Golf is Back! Who Can Win Their 1st Major in 2026?

With the golf season getting going on the West Coast, & so many other headlines circulating the game yet again between LIV & the PGA Tour, it’s time to discuss the year ahead. Specifically, the big four... the majors. Though still sadly a couple of months away from our 1st major, the Masters, it’s never too early to discuss who can break through & snag that elusive major win.

With the elites of the game still firmly in their prime, becoming a 1st-time winner on the majors circuit feels more difficult than ever. Let's dive in!

To start us off just chew on this for a moment… Scottie Scheffler is currently -150 to win a major in 2026. You then have Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, & Xander Schauffele all with better odds than anyone looking for their first one. This doesn’t mean we aren’t going to see a new major winner in 2026, but it does show you how deep the game of golf is right now.

So the question swirls in the minds of gambling degenerates & of course golf psychos like myself… who is going to grab that 1st major? Have no fear I've done the research for you. In doing so I’ve put together 5 players primed to take that next step in their careers, with betting odds included, don’t worry.

Ludvig Åberg

Win a major: +650 Masters, PGA, & U.S. Open: +1800 The Open: +2500

The Swede Ludvig Åberg has had his close calls early in his career, with a runner-up finish at the 2024 Masters, as well as a top-10 finish last year where he was briefly tied for the lead late on Sunday. While he has come razor-thin close, he’s also had some head-scratching performances. Still so young in his career, with only 8 major starts, half have resulted in top-25 finishes, with the other half not even seeing the weekend.

Åberg has some of the best ball-striking stats on tour, with lethal driving ability that sets him up for low scoring. His achilles heel early in his professional career has been the short game, with scrambling from the rough being a major issue. After an up-and-down 2025, he’s been able to fully work on his game again this offseason after not getting that chance in 2024 while recovering from knee surgery. This extra time may help clean up those downfalls from early in his career.

He’s played in all the big moments these past couple of years without blinking, from major contention to Ryder Cup victories (already a two-time Ryder Cup champ). 2026 feels like a year where he finally gets through. Personally, I like him most at Augusta, but The Open Championship has also historically been kind to European golfers.

Viktor Hovland

Win a major: +2500 Masters: +3500 PGA: +3000 U.S. Open: +2500 The Open: +2800

The Norwegian Viktor Hovland has carved out a nice career as the always in the hunt guy at majors, including 8 top-20 finishes, with 4 of those being top 5s. He took last year’s U.S. Open winner, J.J. Spaun, to the final hole before falling short. When his game is on, it’s among the best in the world, the problem has always been consistency.

We saw him turn it on a couple of years ago enroute to a FedEx Cup Championship where no one could touch him. If that Hovland shows up for one of these four weekends in 2026… watch out.

Hovland’s odds are VERY intriguing at 25/1 to win any major, with his best shot looking like the U.S. Open. That’s not surprising after his close call last year. Still, if I’m picking one that really fits him, it’s the PGA Championship. He already has two top-3 finishes there, and the layout of that major just seems to fit his swing & style. Annnnd, I never like to count out Europeans at The Open, but for Hovland, I believe his best shot comes in May.

Tommy Fleetwood

Win a major: +600 Masters: +1600 PGA & U.S. Open: +2000 The Open: +1400

TOMMY! How can he not be on this list? Fleetwood finally broke through in dramatic fashion by winning the FedEx Cup Championship last fall, his first win on American soil on the PGA Tour. A man with endless close calls throughout his career, you can’t help but think that with the monkey off his back, he’s primed for a huge 2026 & to grab that first major.

With 8 top-10s & two runner-up finishes in majors, he’s one of those not if, but when players. His game is as sharp as it’s ever been, & he’s finally shaken the doubt of will I ever? Fleetwood does have a mixed bag of results across all majors, very close calls paired with missed cuts, but the easy answer for me is The Open Championship.

With it being at Royal Birkdale, a stone’s throw from his hometown of Southport, it just feels like a fitting first-major story that would be told for years to come.

Cameron Young

Win a major: +1000 Masters: +4000 PGA, U.S. Open, The Open: +5000

The American Cameron Young is another 2025 breakthrough guy, as his year ended with quite the bang, winning his 1st PGA Tour event & then delivering one of, if not the best, U.S. performances at the 2025 Ryder Cup. Now yes, he may not be a true “household name” yet like the first three on this list, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t already been close.

In just 14 major appearances, he holds 6 top-10s & a runner-up finish. Young’s putting ability is what makes him such a strong candidate to snag a major soon. While he still needs to tighten up other parts of his game, he has to feel confident knowing what he can do once the ball is on the green.

Now let me go cliché here, but I just feel like he has a U.S. Open win written all over him, he gives me that vibe. And to win a U.S. Open, you need to hit tough-ass putts. He can & will do that.

Marco Penge

Win a major: Not listed Masters: +10000 PGA: Not listed U.S. Open: Not listed The Open: +12000

I'm going off the grid! PGA Tour rookie Englishman Marco Penge rounds out this list. I’m sure about 75% of you have no clue who this guy is & are probably about to close this blog feeling it's lost all credibility. Chill out I got this, we need a wildcard pick anyways. Oh by the way, I’m introducing you to someone who can outdrive Rory McIlroy at times on the DP World Tour & is coming off a 3-win season with a runner-up finish in the Race to Dubai.

Penge is a massive longshot in so many ways, with only one non-Open Championship major start, last year’s PGA, where he finished T-28. But here’s the thing: that might actually be his advantage. He’s coming onto the scene with zero expectations from the majority of the golf world, free to attack each week with no target on his back… yet.

The concern is that he’s still fighting for full exemption as a first-timer on tour & is reportedly coming off a bad illness this winter. Still, if he continues to find form like he has over the past year, he’ll soon be a name you want to circle on leaderboards throughout the spring & summer.

Others to think about...

• David Puig – LIV & DP World Tour member. His game is really starting to pop, including a DPWT win. If he can get into the majors, he’ll contend.

• Robert MacIntyre – The Scotsman has shown he can take over tournaments, but can he close a big one out?

• Chris Gotterup – The American keeps winning, has a quiet swagger to his game, & will be in contention at least once this major season.

• Ben Griffin – The question is whether he can sustain last year’s success. If so, watch for him to find a Sunday opportunity.

• Will Zalatoris – Is he truly healthy? If yes, keep an eye on him. Way too many close calls before the back issues over the last three years.

• José Luis Ballester – Another young Spaniard on LIV & the DP World Tour. Needs to do a lot this spring to qualify, making him a very long shot to even get into the fields.

Finding yourself in contention on Sunday at a major is hard enough, but closing out that first one is a whole different world. Over 100 golfers each major week are asking themselves the same question: could this be my first? The handful above could find themselves hoisting the Claret Jug or slipping on that green jacket in 2026.

Folks, we’ve got ourselves another epic season of golf ahead of us.