The professional golf season is a nearly year-round affair, but the most exciting stretch is fast approaching. The mid-February Genesis Open in Los Angeles was the first big PGA Tour event of the year; up next are the Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 3) and The Players Championship (March 10), both in Florida. Then things really heat up when The Masters begins April 7.
Lately, much of the big news around the tour has not involved actual golf, but rather a (flailing) Saudi Arabian government attempt to sign some of the PGA Tour’s best players. That has not gone off well, and almost all the world’s top golfers will play in the same fields over the next few months.
It’s an exciting time for another reason: Men’s golf is in the latter stages of transitioning to a youth movement. Most of the best players in the world are in their 20s and staring down long, successful careers. But there are only four major championships every year. Two of the world’s top four players, three of the top six, and four of the top 10 have yet to win one, so they still have more career-defining tournament battles ahead—even though they’re already dominant.
As a primer for the season to come, here are six PGA Tour players who have established themselves as forces in the sport—and are right on the doorstep of some crucial wins this spring and summer. They’re sorted by their Official World Golf ranking, and to give you a clearer picture of where they stand early this year, I’ve included their current odds of winning the 2022 Masters as well. (Those are via FanDuel, and +500 means a $100 bet can return a $500 profit.)
PGA Tour 2022: The Rising Stars to Watch This Year
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