It’s increasingly tough to make it at the very top level, and those who do so possess an inordinate amount of talent and exceptional mental fortitude.
This year looks set to be a superb one on the main professional and amateur circuits, with packed international schedules that will feature incredible golfers from all around the globe.
Selecting players to watch in 2025 is challenging, as so many have the potential to make a name for themselves or step it up a level. I’ve thought long and hard to come up with 25 names across three different categories. First, those who might make a splash with breakout performances through the season; second, players I feel are ready to move through the gears and claim a big win; and finally, those at the very pinnacle of the game who I think may win a Major in 2025.
Jacob Skov Olesen
A former greenkeeper at Royal Copenhagen, Olesen won the 2024 Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin. The 25-year-old Dane made the cut in The Open at Royal Troon and then went on to earn 2025 DP World Tour playing rights through Q-School. He turned pro, forfeiting his exemption to this year’s Masters and showing he’s prepared to back himself in the paid ranks. He has abundant talent and the ability to go low.
Jasmine Koo
Just 18 years old, Koo is an amateur with huge potential. The Californian finished 13th in the Chevron Championship (the leading amateur), played in the 2024 Curtis Cup, winning 2.5 points, then won twice on the collegiate circuit in the second half of 2024. She was 4th in the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and, as the current World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) No.2, she’s my favourite to win it in 2025.
Luke Clanton
This story is from the February 2025 edition of Golf Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2025 edition of Golf Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
My golfing year
Rob Smith looks back on his packed 2024 diary and reflects on the many and varied adventures of a dedicated golf course writer
Clubs with two 18-hole courses
Each of these venues is home to two fine and occasionally very different layouts
Blackmoor
The A3/M3 corridor heading south-west out of London is graced with many cracking heather-lined courses that rank among the best in the country.
How should I adjust for compacted sand?
At this time of year, we face a lot of bunker shots from compacted sand and need to make the necessary adjustments to change how the club enters the sand.
Johannes Veerman
The winner of December's Nedbank Golf Challenge shares his thoughts on some of the best ways to lower your scores
PUTTING MATS
While you may think all putting mats are created equal, there are many factors a golfer should consider before taking the plunge, from price and size, to speed and the number of different features a product offers.
OZARKS NATIONAL
This outrageously attractive course, which opened in 2019, is one of five brilliant and very different designs at the expansive Big Cedar Lodge resort in Missouri.
FOR THE LONG RUN"
Ludvig Aberg has made quite a start to his professional career, with his eyes now set on climbing higher still in 2025 following a slight pause for surgery last September
A GRAND ESTATE
Goodwood in West Sussex may be steeped in ancestral history, but about 20 years ago it elected to take its golf offering down a very different route...