Let the 19th hole chatter continue.
It’s always fun for fans to debate who is the best player never to have won a golf major and deliberate over who will become the next player to win his first.
The best player never to win a major has been a double-edged tag over the years: to some an annoying attachment next to their logoed wardrobe, to others a dose of praise despite not having a major triumph on the resume.
Curtis Strange heard about it before he won the U.S. Open in back-to-back years. Ben Crenshaw, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Davis Love III and Adam Scott all got an earful before joining the major fraternity.
Phil Mickelson finally left the conversation when he leaped for joy in the 2004 Masters, snapping a frustrating 0-for-42 stretch as a pro. Sergio Garcia ended his 0-for-73 futility in majors at the 2017 Masters. Dustin Johnson’s name stopped coming up with his win in the 2016 U.S. Open, as did Henrik Stenson’s a month later at the Open Championship.
Without further ado, here’s our list, in alphabetical order.
Sam Burns
Sam Burns wins the championship match against Cameron Young during the final day of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play golf tournament. (Photo: Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports)
Burns has five PGA Tour victories, all coming in the past two years. his latest victory at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play came after knocking off defending champion Scottie Scheffler in the semifinals before a win against Cameron Young in the finals. Burns is an excellent iron player, but he hasn’t figured it out in the majors. In 11 starts, his best finish is T-20 (2022 PGA) and he has missed three cuts and withdrawn once.
Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay poses with the BMW Trophy and The Western Golf Association Trophy after winning the 2022 BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
Patrick Cantlay is one of the best players in the world and has been for some time. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour, including three FedEx Cup Playoff events and two Memorial tournaments. He also won the FedEx Cup in 2021 after capturing the BMW Championship and Tour Championship in consecutive weeks. However, he has only three top 10s in majors the past five years, his best finish a T-3 in the 2019 PGA Championship. Slow play jokes aside, Cantlay has been in contention plenty and should be ready to win his biggest tournament yet soon.
Tony Finau
Tony Finau poses with the trophy and his wife Alayna and son Drace after putting in to win on the 18th hole during the final round of the Cadence Bank Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on November 13, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Tony Finau has won six times, but hasn’t been able to put it together in the majors. Last year, he missed the cut at the U.S. Open, and his best finish otherwise was a T-28 at the Open Championship. He has steadily improved, especially on the greens, so seeing him break through on the biggest stage seems like a formality.
Max Homa
Max Homa with his wife Lacey and son Cameron after he won the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open Torrey Pines in San Diego. (Photo: Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports)
Homa has won six times on Tour, including four times the past two seasons. He has won the Wells Fargo Championship twice at two different courses and also has two Fortinet titles to his name as well as a win at the Genesis Invitational. However, come majors, Homa has one top-25 finish, a T-13 at the 2022 PGA Championship.
Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland watches a drive in the pro-am ahead of the 2023 Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The six-time Tour winner has victories in Puerto Rico and Mexico. He won back-to-back Hero World Challenges in the Bahamas. In 2023, he won three time, and they were biggies: the Memorial, the BMW and the Tour Championship. The Norwegian is still looking for his major breakthrough.
Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele hoists the trophy after winning the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
He’s a big-time player on golf’s biggest stages. He has won a Tour Championship, Sentry Tournament of Champions and an Olympic gold medal. In 2022, he had his best season yet, winning three times, including the Genesis Scottish Open. And in majors, he has consistently been in the top 10, recording 10 top-10 finishes in 23 starts. He has a pair of T-2s and T-3s and has missed the cut only three times. It seems a matter of if, not when Schauffele finally breaks through.
Cameron Young
Cameron Young at the 2023 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Now, hear us out. Yes, Young hasn’t won on the PGA Tour. Yes, he’s only in his third season but he constantly finds his way to the top of leaderboards, including in the biggest events. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks through. In 2022, Young finished a shot out of the playoff at the PGA Championship, and his eagle on the 72nd hole of the Open Championship helped him finish solo second, a shot behind winner Cameron Smith. He has six runner-up finishes in his career.
Will Zalatoris
Will Zalatoris holds up the trophy after winning the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire)
Zalatoris has but one PGA Tour victory. He has battled injuries and missed most of 2023, but when Zalatoris is playing in big events, he seemingly always finds his way near the top. He has six top-eight finishes in 10 major starts, including three runner-up finishes. He lost in a three-hole playoff to Justin Thomas in the 2022 PGA Championship. When Zally is back healthy, watch out.
