Bold predictions are, by nature, meant to fail. They are bold for a reason.
Surprisingly, my 2025 predictions were more prescient than I could have hoped for.
Let’s take a look back at my guesses for 2025 (and what actually happened).
- Scottie Scheffler will have four or fewer wins—I thought I was so smooth with this one. Scheffler opened the season a little groggy and didn’t pick up his first win until May. Alas, he is the top-ranked player in the world for a reason. He went on to win six times, including two majors. Never doubt Scottie.
- The Europeans will upset the Americans at Bethpage—Ding, ding, ding! The Europeans claimed the first road Ryder Cup victory since 2012, bludgeoning the Americans over the first two days before surviving a furious red, white and blue rally during Sunday singles. Last January, I wrote, “While the Americans need some guys to get into form, Europe might actually have the better roster on paper.” That turned out to be true as the Euro depth was exceptional.
- Justin Thomas will return to form, winning multiple times (including a major)—Slightly true but not quite enough. In his first 11 starts of 2025, Thomas won the RBC Heritage, had three runner-up finishes and posted two other top 10s. That part was promising but Thomas struggled mightily in the majors (T36-MC-MC-T34) and fell off hard during the summer.
- Even the majors will have real TV ratings issues—It was a mixed bag here. The Masters had a surge because of McIlroy’s win, reaching an average of 12.7 million viewers during Sunday’s final round. The PGA Championship (4.76 million on Sunday) was a slight decrease from 2024 but nothing crazy. The U.S. Open was the least-watched final round of that event since 2020, down about eight percent from last year. The Open Championship’s ratings were up significantly. Hard to claim any meaningful conclusions from this but we definitely didn’t have a mass exodus from watching golf on TV. In fact, the Tour’s numbers were up big time compared with 2024.
- The McIlroy major drought will finally end—There we go! I wrote that Rory is “too good and too involved for one of these not to drop his way.” Pay no attention to how I thought he would win the U.S. Open or the Open Championship rather than the Masters.
Hey, that’s 40 percent! Given how I’m currently in the trenches with a newborn, I think we should all count that as a win.
But that’s not what you’re here for—you want to know my bold predictions for 2026.
We come into 2026 with a slightly different perspective than we had 365 days ago. The PGA Tour and LIV appear to be on entirely separate tracks as unification is highly unlikely. Neither circuit seems too disturbed by that development, however.
Somehow, the Tour and LIV are becoming more like each other. The Tour appears to be moving toward drastic schedule changes (as early as 2027 but more likely 2028) with limited events and a complete gutting of the Tour’s lower tier. Meanwhile, LIV has transitioned into 72-hole events, forgoing one of the main elements that differentiated them from traditional pro golf.
The pro golf buzz is muted as talk of TGL, YouTube golf, Grass League and other alternative forms of the game is surging—but there are still some interesting storylines on the traditional competitive side.
Here are my five bold predictions for pro golf in 2026.
1. LIV golfers will win go winless in majors (again)
Since LIV came online in 2022, only two of the 14 majors contested have been won by players who were currently on LIV (that doesn’t include Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm who won majors and then left for LIV).
Last year, no LIV golfer claimed a major. It was the first time that has happened in a full major season.
Looking at LIV’s chances to end that drought, I’m not inspired.
Rahm (Data Golf No. 3) and Bryson DeChambeau (No. 9) are likely to be back in the mix, though Rahm’s major performances have left a lot to be desired since his 2023 Masters triumph.
Beyond those two, the LIV field has thinned out considerably. The only other player in the Data Golf top 50 is Tyrrell Hatton. Joaquin Niemann is struggling and has been a total no-show in majors throughout his career. Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and others are in witness protection.
Someone has to get past the historically good Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele is due for a bounce-back season after injuries slowed him down in 2025.
I’m not feeling a LIV major winner in 2026.
2. Scottie Scheffler will complete the career Grand Slam
No more rooting against Scottie—I’m taking him to capture the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
This would make Scheffler the seventh player to win the career Grand Slam. He already has two Masters wins, one PGA Championship and one Open Championship.
In his last five U.S. Open starts, Scheffler has gone T7-T2-3-T41-T7. It’s one of those events where his ball striking is so dominant that he is almost guaranteed to be in the top 10. You can’t fake your way around a place like Shinnecock. When Brooks Koepka won there in 2018, the winning score was 1-over.
That kind of brutality is perfect for Scheffler. I also doubt he will be fazed by the historic implications of the moment. If anything, it will only motivate him further.
3. Cameron Young will finally realize his potential
Young has been one of the most confounding players over the past five years.
His natural talent is obvious. Young ranks well above average for driving distance, approach, short game and putting. He finished No. 7 in putting last year, a dramatic improvement from 2024 when he was No. 145.
While he had been a tease in the past, everything came together for Young near the end of 2025. He won the Wyndham Championship—his first Tour victory—then rattled off five straight top-11 finishes. During that run, he was also the best performer on the American Ryder Cup team.
Coming up on 29 years old, it feels like Young is rounding a corner and making his game more complete. It’s only a matter of time.
Let’s say that Young picks up at least one victory, gets into the top 10 of the Data Golf ranking and finds himself in contention at a major.
4. A prominent LIV player will look to come back to the Tour
After leaving LIV, will Brooks Koepka decide to come back to the Tour?
I think so.
His reason for joining LIV made sense in the beginning but it felt like Koepka was bored. His Data Golf ranking plummeted to well outside the top 150 and he’s a total non-factor in the majors. Injuries have been a real concern although Koepka said he felt healthier this past year.
He might feel like the Tour is his best path to get back into the fray. Or maybe he just retires.
We’ll see soon enough.
5. Tommy Fleetwood will finally claim a major
It’s been a running joke over the years how Tommy Fleetwood can’t close golf tournaments on American soil.
That curse was broken when Fleetwood captured the Tour Championship.
Looking at the stats, Fleetwood has quietly risen to No. 2 in Data Golf. He continues to play outstanding golf on the DP World Tour including a win at the India Championship back in October.
I think this will really relieve pressure on him.
While his career major record is choppy—seven top-five finishes in 41 starts but none since the 2024 Masters—Fleetwood is a world-class player with a game that translates to every venue. It’s a great year for him to finally grab a major given that he’s in the prime of his career.
This year’s Open Championship is at Royal Birkdale, where Fleetwood would sneak onto as a kid growing up in Southport, England. Imagine the scene if he won.
Those are my bold predictions for 2026. What are yours? Let me know below in the comments.
Top Photo Caption: Tommy Fleetwood could be destined to win his first major in 2026. (GETTY IMAGES/Mike Ehrmann)
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