Updated: Tiering Men’s Pro Golfers 25 and Younger

In this week’s update, we’re looking at the top professional golfers age 25 and under. This has become one of my favorite exercises, and it is especially interesting to examine the results year over year. 

For reference, here is the graphic from the most recent time I did this exercise last July. Several players have graduated. 

A Few Notes

I took a lot of heat for where I placed Nick Dunlap last July (Note: I also took heat for including Pierceson Coody and Chris Gotterup, which has aged nicely!). At the time, I thought it was short-sighted and borderline disrespectful to lose faith in a player who had already shown as much potential as Dunlap had at age 21. I may have been overly optimistic about his ability to turn around full-blown driver yips. More than half a year later, I sadly must downgrade Dunlap to a much lower position. I still believe Dunlap has the talent and the time to turn his career around, but he continues to fight aggressive driver yips and post some of the worst off-the-tee numbers on Tour. He consistently plays from spots where no other golfers would ever hit a tee shot. In the short term, there should be no expectations from Dunlap to post solid performances. Over the long run, I still hold on to hope. 

I do not believe in tiering amateur golfers in this exercise. Amateurs should be given the grace to develop without too much scrutiny before turning professional. That said, if I were including amateurs, Jackson Koivun would be tiered very high on this list.

Either Akshay Bhatia or Michael Thorbjornsen could become bona fide top-10 players in the world and it shouldn’t surprise anybody. Bhatia’s career has been a steady progression, and he has developed into a well-rounded pro with consistent ball-striking paired with a solid putter. He probably should have won at Pebble Beach a couple weeks ago against a quality signature event field. Thorbjornsen, just a few months older, has been on a rapid ascent since last April. Standing on the 16th tee in Phoenix, the tournament was in his hands. For my money, these are the two brightest prospects 25 and under. 

Q&A's: From Patrick Reed and Frank Nobilo to Mike Clayton and Edoardo Molinari

If you think this is harsh on Tom Kim, so be it. Ever since Kim’s arrival on Tour, I’ve been skeptical of his game translating to demanding golf courses against the best fields in the world. Highlighted by a T-2 at the 2023 Open Championship, his major championship record is not bad, but Kim has largely been unable to back up the immediate success he had on the PGA Tour. He won three times by the age of 21, shortly after making it to the Tour, but his last victory came in October 2023. Since then, Kim’s game has regressed, and he has not won or contended much. He also might be taking this simulator golf league a little too seriously while his real outdoor golf results remain lackluster.  

Blades Brown is a tough name to tier. At only 18 years old, he has already played in a final group at a PGA Tour event. He is not better than the names below him at the current moment, but he has a long runway to develop. Brown should absolutely be viewed as one of the best young talents in the sport.

I almost put Michael Brennan in the top row. That probably would have been a little ambitious, but I am floored by what this guy can do with a driver. After lapping the field off the tee last week at the Cognizant Classic, Brennan leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. His driver is a superpower. Brennan’s ball speed is just about as fast as anyone’s, and he changes trajectory with ease and control. So far in 2026, his iron play has been solid, albeit unspectacular. If he can develop his short game and putting marginally, look out.