As Rory McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam, Scottie Scheffler added two major championships to his coffers, 35-year-old J.J. Spaun won the U.S. Open and 34-year-old Tommy Fleetwood claimed the TOUR Championship, a center storyline emerged over 2025: the returned dominance of the “middle-aged golfer.”

In a sport that has become so young and continues to trend that way, it was a stark departure. Only one golfer in the top 25 of the year-end Official World Golf Ranking was under 26 or younger: Ludvig Åberg. A majority were over 30 years old. Stars in their 40s, like Justin Rose, flashed. A 39-year-old Keegan Bradley subsumed the pro golf narrative for months. Quietly, when few were looking, 43-year-old Alex Noren rocketed to 11th in the world, playing better golf than at any point in his career.

These are the stars of today. But who are the stars of tomorrow? Who has the best chance of upending the 2025 narrative? As the PGA TOUR readies for the 2026 season, here are 26 players under 26 to watch in 2026.

1. Akshay Bhatia (23)

It’s hard to believe Bhatia is only 23, but don’t fret, it’s hard for the man himself as well.

“I think that I don't really realize how young I am,” Bhatia said at the Hero World Challenge in December. “This week I'm the youngest guy in the field, which is really hard for me to process.“ One thing I ask myself, which is kind of funny, don't know if I should share it, but I've gotta ask myself, ‘What was Scottie Scheffler doing at 23?’” Bhatia continued, who trailed the 36-hole lead by one shot. “He was still working his way on the Korn Ferry Tour, or maybe even not, I don't know, but look where he is now at 27, 28 years old.”

For Bhatia backers, that’s a tantalizing proposition. His continued improvement should be one of the biggest stories in golf, but in a world that is constantly looking for the next shiny toy, Bhatia is not that. He turned pro in 2019 and has already spent three (successful) years on TOUR. He’s shown himself to be good enough to contend in top events like THE PLAYERS Championship. He has two wins already. Yet our gaze is always looking toward who is next. It could very well still be Bhatia, who is younger and more accomplished than a large chunk of this list.

Could 2026 be the year Bhatia contends in majors, wins Signature Events and plays his way onto the Presidents Cup team? It’s all possible.

2. Jackson Koivun (20)

Koivun has a PGA TOUR card waiting for him when he’s ready. The Auburn junior breezed through the TOUR’s University Accelerated Program last summer, following in the footsteps of Luke Clanton and Gordon Sargent. He had the option to turn pro earlier, but deferred his status to play another season in college.

It’s expected that Koivun will take up TOUR membership in June when the college season wraps. What will he look like once he does? Koivun made six TOUR starts in 2025 and finished sixth or better in his final three appearances.

3. Luke Clanton (22)

Clanton spent the offseason bulking up, hoping to gain around 15 pounds to help him handle the rigors of the PGA TOUR. For as much as we’ve seen of Clanton in recent years, 2026 will be his first time playing a full schedule.

He’s already an above-average ball striker, ranking in the top third in driving and approach play a year ago. He struggled around and on the greens, but returning to venues for a second time should help buoy those areas of his game.

4. Aldrich Potgieter (21)

The reigning Rookie of the Year enters his second season on TOUR with more potential to realize.

“He’s an unbelievably talented player,” his coach Justin Parsons told PGATOUR.COM earlier this year, “but there’s a certain amount of rawness.”

That talent bursts through the seams when Potgieter drives the ball. Potgeiter led the TOUR in driving distance in 2025 and that prowess is often enough to push a player into contention multiple times, even despite other deficiencies. That happened a year ago, when Potgieter lost a playoff in Mexico and then earned his first TOUR win a few months later in Detroit. He did all of that despite ranking well below average in approach play and scrambling.

If Potgieter can refine some of that rawness, he’s capable of a further jump in 2026. Oh, and he’s also the youngest player on TOUR.

5. Michael Thorbjornsen (24)

Thorbjornsen didn’t have the immediate impact out of college that some of his peers like Ludvig Åberg or Nick Dunlap, but entering his second full season on TOUR, Thorbjornsen is poised to join them as winners.

The Stanford product reached No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, then jumped straight to the PGA TOUR out of college. He maintained his TOUR card with a torrid stretch last fall that reminded the world of his talent. His ball-striking is the reason to be bullish. He ranked top 10 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee last season while remaining above average on approach. That’s a recipe for many more top results.

6. Johnny Keefer (24)

In 2024, Keefer finished first in the PGA TOUR Americas standings. In 2024, Keefer finished first in the Korn Ferry Tour standings. Are we looking at the 2026 FedExCup champion?

That’s a stretch, though Keefer possesses the talent to accomplish that one day. The Baylor alum is the reigning Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year and reached the top 50 in the world despite playing just a handful of TOUR events.

He will play the Masters on the strength of that PGA TOUR Pathways record.

7. Keita Nakajima (25)

One of the best amateurs in recent memory, Nakajima spent more time atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking than any player since 2007, sitting at No. 1 for 87 weeks between April 2021 and September 2022.

Nakajima has made 17 PGA TOUR starts since, though his debut remains his best start. He also competed in the Olympics, representing Japan alongside Hideki Matsuyama. He earned his 2026 PGA TOUR card via the DP World Tour.

8. Neal Shipley (24)

Less than two years removed from finishing as the low amateur at both the Masters and U.S. Open, Shipley has earned his TOUR card for 2026.

The Ohio State product quickly elevated through the ranks, easily passing through PGA TOUR Americas in 2024 and the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025. Will that success continue on the PGA TOUR?

He has the statistical profile to believe it. Shipley ranked first in putting on the Korn Ferry Tour while also ranking as a top-10 driver. He also has a proven track record. Shipley made 10 starts in 2024 and made eight cuts with three top 25s.

9. Nick Dunlap (21)

On a micro level, it’s easy to be discouraged after Dunlap struggled in 2025 and finished outside the top 130 in the FedExCup. On a macro level, Dunlap will be the youngest fully-exempt TOUR member in 2026, alongside Potgieter, and has already won twice in his young career.

Because of that, Dunlap is one of the most compelling characters in the new year. If he can right the ship, his star will re-emerge quickly.

10. Rasmus Højgaard (24)

The post-Ryder Cup bump is real. What will it look like for Højgaard?

In recent years, Ludvig Åberg and Robert MacIntyre parlayed it into career-best seasons, riding the momentum and confidence that comes from playing in the most emotionally charged event on the pro golf calendar. Højgaard was rather underwhelming in his first full season on TOUR in 2025, so his ascent will start with more consistency.

11. David Ford (23)

The reigning PGA TOUR University No. 1, Ford notched one top 10 in an abbreviated stint on the PGA TOUR this year. He will look to build on that during his first full year on TOUR.

The sweet-swinging lefty won seven times at the University of North Carolina, a program record.

12. Miles Russell (17)

The youngest golfer on this list, Russell’s star continues to grow after a successful run on the Korn Ferry Tour this past summer.

In addition to being the top-ranked junior in the world, Russell is already in the top 20 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking, an incredible feat for someone who has yet to reach college. Russell is committed to Florida State, but if he continues to have success on the PGA TOUR’s pathways, will he remain an amateur?

13. Michael Brennan (23)

What’s Brennan’s encore after an incredible introduction this fall? The talented Wake Forest alum skipped the Korn Ferry Tour entirely when he won the Bank of Utah Championship and jumped straight to the big leagues after spending the summer on PGA TOUR Americas.

Brennan was technically a rookie this season, but he will spend much of 2026 feeling like one as he travels to tournaments and courses for the first time.

14. Karl Vilips (24)

A winner at the Puerto Rico Open in 2025, Vilips’ high ceiling is readily apparent even as bouts of inconsistency stifled his rookie season.

The Stanford grad is a dark-horse candidate for the Presidents Cup International Team if he can improve on that consistency in 2026.

15. Pierceson Coody (25)

Headed back to the PGA TOUR for his second stint with fully-exempt status, Coody is a prime post-hype sleeper in 2026.

Coody was considered to be the best player to graduate from the Korn Ferry Tour when he first earned his card for 2024, but his rookie year didn’t go as planned, forcing him to play a split schedule on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025. He easily earned his card back in just 15 starts and has a valuable year of experience under his belt to navigate another year on TOUR.

16. Christo Lamprecht (24)

One of the true unicorns in the sport, the 6-foot-8 Lamprecht will play his rookie season on TOUR in 2026. He is expected to immediately become one of the longest players on TOUR – just like eventual Rookie of the Year Aldrich Potgieter did in 2025.

Could similar success be on the horizon for Lamprecht, a fellow South African?

17. Tom Kim (23)

Kim’s stock has never been lower, which is saying something because there are still many reasons to be bullish about the three-time TOUR winner.

Kim struggled in 2025, but he’s still younger than much of this list and is arguably the most accomplished player on it. It would be wise to expect a bounce-back, particularly in a Presidents Cup year.

18. Blades Brown (18)

Brown went against the current trends, opting to turn pro instead of heading to college. That’s worked quite well for him thus far, playing his way to full Korn Ferry Tour status through sponsor exemptions.

That’s where he will be in 2026, with the goal of reaching the PGA TOUR while still a teenager.

19. Martin Couvra (22)

The Frenchman very nearly earned his TOUR card via the DP World Tour, but will spend another season on the European circuit in hopes of playing a full schedule in 2027.

Couvra is the reigning DP World Tour Rookie of the Year with one win under his belt.

20. Elvis Smylie (23)

Formerly a top junior player, Smylie has improved incrementally since turning pro in 2021. He captured his first DP World Tour win in 2024 and represents one of Australia’s great next hopes for golf stardom.

He will spend the year playing in Europe, but his pedigree suggests he will keep rising. His parents are former professional tennis players, with his mother Liz winning four Grand Slam doubles titles.

21. Mason Howell (18)

The most recent U.S. Amateur winner and key cog of the U.S. Walker Cup Team, Howell is one of the best amateurs in the world despite still being in high school.

He will make his Masters debut in April, just a few months before officially graduating and heading to the University of Georgia to play collegiately.

22. Brendan Valdes (22)

Valdes finished No. 2 in the most recent PGA TOUR University Ranking, which earned him a full status for the upcoming Korn Ferry Tour season. Valdes was part of a stacked Auburn roster, which included Koivun, before turning pro.

He notched one top five in an abbreviated stint on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025.

23. Jayden Schaper (24)

A late riser in this conversation, the South African is off to a blistering start on the DP World Tour. Shaper tied for runner-up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, then won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in back-to-back weeks.

He’s first in the Race to Dubai and an early frontrunner to earn a TOUR card for 2027.

24. Ben James (22)

The current PGA TOUR University No. 1 heading into 2026, James will hope to follow a similar path to Ludvig Åberg, Michael Thorbjornsen and David Ford by jumping straight to the PGA TOUR after college.

The Virginia senior has been in the TOUR pipeline for a while, first playing the Travelers Championship in 2022. He’s currently No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking behind Koivun.

25. Ethan Fang (20)

The reigning Amateur champion, Fang ranks third in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as he plays his junior season at Oklahoma State.

Fang is expected to be at the top of the 2027 PGA TOUR University class. Fang was part of the 2025 U.S. Walker Cup Team. He will play the Masters in April because of his win at The Amateur.

26. Luke Colton (18)

The high school senior will play collegiately at Vanderbilt in Fall 2026. Colton reached the second round of the U.S. Amateur last summer and is part of the U.S. National Junior Team.

Colton also competed in the Junior Ryder Cup for the U.S. He has won back-to-back Texas high school state championships.