15 golfers you need to watch in 2026

As we head towards a new year it is the ideal time for Mystic Derek to reach for his crystal golf ball. 

Who are the players we should be keeping an eye on in 2026? Who is going to surprise us? Who needs a big year? And who is going to have a great year?

Marco Penge 

It is no secret that I am huge fan of England’s Marco Penge. From holding on to his card by the skin of his teeth at the end of 2024 and then being banned for betting irregularities, what he went on to achieve in 2025 is nothing short of remarkable. He won three times on the DP World Tour and was desperately unlucky not to get a captain’s pick from Luke Donald for the European Ryder Cup team. He finished second to Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, thus securing a coveted PGA Tour card. Penge hits the ball a mile and will love playing on courses with little or no rough. The American galleries will adore him and he will relish the prospect of playing in front of them. I expect big things from him on the PGA Tour.

Tommy Fleetwood

It has to be said that 2025 is a year that England’s Tommy Fleetwood will never forget. Yet again he got himself into winning positions on the PGA Tour and yet again he came up short. For all of us who follow him it was agonising. We all kept the faith in our man but secretly wondered if he would ever win a golf tournament on American soil. Remember that Colin Montgomerie won the Race to Dubai eight times but ended his career without a victory on the PGA Tour. And then, finally, Fleetwood broke his duck in style at the Tour Championship. He has looked like winning every time he has teed it up since then and I expect more big things from him in 2026, culminating in victory at The Open at Royal Birkdale.

Rory McIlroy

If Tommy Fleetwood’s wait for his first PGA Tour success was painful, it was nothing when compared with Rory McIlroy’s attempt to win his fifth major. Time and again he looked like ending the drought. Time and again he came up short. There was The Open at St Andrews when he opened the door for Cameron Smith. There was the 2023 US Open when Wyndham Clark somehow beat him. And, most painful of all, there was the 2024 US Open when he handed the title to Bryson DeChambeau. But McIlroy is made of strong stuff. He finally won The Masters in 2025 to complete the Career Grand Slam. He shot an opening round of 80 at the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. The tournament returns there in 2026 and I expect McIlroy to get his revenge, and to win a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai.

Lottie Woad

Woad turned professional after winning the Irish Open as an amateur. She coasted to victory by six strokes. It was the first win by an amateur on the Ladies European Tour since 2022. Even more extraordinary was her performance at the Evian, where she missed out on a playoff for the major by a shot. It saw her climb to 64th place in the world rankings, which is the second-highest ranking for an amateur (after Lydia Ko) since the system was launched in 2006. Her finish earned her enough points to secure an LPGA Tour card. Her first tournament as a professional was the Scottish Open. And guess what? She only went and won that too. I expect big things from her in 2026.

Charley Hull

Hull is what you would describe as a colourful character. She is also controversial, never more so than with her stance over smoking while playing. That she is a fabulously gifted golfer is beyond question but even she would probably admit that she has failed to fulfil her true potential. She has had several near-misses in women’s majors, most notably at the Women’s US Open and Women’s Open. She should also have won more titles on the LPGA Tour. It is to be hoped that Woad will drive Hull on to new heights in 2026.

Kristoffer Reitan

I am genuinely excited about what Reitan may achieve on the PGA Tour in 2026. He is utterly fearless, a golfer who shoots low scores for fun. He hits the ball a long way, finds a lot of fairways and possesses a fabulous short game. On top of all of that, he has a wonderful temperament. He will be relishing the prospect of tackling some of the more forgiving courses on the PGA Tour and I expect him to comfortably keep his card and perhaps even win a maiden title on American soil.

Will Zalatoris

This could prove to be a make-or-break year for Zalatoris, who has suffered way more than his fair share of injury woes. He had major back surgery in 2025 that he hopes will save his career. He made his return to competitive golf at the Nedbank Challenge, is starting to pound balls on the range and is 100% fit again. However, hitting balls on the range is one thing, doing so in a competitive environment is something altogether different. Zalatoris is still a young man and has a wonderful record in the majors. I know that I will not be the only one who is rooting for him to make a successful and sustained comeback in 2026.

Scottie Scheffler

The world number one has turned himself into a winning machine, the likes of which we have not seen since Tiger Woods was in his prime. The thing that will continue to worry his rivals is that Scheffler is able to win tournaments when he turns up with his B-game. In fact, his C-game has been good enough on several occasions. Rory McIlroy was made to wait for his Career Grand Slam but I expect Scheffler to join him in 2026 by winning the US Open - and many other titles to boot.

Nelly Korda

In 2024, Korda won seven times, including a remarkable five in a row. It was a Scheffler-esque performance and it was exactly what the women’s game needed - a dominant figure who just happened to be both charismatic and American. In other words, a dream for the tour, sponsors and fans alike. But, almost unbelievably, she went through the whole of 2025 without a single success and lost her world number one ranking into the bargain. There is no doubt that 2026 is a huge year for Korda, on and off the course. She needs to get back to winning ways - and I am certain that she will do precisely that.

Xander Schauffele

It has to be said that 2025 was a year to forget for Schauffele. He missed part of the season through injury and when he returned to action he was a shadow of the golfer who won two majors in 2024. He only made America’s Ryder Cup team on the back of his play in 2024. But there were some encouraging signs towards the back end of the year that Schauffele was approaching something close to his best. And I expect to see him picking up titles again sooner rather than later.

Jordan Spieth

In a year when The Open returns to Royal Birkdale, where Spieth recorded his last major victory in 2017, the American faces an uncertain future. In 2025 he had to depend on sponsor’s invitations to play in the Signature Events and will have to do the same again after finishing the year outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings. Astonishingly, he chose give the season-ending RSM Classic a miss, meaning he hadn’t played any competitive golf for three months. It’s all a far cry from his time as world number one. It has to be said that 2026 amounts to something of a make-or-break year for the American, who is still only 32.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler remains one of golf’s conundrums. He was once seen as the future of our sport, a man who was destined to win multiple majors. But his world ranking has plummeted. Indeed, he failed to make the field at both The Masters and the US Open. However, there was some encouraging form at both the FedEx St Jude and the BMW Championship, where he managed two top 10 finishes. It wasn’t good enough to make the Tour Championship but it did offer some encouragement and he remains a huge crowd favourite.

Cameron Young

After a string of near-misses, Young finally won a PGA Tour event. He is a big-time player and I am convinced that the floodgates could open for him in 2026. He has a tendency to be overly harsh on himself but if he can control his temperament I am expecting big things of him in the coming season. His only weakness was a perceived tendency to fold when the pressure was on but hopefully he has finally put that to bed.

Martin Couvra

Narrowly missing out on a PGA Tour card may turn out to be the best thing that could have possibly happened for the young Frenchman. He is blessed with a spectacular golf swing, reminiscent of Rory McIlroy’s effortless power. He won for the first time on the DP World Tour at the Turkish Airlines Open and I believe he has a glittering future ahead of him. Another season on the DP World Tour will help his development and I expect to see him win multiple titles in 2026.

Luke Clanton

Clanton looks certain for a big future. In June 2024, he competed in the US Open at Pinehurst, finishing T-41. The following month, he became the first amateur since 1958 to finish in the top-10 in back-to-back PGA Tour events, finishing in a tie for 10th at the Rocket Mortgage and joint runner-up in the John Deere Classic. He had two more top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, with a fifth place at the Wyndham and another runner-up finish at the RSM Classic, which put him inside the top-100 of the world rankings. And all of this while still an amateur. In February 2025, Clanton made the cut at the Cognizant Classic to secure the final points he needed to earn PGA Tour membership via the PGA Tour University Accelerated programme. The 21-year-old finally turned professional in June and it is surely only a matter of time before he lands his first victory.