This season included many down-to-the-wire finishes resulting in heroic wins or devastating losses.
Let’s take a look at some of the best and worst moments that golf had to offer in 2024.
Best of 2024 PGA Tour Season
Alabama’s star golfer Nick Dunlap became the first amateur golfer to win a PGA Tour event since 1991. Nick stood out from the rest of the field that week at PGA West in La Quinta, California. At just 20 year old, the PGA Tour granted Nick an exemption into all tournaments though 2026, including the Masters and the PGA Championship.
Xander Schauffele finally broke free of the curse of being unable to win a major in 2024, winning two. After breaking multiple records, Schauffele won by one stroke at 21-under at Valhalla for the PGA Championship. Then, he ran away from the field at Royal Troon after firing a 65 to win the Open.
From the hills of Scotland, Robert MacIntyre enjoyed two heart-warming wins this season and the first two of his career. MacIntyre took home his first trophy in Ontario at the RBC Canadian Open, with his dad caddying for him. His second victory came at his nation’s Open Championship, celebrating enthusiastically in front of his home crowd.
Team USA put on a show in the 2024 Presidents Cup, putting a beat down on the international team. America’s best golfers tore up the Royal Montreal course, taking an early lead and not giving it back.
Scheffler Style
Scottie Scheffler’s dominance this season is nothing short of incredible, showing the golf world how much better he is than everyone else. From winning the Bay Hill Invitational to securing a win at the Hero World Challenge, Scottie firmly held his World #1 spot. Throughout his nine wins this season, Scheffler stood out significantly due to his precise iron play and driving ability. Whenever Scottie Scheffler found himself near the top going into a Sunday, other players were weary of a comeback.
Scheffler’s win at the Masters surely let golf fans know that he would be in for a lot more wins. He has won two of the last three Masters’, solidifying himself amongst golf’s greats.
His Biggest win of the season arguably came in Paris, France at Le Golf National for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Scheffler hung around the top 10 in a 60-player field for the first three days, just before catching fire on Sunday. The World #1 was white-hot, as he tied the course record of 62 and shot a 29 on the back-nine to secure a gold medal.
To top it all off, Scheffler finished the 2024 PGA Tour season as the champion by winning at Eastlake. For winning all of those tournaments early in the year, Scheffler dominated the FedEx Cup list, yielding a ginormous playoff advantage. That four-shot victory certainly sealed the debate for who was the best golfer of the year.
Worst of 2024 PGA Tour Season
Rory McIlroy led most of Sunday at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, that was until something devastating happened. McIlroy missed two putts inside of five feet In the last three holes, basically throwing away the tournament. Bryson Dechambeu took home the U.S. Open by one stroke after a phenomenal par save on the 18th hole.
Wyndham Clark was millimeters away from getting a chance at winning another signature event at the Players. On the 18th hole, Clark’s birdie putt to tie the lead fully eclipsed the circumference of the hole. No doubt that the Players trophy and prize money were awarded to no other than the game’s best: Scottie Scheffler.
What’s The Deal?
During the past few months, there have been talks of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf signing a deal to reunite golf. Even though the deadline passed for hearings in front of the U.S. Senate, discussions seem to be moving forward. The deal would allow equal opportunities for all LIV Golfers to play and compete in PGA Tour events.
During the 2021 PGA Tour season, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) launched a new gold league. LIV Golf took the golf world by storm, signing some of the PGA Tour’s best golfers to huge contracts.
Players like Brooks Koepka, Bryson Dechambeau, and Jon Rahm are under contract for hundreds of millions of dollars. They were labeled traitors, sell-outs, and cowards for making the move. They knew their time at the PGA Tour was likely over.
The main complicating factor in this scenario is the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council. There are guys like Tiger Woods, who think that a deal with LIV would be beneficial, and others who disagree completely. Meetings with the heads of the PIF and the PGA Tour seem to suggest that a deal is in the works. 2023 U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark expressed his thoughts on the matter: “I think guys that have had the career where they should be lifelong PGA Tour players, I think they deserve the right to come play the PGA Tour.” On the LIV Golf side, Dustin Johnson stated, “I think with this agreement, the only thing that’s going to happen is LIV is going to get even better than what it is now…”
What’s Next?
This PGA Tour Season had it all, from historic wins to fiery arguments between players of the two tours. However, what went overlooked was the impact of golf influencers on the perception of professional golf. Whether it’s YouTube golfers posting relatable content, or golf podcasts inviting tour players as guests, people are taking notice.
The PGA Tour hosted a Creator Classic event this year at the site of the Tour Championship with lots of big creators in the space. The nine-hole event attracted thousands of fans, some of which were only there to see the Creator Classic. Swarms of people crowded around the 10th tee box at Eastlake to watch their favorite creators tee it up. With thousands watching live, the total views after the stream was posted ended up being north of 2 million.
After the success of the Creator Classic, the PGA Tour went ahead and started the Creator Council, consisting of some of the competitors in the Creator Classic. Their monthly meetings will focus on enhancing promotion, fan engagement, and the next Creator Classic.
The PGA Tour’s viewership numbers have taken a hit in recent years, so resonating with the younger generation is a necessity. Viewership numbers are dropping by more than 500,000 on Sundays, changes certainly should to be made.
2025 PGA Tour Season
Looking ahead to next year, it is hard not to acknowledge that Scottie Scheffler could win even more events. Although, with the Major Championships containing a 150-player field, they seem to be evenly matched.
The 2025 Masters will begin on April 10th, finishing on April 13th where a winner will receive their green jacket. With Scottie Scheffler having won two of the last three, he will open as the favorite in Augusta, GA.
Scheffler once again opens as the favourite for the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, NC. Rory McIlroy won at the Wells Fargo Championship played here earlier this past season.
The 2025 U.S. Open will be held at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, PA. Scheffler is the favorite again, but the U.S. Open is known to be one of the hardest challenges in golf. Lastly, the Open Championship will be played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Scottie Scheffler is the first player to be favored in every major since Tiger Woods in 2013.
Scheffler dominated the field in categories like total strokes gained and strokes gained from the approach shot to the green. However, he finished 77th on tour in putting which cost him during many crucial tournaments this season. Considering how easy his wins came with average putting statistics, he could become astronomically better with a putting fix. In his last victory at the Hero World Challenge, Scheffler finished third in strokes gained in the field with a putter in his hand.
If he can continue excelling in putting, with how good he already is in every other facet of the game, there is a chance he will have an even better season than 2024.
