Daniel Berger led the list of breakout golfers in 2015 as he proved that they can hang with the best on the biggest stage. The 23-year-old burst onto the scene with six top 10 finishes along with a pair of second-place results. He ended up winning over $3 million in prize money while finishing 11th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Even with so many young stars playing at such a high level, it seems as though golfing enthusiasts are always looking forward to the next big thing in the sport. So who is the next Berger? While the list of candidates is deep once again this year, we have narrowed it down to a handful of likely breakout stars for this season. Here is a look at four potential breakout stars for 2016.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick technically had a breakout season in 2015 when he climbed from No. 413 in the world in to the top-50, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a breakout candidate for 2016 and get much higher in the rankings. Keep in mind that now he is eligible to participate in the major events. The 21-year-old didn’t play in a single major last year but he parlayed a European Tour victory with six other top-10 finishes to push his way up the standings and there are some that feel he has the potential to climb in to the top-10 in the world this year with a chance to show the world what he can do on the biggest stage.
Kevin Kisner
Kisner is another golfer that had somewhat of a breakout season a year ago but he has only scratched the surface in terms of his overall potential after earning his first-career PGA Tour victory in 2015. The most intriguing aspect of Kisner’s performance last year is that it could have been that much better as he registered runner-up finishes on four different occasions – including at The Players Championship. He’s carried over that momentum into the 2016 season as he’s already posted three top-10 finishes – including a win at The RSM Classic. Entering the Sony Open this weekend, he’s actually the leader in the FedEx Cup standings. He had earned just over $5 million in prize money in his first six seasons on the Tour but is already over $2 million in earnings this season.
He’s not new to the scene as he actually turned pro in 2006 and started playing on the Tour in 2009, but he looks like he’s finally putting things together. Kisner has all of the tools to thrive on the PGA Tour and after falling just short several times a year ago, he is primed to continue turned his impressive start to the 2016 season into a full-on breakout.
Branden Grace
At No. 15, Grace is the highest ranked player in the Official World Golf rankings without a win but he has certainly come close – including strong performances at the US Open and the PGA Championship. Grace is 27 years old but he has only recently started to show his incredible ability. Another strong showing at the Presidents Cup certainly has the South African trending upward toward a breakout season in 2016. He’s started well too as he has played in just two events so far but registered a tie for fifth at the World Golf Championships and a tie for 17th in the CIMB Classic.
Tony Finau
Finau quietly had an outstanding rookie season and while he didn’t garner as much attention as he probably should have but don’t expect that to be the case in 2016 as he looks to continue his climb. Finau recorded 16 top-25 finishes in 31 starts a year ago to climb to No. 87 in the world and after sharpening several areas of his game over the past couple of years he is final ready to break through. The 26-year-old will continue to search for his first-career PGA Tour win in 2016 but don’t be surprised if that is only the beginning of his standout season as he climbs his way in to the top-50 in the world with a breakout season.
