Next on the Green: The 10 Rising Stars Golfers Under Age 25

Golf has witnessed great and unimaginable feats in human history, with people like Bobby Jones winning all four majors in one year back in 1930 and even Tiger Woods making his comebacks. These players have set high standards and inspired many others.

Today, the landscape is changing again and a new set of young players are stepping up prompting online betting odds to go crazy. Some of these athletes, who are still below 25, are already demonstrating their talent in junior competitions and other professional tournaments. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the top new talents in golf right now. 

It’s an exciting time for golf, and these players are showing what the future holds. They are also writing inspiring stories just like the legends that have gone ahead before them. 

(1)

Luke Clanton(21) 

Currently at Number 1 on the WAGR, Luke has proven himself in various amateur and professional competitions. With four major wins, He has won three times in a row on the US Collegiate circuit at the start of 2024. At the end of the same year, he played in the RSM Classic on the PGA Tour and finished tied for second. He has the game to mix it at the very top of the game, which speaks to the reason he’s clearly in the top spot.  

(2)

Ratchanon Chantananuwat (17)

Ratchanon was 15 when he beat Tom Kim by two strokes to win the Asian Tour’s Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in 2022 and with that feat, he became the youngest player ever to win an event recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. He made it to the semifinals of the 2023 British Amateur, as well. 

 (3)

Tom McKibbin(22) 

The 21-year-old Northern Irishman is already a winner on the DP World Tour. He claimed the 2023 Porsche European Open. He finished the 2024 Race to Dubai in 18th place and this earned him  the 10th and final card via the DP World Tour Eligibility Ranking, sweating out some nervous moments Sunday afternoon in Dubai before his T11 at the season finale was ultimately enough to move from 11th to 10th on the standings, supplanting Jordan Smith for the final spot by just 10 points.

 (4)

Tom Kim (22)

Tom might be the most decorated athlete on this list, he’s young but already owns three PGA TOUR titles, nine worldwide wins ,and finished in the top 10 in 2023’s final two majors, including a runner-up finish at The Open Championship at Hoylake. He’s on the cusp of cracking the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking, as well.

Kim won his first two PGA TOUR titles in the span of four starts. in late 2022, sandwiching an electric appearance at the Presidents Cup in between the victories. Things, as they say, escalated quickly, so some growing pains weren’t a surprise, but Kim has emerged from them as an even better player.

 (5)

Nicolai Højgaard (23)

Nicolai has a brother who is also found in the all-time greats of golf. He is a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, and played in the victorious European Ryder Cup team of 2023. He and Rasmus will both have the Ryder Cup in their sights for 2025 and, much like I wouldn’t bet against both winning big events in 2025, I also wouldn’t be at all surprised if both tee it up at Bethpage Black.

 (6)

Robin Williams (24)

South African-born golfer Robin Tiger Williams made a name for himself in the UK with a glittering amateur career and despite playing under the British flag, the 24-year-old started his professional career on the Sunshine Tour.

Williams, who hails from Stellenbosch, moved to Europe at the age of eight due to his father’s work commitments.

He finished just behind van Velzen on the Sunshine Tour order of merit to earn full DP World Tour playing privileges. He’s added some muscle and length in recent years and rolls it very nicely.

 (7)

Karl Vilips (23)

Just like Robin Williams, Karl is also on the DP World Tour. The former prodigy turned pro last summer with conditional KFT status, which he quickly turned into a full-time gig with a win and runner-up. That hot start eventually booked Vilips a spot on the PGA Tour in 2025.  He’s an extremely long hitter and a great ball striker. He was a child prodigy, winning the US Kids World Championship twice before the age of 10. He played college golf for Stanford and turned professional in 2024. He had swift success on the Korn Ferry Tour and earned playing rights on the PGA Tour. He could be a winner in 2025.

 (8)

Kazuma Kobori (22)

Kobori was born in Japan, but his family moved to New Zealand when he was six and he represented them in the Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Team Championship in both 2022 and last year.

He turned pro in late 2023 after winning three of amateur golf’s most prestigious titles: the Western Amateur, World Amateur Team Championship, and Australian Amateur. The Western is considered the second-biggest amateur prize in the U.S. He beat the best players from around the globe – including Sargent, Dunlap, and Ford – to earn medalist honors at the World Amateur Team Championship. Kobori already has won in a pro event, claiming the 2019 New Zealand PGA Championship.

 (9)

David Ford (22)

There may not be an amateur event that is a better predictor of pro success than the Jones Cup, which is often played in brutal winter weather at the penal Ocean Forest Golf Club on Georgia’s Atlantic coast. Ford won that event in 2023 to join such previous Jones Cup champions as Justin Thomas, Ludvig Åberg, Corey Conners, Akshay Bhatia, Beau Hossler and Kyle Stanley. Ford also teamed with Sargent and Dunlap to lead the U.S. to victory in the World Amateur Team Championship.

(10)

Nicholas Gross (18)

He impressed at the 2022 U.S. Amateur when he was just 15 years old, becoming the youngest quarterfinalist since 2007. PGA TOUR winner C.T. Pan held the previous record, and before him, it was Bobby Jones. “To have something that puts my name next to those two is really special and something I’ll remember forever,” said Gross, who’s headed to the University of Alabama. Romine listed him as the second-ranked signing in the Class of 2024, behind only Chantananuwat.