The 2024 PGA TOUR season is in full swing, and every year there are some exciting young newcomers to the Tour that skyrocket towards the top of the world rankings. Sometimes, these are players who came out of nowhere to move into the top-50 or top-25 players in the world. Other times, this could be a player who started their breakout in the previous season who move up from the top-15 or top-25 to the top-5 players in the world rankings. Reaching the top five would put them among the household names such as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and, in prior years, Tiger Woods.
With the 2024 season underway, let’s take a look at two players who can make a name for themselves on the Tour this year and one player who has already achieved some success and will look to break into the inner circle of golf’s elite.
Pierceson Coody
The 23-year-old Coody has dominated the Korn Ferry Tour and showed potential on the PGA Tour. He doesn't have a ton of experience at the highest level of golf or in major events, but none of the players on this list do. What's important is that Coody has shown he can be comfortable on the PGA Tour and not find himself overwhelmed by the pressure. Coody has elite physical tools, and his dominant driving game could help him quickly shoot up the leaderboards of the PGA Tour.
Coody needs to learn to be more consistent if he wants to succeed and make the top-10. He has struggled with consistency during his limited time on the PGA Tour, but that is partially to be expected with a young player who is just getting their first taste of the Tour. As Coody gets older, his talent should shine through and help propel him towards the pinnacle of golf. Coody has also battled injuries, and these will be tougher to overcome. A clean bill of health is the most likely scenario that could hold Coody back from achieving his maximum potential.
If he is healthy and able to settle into the PGA Tour and become comfortable, expect his pure natural talent to carry the day. Coody’s powerful swing and elite driving ability should drive him up the leaderboards toward the top spot and secure his place among the game’s elite.
Jacob Bridgeman
Jacob Bridgeman was very consistent in 2023, but he has not yet developed the killer instinct and clutch gene needed to win tournaments on the PGA Tour. In 2023, Bridgeman made the cut in more than 80% of the events that he participated in. He is a well-rounded young player who excels near the greens. However, in the past he has struggled to contend on the PGA Tour.
That will be the next step for him, but as a versatile young player the upside is there. If Bridgeman can push his driving game or iron game up a notch to become a cornerstone of his play, it will do wonders for him and potentially push him towards the top-25 golfers in the world.
Ludvig Aberg
Aberg flashed immense raw talent and breakout potential in 2023, winning events on both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. He also finished within the top 15 in multiple FedEx Cup tournaments in the fall. The next step for Aberg is to prove that he can consistently compete in major events and finish among the top contenders. Aberg has his sights set on winning a major this year, and it could happen.
This season, Aberg will deal with more pressure than he has ever faced in his professional career. This is a player who has yet to participate in his first major event. However, when he steps up to the first tee box in a major for the first time in his life, he will likely be one of the favorites to win the tournament. These are incredibly high expectations, and it remains to be seen how he will respond to them.
Aberg already has elite driving ability, and his success this season will depend on if he can make improvements in other areas of his game and handle the pressure off the course. If Aberg's fairway game and putting can reach anywhere near the level of his driving game, he will likely finish this year among the top five players in the world. That is, as long as he handles the pressure with maturity and doesn't let it get to his head or wear him down.
Last year, Aberg sent himself up in a great position to make a leap in 2024. The goal should be to finish within the top 5 in the world rankings by the end of the year and/or win a major event. If Aberg can achieve either of these goals, 2024 will be a successful year. If he can achieve both of them, the 2024 season will complete a meteoric rise for Aberg and position him perfectly to potentially contend for the number-one ranking in the next couple of years.
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