5 golfers to watch in 2018

It’s easy to focus on the big names in golf, especially when there’s a comeback like Tiger Woods’ to look forward to, but there’s plenty of emerging talent ready to become the next golf star. After all, even Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson were rookies once. In 2018, we’ll see plenty of up and coming talent take to the golf stage – but who are the ones to look out for?

Maverick McNealy
Age: 22
Nationality: American
Maverick McNealy has made waves in the amateur golf world since he began his career in 2014. After winning the OFCC Fighting Illini Invite in 2014, numerous titles including the U.S. Collegiate Championship in 2015 and the Western Intercollegiate and Nike Collegiate Invite in 2016, McNealy rose to become number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He made his professional debut in the Safeway Open in October – and if his record is anything to go by, we can expect big things from this rising star.

Sung Hyun Park
Age: 24
Nationality: South Korean
In the space of a few months, Sung Hyun Park clinched the LPGA’s Rookie of the Year Award and the top spot on the Women’s World Golf Rankings and the Rolex World Ranking. Before joining the official LPGA Tour, Park carved herself an acclaimed career on the Korean LPGA, and her outstanding rookie achievements set her up for a win at the Women’s US Open and Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, too. She’s set to find herself firmly at the top of the rankings in 2018.
  

Hideki Matsuyama
Age: 25
Nationality: Japanese
Technically, Hideki Matsuyama is something of a star in his home nation of Japan, but the World Number Two golfer – and Donald Trump’s golfing partner – is something of a mystery to the rest of us. A five-time PGA Tour winner, Matsuyama turned professional in 2013 after shooting up the amateur ranks, and since then, he’s proved himself at a plethora of big tournaments. As of this year, he’s second on the Official World Golf Ranking – thanks to his excellent runner-up finish at the 2017 US Open. Definitely watch this space.

Aaron Wise
Age: 21
Nationality: American
Before he’d reached the age of 21, Aaron Wise won the NCAA individual championship and led his University of Oregon team to victory at the first Division I crown. The double win gave him his longstanding reputation as one to watch: the last golfer to win both individual and team competitions was UCLA’s Kevin Chappell way back in 2008. Since then, he’s qualified for the US Open and won the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada in his second start. With his professional career just getting off the ground, we’d recommend keeping an eye on this one.

Alison Lee
Age: 22
Nationality: American
Golf is Alison Lee’s part-time profession that she manages alongside her full-time studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, but the one-time World Amateur Number One is making her mark on the professional golfing world. Despite losing out on an LPGA Tour win in 2016, Alison Lee rose over 400 places in the world ranking between 2014 and 2016 – could she finally get the LPGA victory she’s been after for so long in 2018?