9 players who will make you money in 2026
History may remember 2025 as the Year of Rory, with marquee wins all over the globe, including an unforgettable final round at Augusta National. Still, we leave 2025 with little doubt in who the best player in the world is, and Scottie Scheffler’s inevitability lingers whenever he’s in the field.
While I may suffer from Scheffler Derangement Syndrome, with side effects including a reluctance to bet on outrights not named Scheffler anytime he’s in the field, the sportsbooks have adapted to help SDS sufferers like myself.
The “Without Scheffler” markets became more common in 2025. While there’s a case to be made that we’re leaving expected value on the table and inviting more variance into the fray by betting this market, (hello, Dead Heat Rules!) I’m at least thankful that it’s an option we do have across many different sportsbooks now.
One option that’s better for your bankroll and peace of mind is targeting finishing-position bets or other props rather than allocating your weekly budget solely to outright winners. There’s no better sweat than a Sunday outright sweat, but it’s not a sustainable way to attack golf betting if end-of-the-year profitability is one of your goals.
Also, not every bet needs to be made before the tournament begins. You can use our live leaderboard at Betsperts Golf, which will not only show you the score but also all the underlying performance metrics that drive the scores you see while watching the broadcast. The leaderboard data can help you make informed decisions before firing into a live finishing position bet, or round-by-round matchups or 3-ball bets. Don’t fly blind!
With that in mind, here are a few names that we’ll be targeting in these markets—and likely a few outrights, who are we kidding—in the first stages of the 2026 season.
Marco Penge
David Cannon
The PGA Tour audience got its first real taste of Marco Penge in July at The Renaissance Club, where he battled a strong cast of contenders to finish T-2 with Rory McIlroy, two shots behind the eventual winner, Chris Gotterup.
Penge won three times on the DP World Tour in 2025, and he has a skill set that’s built to compete on the standard PGA Tour setup. Penge is an elite ball-striker with world-class ball speed off the tee. He averaged 319 yards off the tee in 2025, which puts him in a very small tier with the McIlroys, Potgieters and DeChambeaus of the world. Though Penge wants to remain active on the DP World Tour, he’s stated that he’ll be doing everything he can to qualify for all of 2026’s Signature Events. And we think his game will translate to success in the U.S.
Max Homa
Jed Jacobsohn
I’m encouraged by what we’ve seen from Max Homa’s game of late. Homa’s inconsistent ball-striking numbers have been at the heart of his recent struggles, but they’re trending well heading into 2026. He averaged +0.81 strokes ball-striking per round in both 2022 and 2023, but was a full stroke below that in 2024 and 2025. Over his past 24 rounds, Homa’s back up to +0.85 strokes gained ball-striking, and the calendar sets up well for him to carry positive momentum into the heart of the 2026 season.
Dating back to the 2020 American Express, Homa has played in 38 tournaments out west. He’s finished among the top 20 in 19 of those starts, including wins at Torrey Pines and Riviera. He’s also flashed at two of the other early-season Western venues, Pebble Beach and TPC Scottsdale. I expect Max to threaten the top of the leader board a time or two before we head to Florida in late February.
Aldrich Potgieter
Andy Lyons
It’ll be far from a smooth ride week to week, but Aldrich Potgieter’s ceiling is impossible to ignore. There are enough tracks in the current PGA Tour rotation where 190-plus MPH ball speed immediately puts you into contention. The recently turned 21-year-old’s game needs to become more consistent immediately after putting his headcover back on his driver. Still, he’s tasted Sunday smoke on multiple occasions now, and he got over the hump in Detroit back in June.
The 2025 Arnold Palmer Award winner was the only rookie to qualify for last year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. His spot among the Aon Next 10 earns him early-season Signature Event starts, but he’ll still need to play in some of the other non-Signature Events in order to improve his spot in the standings.
Michael Brennan
Mike Mulholland
After knocking on the door all season long on the PGA Tour Americas, the Wake Forest alum finally broke through with a victory in August at the BioSteel Championship. And he was far from done. He won two of his next three starts, and then finished T-5 or better in his next two starts before earning a sponsor's exemption into the fall swing’s Bank of Utah Championship. It turns out that winning and closing on a Sunday is a skill. The moment was not too big for the 23-year-old, who fired a 64-66 on the weekend to win by four strokes.
Brennan’s win helped him bypass the Korn Ferry Tour, earning him his PGA Tour card and a two-year exemption. Like some of the other young guys on this list, Brennan can move it off the tee without sacrificing much in terms of accuracy. I do believe that there’s something to be said for putting yourself in contention over and over again, especially when you’re able to close, like Brennan did at the Black Desert. If he finds himself in the mix on a Sunday in January or February, I think he’ll meet the moment.
Michael Thorbjornsen
Mike Mulholland
The No. 1 player in the PGA Tour University Class of 2024 continues to show why many—myself included—have been so bullish about his future as a pro. The tenets of his game are bankable. He’s an elite ball-striker and one of the tour’s best in Total Driving, a measure of distance and accuracy off the tee. He’s also an exceptionally strong long-iron player, a skill set needed on the tour’s toughest and longest venues, including most major championships.
The experience and close calls over the past 18 months as a touring pro will undoubtedly help him in 2026. Late Sunday tee times build character, and Thorbjornsen was able to experience that a few times in 2025. With an experienced caddie like J.J. Jakovac now on his bag, I expect to see at least one win and potentially a Presidents Cup selection for Michael Thorbjornsen in 2026.
Cameron Young
Jared C. Tilton
If Cameron Young hadn’t finally gotten over the hump in August at the Wyndham Championship, he likely would’ve continued to tantalize us with his immense talent from time to time. But he certainly wouldn’t have been the first or last golfer with elite tools that couldn’t quite reach the top of the mountain.
But.
Now that he has removed the proverbial monkey off his back, the sky is the limit in 2026.
Young showed up on the PGA Tour as a rookie and hit the ground running. He could hit bombs and sink putts. Over the next few seasons, he really lost his way on the greens, losing at least 0.20 strokes per round on average in 2023 and 2024. Young’s putter was a big reason for his 2025 turnaround, gaining 0.56 strokes per round on average, leading to a career-high eight top-10 finishes on the season. He followed up his win at Sedgefield with a great run in all three FedEx Cup Playoffs starts, plus a strong Ryder Cup performance, and expectations are at an all-time high heading into 2026.
Robert MacIntyre
David Cannon
We’ve continued to see more consistent top-tier golf from Robert MacIntyre, and his fantastic play this fall has many excited about his early-season starts on the PGA Tour in 2026. He’ll likely start the 2026 at the Dubai Desert Classic, but he’ll make some noise in the back end of Q1.
The two-time PGA Tour winner took home the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October by four strokes, firing a 66 on all three of the event's courses. The southpaw’s approach game was more consistent in 2025, and he sacrificed a bit of ball speed off the tee to keep the ball in play more, and it worked out for him. MacIntyre’s ability to show up against elite competition is encouraging, with strong finishes at Bay Hill (T-11), Sawgrass (ninth), and two majors, the U.S. Open (second) and Open Championship (T-7). He also battled the game’s best at Caves Valley, falling short in the 50-man BMW Championship field to Scottie Scheffler.
Sam Burns
Jared C. Tilton
Sam Burns played his best golf against the strongest fields in 2025. He seemed to get his game back on track in the summer of 2024, and that carried over to 2025, even though he failed to find the winner’s circle again.
Burns is more streaky than a lot of the other elite golfers on the PGA Tour. He’s been unable to replicate 2021’s approach numbers, but when you’re the best putter on the PGA Tour, that can hide a lot of what ails you. Burns was essentially an average PGA Tour golfer in 2025, gaining 0.01 strokes tee-to-green, but he gained an average of 0.9 strokes per round on the field because his +0.89 strokes per round on the greens lapped the field.
Over the past three years, Burns ranks eighth on tour (minimum 16 rounds played) with +1.38 strokes gained per round during the California/Scottsdale swing.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Andrew Redington
From June 2024 until this past year’s PGA Championship (May 2025), Matt Fitzpatrick made 21 starts around the world. He finished T-20 or better just one time (2024 FedEx St. Jude, T-18). He seemed lost. His short game abandoned him. His ball-striking was inconsistent. There was no bankable skill that could get him through each round. But he has clearly turned a corner and looks to be set up for a big 2026.
Fitzpatrick has made 16 starts since the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow (T-8 finish), and he’s landed among the top 10 in nine of the 16 starts, including a playoff win over Rory McIlroy last time out in November at the DP World Tour Championship. Fitzpatrick’s approach play has been outstanding, and his short game has been flawless. We may not see him until the WM Phoenix Open in February, but I’m expecting big things from the 2022 U.S. Open Champ in 2026.
Ryan Noonan is the Betting Content Manager for 4for4 and Betsperts Golf, writing articles and hosting multiple shows under the Betsperts Group umbrella, including Move The Line and our Betsperts Golf Betting Show. Find him on Twitter: @RyNoonan.