Top 10 Best Golf Players In The World (2024 Update)

The future of professional golf is still unknown. The top players only meet on the course four times a year, divided between two rival tours. This makes compiling the definitive ranking of the greatest golfers in the sport particularly difficult. But we have actually done just that. Poring over the achievements, awards, and statistics of the biggest players in the game has cost countless amounts of mental sweat.

Our reasoning has been influenced by the players’ technical prowess, present world ranking, and recent performances, which has resulted in the benching of some amazing talent. There is still a lot of golf left in the season, so both established players like Jordan Spieth and up-and-coming talent like Ludvig Aberg have plenty of opportunity to establish themselves and earn a spot in the next update of this list.

List Of Top 10 Best Golfers In The World (2024 Update)

1. Scottie Scheffler

In golf, age functions somewhat differently than it does in most other sports, which adds to the remarkable success of Scottie Scheffler. The 27-year-old is putting on an already exceptional 2024 after shining over the previous two seasons, claiming back-to-back PGA Tour Player of the Year titles. It was his first win in what seems to be another spectacular season, an authoritative five-shot victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Scheffler is performing at an exceptionally high caliber. Scottie is the only one who arrives at the green with greater style and conviction. He’s struggled with his putter in recent years, but it appears that he may be over that.

2. Jon Rahm

The Spaniard is among the very great golfers of today. Before making the nine-figure move to LIV late last year, he finished in the top 10 of over half of his 151 events on the PGA Tour, where he won 11 times. As long as his emotions stay in check, he smashes putts with deadly reliability, greens with accuracy, and fairways with force. Rahm’s transfer to the less well-known league supported by Saudi Arabia hasn’t had much of an impact on his talent or star power. Having won the Masters by four strokes the previous year, he is the most recent recipient of the green jacket. That was the culmination of a tremendously historic 2023 season that saw four titles and the Ryder Cup won. We eagerly anticipate his next outstanding big performance.

3. Rory McIlroy

Ever since his 22-year-old victory at the US Open, McIlroy has been the center of attention in golf. Following golf’s civil war, that focus became dazzling, and he freely acknowledged that it had an impact on his game. Batting for the PGA Tour and infamously not having won a major in nearly ten years must carry a tremendous amount of pressure. It’s Rory, if anyone can get through it. Even though he was at the top of the world rankings just a year ago, the Northern Irish sensation is continuously improving. McIlroy’s victories at the Genesis Scottish Open and the CJ CUP in South Carolina last season demonstrated his continued great talent and superb ball control. His one-man second place finish at the US Open further proved that he possesses the talent and willpower to return to major championship contention very soon.

4. Viktor Hovland

The youthful Norwegian has always had a tremendous amount of potential as a golfer. Although he had demonstrated flashes of that skill for a number of seasons—winning three PGA Tour titles in his first three—a match during the 2023 season sent him off. Before capping his season with his maiden FedEx Cup triumph, Hovland won three tour events and figured out how to have a frightening amount of regularity affecting the top of scoreboards. In the majors, the 26-year-old made some significant impressions, and during the thrilling Ryder Cup last summer, he elevated his game even more. His 3-0-1 record in Italy enabled Team Europe to win 16.5-11.5, setting a new record. The precision putter’s season has started a little slower this year, but he’s only getting warmed up.

5. Brooks Koepka

Brooks has a lot of enthusiasm for a primary character. He deserves that, I swear. He is one of the best players in the LIV league, and he confirmed his major league pedigree last season. After placing T2 at the Masters, he turned the golf world upside down by becoming the first LIV player to win a major at the PGA Championship in May. That victory, along with solid showings at the US Open and Ryder Cup later in the season, demonstrated that Kopeka’s fire had not been extinguished by the shift away from the PGA. After winning five majors to four, he passed contemporary legend Rory McIlroy in the individual standings during his first LIV season. Even though we don’t see Brooks on TV as often these days, when we do, it’s always box office.

6. Xander Schauffele

One thing sets Schauffele apart from every other golfer on this list. Only two male golfers in the contemporary period have won Olympic gold, including the 30-year-old. However, his lack of victories is frequently brought up while discussing his career. Xander is without a doubt one of the most gifted golfers of this age who has never won a major, despite a run of top ten finishes over the previous eight seasons.

The PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 2017 demonstrated her superiority on the course in all areas in 2023. He finished in the top ten PGA events for the first time in his career, and he concluded the campaign with a second-place finish in the FedEx Cup. He intends to go above and beyond those outstanding performances in order to win more awards. If you repeat that a few times, he might rank even higher in the upcoming update.

7. Wyndham Clark

Clark, what a year it has been. From the periphery of the PGA Tour, he has emerged as a major player in the biggest golf tournaments. The 30-year-old won his first major championship and his first PGA Tour tournament last season, at the 134th time of asking. The great putter cemented himself as one of the best in the game with his one-shot victory at the US Open.

After a breakout season in 2023, Clark is off to a great start in 2024. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM and then placed second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. All of this after rising to fame on the fantastic golf series Full Swing on Netflix. Throughout the episode, Clark is candid about his mental health and how seeing a sports psychologist has helped him stay in the greatest mental shape possible for success on the course. All that is known is that the American has quickly transformed from a player who was performing below his capabilities to one who is exceeding expectations.

8. Patrick Cantlay

The 2021 PGA Tour Player of the Year is an exceptionally talented golfer who is dependable and cool-headed. He’s also one of the more reserved characters in golf. A suggested query for the 32-year-old from Google is “Has Patrick Cantlay smiled?” Patty Ice is one of the world’s top par-5 players and the epitome of composure. With his driver, he has a useful combination of distance and accuracy, and his action and performance consistency put him in the running at major tournaments. He has won eight PGA Tour events thanks to this stability, and he has also had many near calls. But the native of California isn’t getting the big win that would elevate him to the status of the greatest golfers in the world. It might already be on its way.

9. Cameron Smith

The first of three LIV Golf stars to reach our list is the remarkable Australian golfer. Prior to joining the breakaway circuit, Smith’s ranking in the Official World Golf Rankings reached as high as second, but as LIV’s 54-hole events do not provide OWGR points, his ranking no longer accurately represents his ability. While not having the longest driver in the group, the mullet-rocking golfer more than makes up for it by consistently making chip-ins and putts that go in. He has already made history thanks to this: in 2020, the 30-year-old became the first player to complete all four rounds at the Masters in the 60s. Major performances during the previous season, like finishing T9 at the PGA Championship and fourth at the US Open, supported this characteristic. This year, he’ll be back in the majors as a major player.

10. Max Homa

Although it seems unfair that the six-time PGA Tour winner has plummeted in the rankings since the last update, we assure you that this is more a reflection of the caliber of talent in the globe than of Homa personally.

The 33-year-old, who specializes in short games, currently owns the tour record for the longest drive made thus far this year. His 2023 campaign was excellent; he won the Farmers Insurance Open and the Fortinet Championship before making a memorable impression at the Ryder Cup. Considering how fierce, motivated, and skilled he is, Homa’s first top ten finish of the 2024 season shouldn’t be too far off.