to join Nicolai at Marco Simone. He spent the season in his twin’s shadow and missed out on a PGA Tour card by the narrowest of margins. He will use that disappointment to drive himself to greater heights in 2024.

Ewen Ferguson

Scottish golf is finally in a good place and Ferguson may be the brightest prospect for long-term success. Claimed his maiden DP World Tour title with a one-shot victory at the 2022 Qatar Masters. Later that season, he became the first Scot to win more than once in a single season since Paul Lawrie in 2012 when he claimed the ISPS HANDA World Invitational. Was winless in 2023 but that will change in 2024.