Best players ready to win in a Major, the list

No player wants to be decked out with the “title” of the best player to have never won a major tournament. But it is never easy to impose yourself in one of these major events with just four events a year for men and five for women. Here are our favorites for 2023.

Colin Montgomerie is undoubtedly the player who over the past 4 decades has most deserved to win in a major tournament. Winner of the European Order of Merit 8 times, the Scotsman never managed to put everything together on D-Day to finally reach the Grail. And for many years was attached to his name the cursed label of best player never to have triumphed in a major.

Major, list

It is therefore not Collin Morikawa who wants. The American winner of the PGA Championship in 2020 for his first appearance in this tournament less than a year after his professional career.

In 2022, several players have asserted themselves at the highest level and now comes the confirmation stage with why not a grand slam victory. Others, more experienced, still skate when the big events come up and they will want to avoid applying for another year for the title of best player without a major.

So for whom 2023 will be the good year?

Cameron Young
Still winless on the PGA Tour, the young American is a gifted player with no weak points. Second in The Open at St Andrews behind Cameron Smith, Young was already on the PGA Championship podium in May. Inexperienced, he has only played 6 majors but will undoubtedly be one of the safe bets in 2023.

Tommy Fleetwood
Second in the US Open in 2018 with a sensational 63 in the last round, Tommy Fleetwood had another chance in 2019 but could do nothing to stop Shane Lowry at Portrush in The Open. Probably affected by this failure, he did not lift a trophy again during the following 3 years. Very moved during his victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November, he will be keen to confirm his return to form from the start and to shine again in a grand slam.

Will Zalatoris
Back from injury, the slender Will Zalatoris will also be one of the players to watch at the start of the year. He won his first PGA Tour event at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August and has some outstanding major stats.

In 10 appearances, he has only missed two cuts, including one when he was still an amateur in the US Open in 2018. In his two appearances at the Masters, he finished second and sixth. At the last PGA Championship, he lost in the play-off to Justin Thomas and had taken 8th place the previous year.

In addition to his two missed cuts in four appearances at the US Open, Zalatoris has two top 10s. In June he climbed for the third time on the second step of a major podium, finishing one stroke behind Matt Fitzpatrick.

Sam Burns
Burns is one of the most remarkable young talents on the golf planet. His first professional victory came on the Web.com Tour (the former Korn Ferry Tour) in 2018. He then logically obtained his PGA Tour card and won twice in 2021.

In 2022, he brilliantly defended his title at the Valspar Championship and then added the Charles Schwab Challenge to his list. In major, he has not yet really shown his advantage with just a 20th place in the PGA Championship. 2023 could allow it to reach this new level.

Patrick Canlay
Cantlay has already accomplished almost everything a great player should achieve in his career… except a Grand Slam victory. Eight times winner on the PGA Tour, it is in 2021 that his season is the most successful.

He finished 1st in the FedEx Cup with 4 tournament wins. Considered very solid, his game is suitable for selective courses. Yet Cantlay has a very average record in major with just 3 top 10s.

Tyrrell Hatton
The Englishman is a standard value of the DP World Tour. Winner of the PGA Tour of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, one of the most demanding courses on the American circuit, he is renowned for being a cantankerous and eye-catching player.

If he manages to channel his sometimes volcanic character, we can see him getting one of the 4 majors. Double winner of the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, he could express his full potential on the sumptuous links of Royal Liverpool next July.

Tony Finau
Long behind in the number of victories on the PGA Tour, the endearing Tony Finau scored 3 new titles on his list in 2022 and took 9th place in the FedEx Cup. In major, his results since his debut in 2015 are very impressive. He has 10 top 10 finishes in 26 appearances. In 5 participations in Augusta, he finished 3 times among the first 10 and never missed the cut.