The major championship slate is wiped clean as the calendar flips to the new year and players eye four opportunities to claim golf immortality in 2025. The 2024 major championship results were rather predictable with Scottie Scheffler securing his second green jacket in the last three years and Bryson DeChambeau raising another U.S. Open trophy. Xander Schauffele breaking through at the PGA Championship was a long time coming, so perhaps what was most surprising is that he doubled up in one season by also taking The Open Championship. 

The four majors were claimed by three of the best players in the world, but that is often not the case. Just two years ago, Wyndham Clark went from relative unknown at the onset of the season to a U.S. Open champion by summertime as he emerged from a packed leaderboard over the likes of Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler at Los Angeles Country Club.

Brian Harman was next to step up to the plate. Commanding a substantial lead at the halfway point of The Open, Harman had many thinking he would trip up over the weekend and cede the winner’s circle to other contenders such as Jon Rahm or Tommy Fleetwood. Instead of faltering, the left hander continued to thrive and ran away with the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool. 

Below we will attempt to identify who will ultimately raise the big trophies in 2025 and which players may alter the trajectory of their careers with just four days of pristine play at the exact right time.

Masters

Favorite — Scottie Scheffler (4-1): It’s not sexy. It’s not fancy. It’s logical. Only three men have successfully defended at the Masters — Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods — and Scheffler looks as ready as ever to extend that list to four. Twice a winner already, the world No. 1 will enter Augusta National this year with a firm understanding of his pre-tournament obligations. In 2023, he put together one of the best defense efforts in recent memory as he finished T10 and led the field in strokes gained tee to green. He’ll be in the mix again, and he’ll get the job done again.

Name to consider — Patrick Cantlay (40-1): When he is right, Cantlay is a top-five player in the world and as well-rounded as they come. His 2024 season was largely disappointing, but what he did do was play himself into major championship contention for the first time in a long time. Finishing T3 at the U.S. Open, Cantlay can use that experience to good use at Augusta National where he has hovered near the first page of the leaderboard the last two years.

PGA Championship

Favorite — Xander Schauffele (12-1): Some may be asking, “Did this guy seriously just copy and paste the winners from 2024?” I promise: The answer to that is, “No.” Schauffele has come close at Quail Hollow Club the last two seasons as he finished runner-up to Clark in 2023 and McIlroy in 2024. Unlike the 2017 PGA Championship won by Justin Thomas, this edition will be held in May just one week after the PGA Tour’s regularly scheduled trip to Charlotte. As such, the golf course will play mostly similar to the traditional set up and favor a player with the skillsets of Schauffele.

Name to consider — Tommy Fleetwood (50-1): The Open is the one major most have pegged for Fleetwood, but the PGA Championship may be his best option in 2025. Fleetwood has done some damage in this championship specifically as he finished only a couple strokes outside the playoff in 2022 and grabbed a top-20 finish at Oak Hill the year after. He’s had some success at Quail Hollow throughout the years, and the way he drives the golf ball should set him up for more at the PGA Championship.

U.S. Open

Favorite — Scottie Scheffler (5-1): There aren’t going to be added variables introduced at this year’s U.S. Open; it’s just going to be tough. Scheffler expressed his dismay towards the sandy areas of Pinehurst No. 2 and never got on track in North Carolina, but he should be foaming at the mouth when it comes to the straight forward difficulty of Oakmont. Everything the U.S. Open requires out of a champion, Scheffler possesses. As an added bonus, the last two winners in Pittsburgh also have green jackets in their closets.

Name to consider — Shane Lowry (66-1): It was his championship to lose in 2017, and he did just that. Entering the final round with a four-stroke lead over eventual champion Dustin Johnson, Lowry carded a closing 6-over 76 to lose by three strokes. He has since picked up a Claret Jug and has come close a number of times including this past year’s Open, so the form should not be a concern. His driving accuracy and iron play are both underrated.

The Open

Favorite — Tyrrell Hatton (30-1): Something clicks for Hatton when he steps onto a links-style golf course. Three times a winner at St. Andrews and a contender across many Opens, the Englishman will finally cross the finish line this year at Royal Portrush. Hatton finished T6 when the championship was contested in Northern Ireland in 2019 and has since grown into a much more complete player. His play in 2024 went under the radar, but he performed like a top-10 player in the world.

Name to consider — Adam Scott (100-1): He still has at least one more major championship run in him. The Australian had a nice 2024 season that included runner-up finishes at the Scottish Open and the BMW Championship as well as a quiet top-10 result at The Open. Scott has always been a terrific links golfer, and the recent improvement off the tee should only aid his quest for the Claret Jug.