Chances are, that unless you’re an unreserved golfing nut, you won’t have heard of the seven guys mentioned in this article.
However, not a lot of people would have known about Brooks Koepka this point last year either. But now he’s a US Open champion. It all happened rather quickly, but that tends to happen in a game that takes four hours to play.
Every season on the PGA and European Tours sees the breakthrough of new talent, and the 2018 campaign will almost certainly be the same, and we’ve been keeping an eye on a select few who look like they have what it takes to emulate Koepka.
Here are seven golfers primed for a breakthrough year in 2018.
Bryson DeChambeau
If you watch PGA Tour golf regularly, you will probably have seen the name. DeChambeau, a 24-year-old Californian, is already a tour winner, having clinched the John Deere Classic in July, but he seems to be standing on the precipice of something remarkable.
The 2015 US Amateur champion – who has a degree in physics – is known for his uniquely scientific approach to club measurements.
All his irons and wedges are cut to 37.5 inches but, while his methods have captivated swing experts over the last couple of years, he is hoping they start yielding results similar to the great Ben Hogan, who he salutes every time he takes to the course in his customary Ivy cap.
Daniel Berger
Berger is fresh off a stellar campaign that saw him retain the FedEx St Jude Classic in Memphis, crack the world top-20 and lose the Travelers Championship to Jordan Spieth in a dramatic play-off.
That may sound like he’s already made it, but he’s not quite there yet. Although Berger has established himself as a consistent fixture on tour, there is a strong sense that he is destined for greater things.
A member of America’s Class of 11 – also including Spieth, Koepka and recent FedEx Cup winner Justin Thomas – Berger has the all-round game and self-confidence to join his contemporaries on the path to greatness.
Maverick McNealy
The son of a Silicon Valley billionaire (Scott McNealy), the brilliantly-named Maverick turned professional in August, forgoing the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps into the lucrative world of commerce.
Educated at Stanford, McNealy had two excellent career options at his feet earlier this year: a path into the high-powered business world or taking up professional golf.
He chose the latter and, having already conquered the world of college golf, ‘Mav’ is ready to take on the big guns.
Jordan Smith
One of many prospects leading English golf’s bright future, the 24-year-old from Bath earned a spot on the European Tour for 2017 by virtue of finishing top of the Challenge Tour Order of Merit.
Speaking of merit, that’s why he’s been included on this list. Smith captured his first European Tour title after edging Alexandre Levy in a play-off at the European Open, marking him as a rising star.
However, just two weeks later, he finished as the top British player at the PGA Championship, securing a tie for ninth in his first appearance in a major and further endorsing his burgeoning status.
Having plied his trade on the third-tier of European golf – the EuroPro Tour – in 2015, it’s been a rapid rise to prominence, and it shows no signs of abating heading into 2018.
Austin Connelly
Austin Connelly has just turned 21 but, looking at his face, you would think he was studying for his GCSEs. But the Canadian, who counts Spieth as a close friend, has not let that him get in the way of going toe-to-toe with some of the sport’s heavy-hitters.
The precocious Texas-born talent earned himself a few admirers following an eye-catching performance at this year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, starting the final round in a share of third place before finishing tied for 14th.
He may have fell away somewhat on Sunday afternoon, but his unflappable demeanour led many to predict an illustrious future challenging his esteemed pal.
He plays on the European Tour and recently finished runner-up at the KLM Open. One suspects it won’t be long before he’s regularly going one better.
Eddie Pepperell
Another Englishman of considerable promise, Pepperell is well-known to followers of the European Tour. The 26-year-old, who first shot into the golfing consciousness with a tied sixth finish at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2013, lost a play-off for the Irish Open in 2015. After that, he lost his swing.
Pepperell finished eighth in last year’s Irish Open, but he also missed 16 cuts in 21 tournaments as he tumbled from 80th in the world to outside the top 500.
However, a change of equipment and attitude helped transform his game and the results have been encouraging, including five top-10 finishes in his last six events.
Surging into form at the business end of the season bodes well for his 2018. Keep an eye out for him. He also writes a blog, entitled ‘Who Says Golf is Everything?’, which is worth a read.
Patrick Cantlay
The former world number one amateur – holding the top spot for a record 55 weeks – has been through more than most at the tender age of 25. In February last year, his caddie, Chris Roth, was killed in a hit-and-run accident. As a close friend since high school, it was a monumental personal loss.
However, emerging from a particularly dark period, Cantlay has continued to produce some excellent golf of late. He has also had his fair share of injury setbacks but seems to have rid himself of such ailments. Having battled and beaten physical and emotional turmoil, he is ready to take on the world.
Cantlay, playing a curtailed schedule to avoid a recurrence of a back injury that reduced his career to rubble for three years, managed to finish 29th in the FedEx Cup standings despite only playing 12 events, making the cut in every tournament.
If he stays clear of injury, Cantlay has the game to become the force he was tipped to be during his exceptional amateur career.
