Revealed: Seven future PGA stars destined for glory

The PGA Tour is where superstars are made.

It’s not easy, however, and it’s getting more and more difficult because there are fewer full field events and not so many full cards available at the end of the season.

It will therefore take sensational quality for youngsters to make the grade in 2026, not least because Scottie Scheffler is more or less guaranteed to mop up most of the wins on offer (and plenty of top 10s when he doesn’t lift the trophy).

But there is good reason to believe that we will witness the first (or second) steps in the careers of future stars in the coming weeks.

Here are seven golfers to keep an eye on in the next 12 months.

Johnny Keefer

If the 24-year-old maintains his rankings trends in 2026 we’re in for one heck of a rookie year. That’s because he ranked first on the third tier Tour de las Americas in 2024 and first again on last year’s second tier Korn Ferry Tour.

As a route to the top tier it’s absolutely exceptional and he finished seventh in the RSM Classic at the end of last year, too. In fact, in just 39 starts as a pro he has 20 top 10 finishes, three of them wins.

Don’t expect those stats to go undented, but remember the name.

Michael Thorbjornsen

The 24-year-old with a cosmopolitan background (Norwegian dad, Zimbabwean mother, represents the US) is due to take the next step in his career and there’s good reason to believe he can deliver in 2026.

He topped the PGA Tour University rankings in 2024 (which earned him immediate playing rights) and since then has been twice second, once third and twice fourth.

The one proviso to his promise is that, although he is an elite driver of the ball, the rest of his game – while capable of high quality – has a lower base level.

Christo Lamprecht

The first two rounds of the 2023 Open said much about this enormous-hitting South African. He was playing as the British Amateur Champion and thrashed a 66 to tie the first round lead but followed it with a 79 to only just make the cut.

Since turning pro he has continued to produce brilliance or mayhem but a victory on the Korn Ferry Tour last year has vaulted him onto the main stage and he’s aiming to emulate his fellow big-hitting Springbok, Aldrich Potgieter, in becoming a quick winner.

If you get the chance, watch him. The height (6’8”), the swing and the dip are all nothing less then extraordinary.

Neal Shipley

For all his undoubted skill there was a touch of the dorky high school kid about Shipley (doofus hair, tubby physique) when he was the low amateur at both the Masters and US Open in 2024.

But a full year as a pro saw him win twice and graduate from the Korn Ferry Tour, and also sharpen up his fitness. His method was neat too: he topped the putting stats and he hits it miles off the tee.

He’ll be a fan favourite and might also be a winner in 2026.

Ryan Gerard

A slightly different angle here because the 26-year-old is already a PGA Tour winner. It was, however, an opposite field event so he remains under the radar. Moreover, there’s good reason to believe that he has it in him to contend in big events.

To begin with he was T8 in the PGA Championship in May 2025, but he also ranked top 30 for Strokes Gained Tee to Green last season and that solid base works very well throughout a season and on the toughest tests.

He went to Mauritius in December – a long journey from his North Carolina base – to finish second and secure a world top 50 spot, and with it an invite to the Masters.

Michael Brennan

Let’s go with another winner from last year but one who remains something of a mystery to many. In his case it was because he’d spent the season on the third tier Tour le las Americas. Not unfruitfully, however. In fact he’d won three times on it.

Then, in the Fall Series, he landed the Utah Championship in style, topping both the Off the Tee and Tee to Green stats, thumping the ball miles. He’s maintained that since and it should offer him opportunities in 2026.

His caddie knew: midway through 2024 he told Brennan that he wouldn’t need the second tier to get to the top.

David Ford

The 23-year-old David Ford was the 2025 winner of the PGA Tour University rankings and while he only added one finish better than T40 in 13 starts in 2025 it was third place in the Utah Championship.

There are not many golfers who emerge from the college rankings without a win, but Ford landed seven of them which was a program record at North Carolina.

A lefty, he’s also a triplet and one of his brother, Maxwell, is also a fine golfer.

Read next: 7 future stars currently playing on the DP World Tour