Viktor Hovland & Co. Falls Prey to a Brutal List as PGA Tour & LIV Golfers Reaches Mid-Way Point of 2024 Majors
Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 Masters Tournament. Xander Schauffele won the second major at Valhalla, the PGA Championship. Now there are just two more remaining: the U.S. Open, which will kick off at Pinehurst No. 2, and the Open Championship, which will tee off at Royal Troon in June and July, respectively. However, as the prestigious events draw near, certain golfers, including Viktor Hovland, have found themselves on a unique, albeit harsh, list based on their major records.
A tweet was shared by Golf Digest recently showcasing a list of ten golfers based on their performances at the four major championships. It pointed out the best athletes in the sport who are currently active but have not won major events.
Viktor Hovland tops the list of major-less-active players
Currently topping the list of the best active golfers without a major triumph is none other than Hovland, who boasts a total of six PGA Tour victories. His best finish at one of the four events came in 2023 when the Norwegian placed himself at T2 at the PGA Championship with a 7-under overall. Closely following world No. 5 is Patrick Cantlay, who is 5th on the OWGR. The American’s best performance, meanwhile, came at the 2019 PGA Championship, when he tied for 3rd.
The third on the list is 24-year-old Ludvig Aberg, with a T2 on his debut major appearance at the Masters this year. The golfer fell four strokes short of the current World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, allowing him to best Tom Kim, who is 4th on the list after the Swede. The 21-year-old also boasts a runner-up finish at a major, the 2023 Open Championship, which took place at the Royal Liverpool Golf Course.
Tony Finau and Tommy Fleetwood take up the next two spots on the list at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. The former of the two has won a total of six times on the PGA Tour but could only place himself in the 3rd spot, his best at a major, during the 2019 Open Championship. Fleetwood, on the other hand, has finished T2 a total of two times back in the 2018 U.S. Open, when he lost to Brooks Koepka, as well as the 2019 Open Championship.
Who’s the first to get off of this list? pic.twitter.com/rl70ExJ8zO
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) June 2, 2024
These are the first six names that are part of the list that Golf Digest released. The rest of the four spots are, interestingly, taken up by the likes of Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, Sam Burns, and LIV Golf Pro Tyrrell Hatton.
The next best golfers in the sport without a major
Homa has taken up the 7th spot on the list owing to his recent T3 finish at the 2024 Masters Tournament. He was able to outdo the 2023 version of himself at the Open Championship, where the 33-year-old had finished 10th. Zalatoris, meanwhile, can be dubbed an unlucky golfer, all thanks to his three T2 positions at the 2022 PGA Championship, the 2022 U.S. Open, and the 2021 Masters.
The last two spots on the list are occupied by Burns and Hatton at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively. The former is a five-time PGA Tour champ who turned many heads with an impressive and career-best major performance at the 2022 PGA Championship. The LIV Golf Pro, who is currently a part of Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII GC, has a total of six top-10 finishes in the majors over his career, with his best coming off at the 2016 Open Championship with a T5.
Regardless of their best finishes, many in the community would want these golfers to rake in a major win in the coming years. Who among them do you think should clinch the next major at Pinehurst No. 2?
