The Power 18 golf rankings: Bryson DeChambeau rounds out top four as Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau surge
The Power 18 golf rankings: Bryson DeChambeau rounds out top four as Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau surge
Three of the four major championships are in the rear-view mirror as players gear up for a sprint to the finish line. In pole position for the entirety of the year, Scottie Scheffler remains a pace ahead of the golf world as he seeks to cap a historic season with even more accolades across the final two months of the campaign.
Fresh off his sixth victory of the year, Scheffler presently taking a brief hiatus from the game as he charts his return for The Open Championship later in July. From there, the world No. 1 will attempt to capture a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and then try to earn his first FedEx Cup crown.
Xander Schauffele remains in top form despite not raising a trophy since his PGA Championship victory. Schauffele will defend his gold medal when he arrives in Paris among the favorites given his string of consistency. When it comes to that word -- consistency -- there is just one other man in addition to Schauffele who can claim to hold it across the three major championships played thus far.
Bryson DeChambeau captured his second U.S. Open crown in dramatic fashion at Pinehurst No. 2 last month. With three top-10 finishes under his belt in the three majors, the big-hitting American is continuing to prove that he is among the world's best. Included among that group, of course, is Rory McIlroy. The four-time major champion came agonizingly close to a fifth in North Carolina but now shifts his attention to Scotland. Set to defend his title at the Scottish Open, McIlroy will return from his break from the game with eyes on a successful defense before turning his focus to Royal Troon for the last major of 2024.
The Power 18 provides insight as to how golfers are currently performing with benefit given to their play over recent events. It is a wider lens than simply what happened at the last tournament to be played but more narrow than the Official World Golf Rankings, which take into account how more than 2,000 golfers perform across an entire season.
The Power 18
| 1 |
| The U.S. Open did not go as planned, but he got right back on the saddle at the Travelers Championship. Defeating Tom Kim in a playoff for his sixth victory of the year, Scheffler could be on the cusp of matching Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods for most wins on the PGA Tour in a single season with nine. With only four starts remaining (The Open and three playoff events), he'll need to be close to perfect, but then again, that's kind of what he has been in 2024. Previous: 1 |
| 2 |
| If it was not for Scheffler, more people would be talking about what Schauffele is doing from a consistency standpoint. The PGA Championship winner has made 50 straight cuts dating back to the 2022 Masters, the longest made-cut streak since Tiger's 142 in a row. He hasn't finished outside the top 25 since the beginning of February and is one of two players to finish top 10 in the first three majors of the year. Previous: 2 |
| 3 |
| McIlroy has rattled off six straight top-15 finishes, including a pair of wins, and nearly added a third at Pinehurst. The short misses on the greens are all anyone will remember from the U.S. Open, but let's not forget his prowess from tee to green. McIlroy gained over eight strokes on the field with his driver. He was sensational around the green and continued his major resurgence since the beginning of 2022. In his last 11 major starts, the Northern Irishman has eight top 10s. Previous: 3 |
| 4 |
| Some will want to see his name moved up, but the cleanup spot is where he belongs for now. DeChambeau has been the best player in major championships this season with three top-six finishes including his U.S. Open win. Following the world tour of the trophy, he did extremely well to finish a distant third at LIV Golf Nashville for his first top five on his home circuit since early March. Previous: 4 |
| 5 |
| Ever since the Masters, Morikawa has been sensational. He has connected on eight straight top 16s including a runner-up result to Scheffler at the Memorial where he more than had his chances to win down the stretch. Much is made of Morikawa's iron play, which has been much improved, but the significant strides made in his short game have transformed him into one of the most well-rounded players in the game. Previous: 5 |
| 6 |
| Åberg quickly proved his early exit from the PGA Championship was no cause for concern. Finishing inside the top five at the Memorial, the young Swede led at the halfway point at the U.S. Open in just his first appearance. Some short-game shortcomings were his undoing over the weekend, but Åberg should only improve in that area as his young career continues to blossom. Previous: 6 |
| 7 |
| It continues to be a strange season for the Spaniard. After missing the cut at the PGA Championship, the two-time major champion withdrew from LIV Golf Houston before doing the same at the U.S. Open due to a lesion in between his toes. Despite missing out on the third major of the year, Rahm teed it up the following week at LIV Golf Nashville where he finished in a share of third. Previous: 8 |
| 8 |
| Just a couple starts can change the narrative around a player. Cantlay was in the midst of a dreadful 2024 -- for his standards -- but flipped a switch at the U.S. Open. Grabbing a share of the first-round lead, the former FedEx Cup champion factored throughout the weekend and nearly snuck into the winner's circle. He followed up his first contention run at a major in five years with another top-five finish at the Travelers Championship. Previous: 15 |
| 9 |
| Finau has officially found his groove. Capturing five straight top-20 finishes, the 34-year-old can thank an uptick on and around the greens for his consistent presence on the first page of leaderboards. Finishing on the podium at the U.S. Open, Finau (like Cantlay) backed it up with a top-five result at the Travelers Championship. Previous: Not ranked |
| 10 |
| A sleepy spring that saw Matsuyama play in only the Masters and PGA Championship during the months of April and May has turned into a summer scorcher. The man from Japan rattled off back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Memorial and U.S. Open and looks to be healthy once again. Previous: 17 |
| 11 |
| A podium result at Valhalla has been followed by a missed cut at the U.S. Open and a couple top-20 finishes in signature events for Hovland. The ball-striking remains sound, but the short-game woes are continuing to hinder Hovland's chances of capturing his first title of the season. He ranks 172nd out of 172 players on the PGA Tour in strokes gained around the green. Previous: 7 |
| 12 |
| He's bubbling at the surface. Fleetwood has eight top-26 finishes in his last nine starts but only two top 10s with both of those coming all the way back in April. He's doing everything pretty well but nothing particularly great. A return to Scotland could be exactly what is needed to send the Englishman over the top after factoring in last year's Open. Previous: 14 |
| 13 |
| Hatton's hiatus from the winner's circle is no more as he ran away from the field at LIV Golf Nashville for his first win in three years. The fiery Englishman has been solid in the majors so far and was a cooperative putter away from contending at the U.S. Open. If he brings that club to Royal Troon, Hatton should love his chances as he boasts three top 20s in his last four Open appearances. Previous: NR |
| 14 |
| Niemann shared third-place honors with DeChambeau and Rahm at LIV Golf Nashville to continue his strong play on the 54-hole circuit. In nine LIV Golf tournaments this year, the Chilean has two wins and just one finish outside the top 10. This play has yet to translate on the major stage as Niemann missed out on qualifying for the U.S. Open after finishing outside the top 20 at both the PGA Championship and Masters. Previous: 9 |
| 15 |
| It's been a boom-or-bust year for Thomas. He's missed cuts at the Players Championship, Masters and U.S. Open but notched quality results a handful of signature events and the PGA Championship. His iron play looks great, he's driving the ball much better, and the putter showed some life in Connecticut. After throwing an old gamer in the bag, Thomas returned to his usual Scotty Cameron at the Travelers Championship. Previous: 11 |
| 16 |
| Similar to Niemann, Im has been dreadful in major championships but great on the PGA Tour. The South Korean has missed all three major cuts in 2024, but he is beginning to peak those other weeks with four straight non-major top 10s. He finished a couple strokes outside that playoff at TPC River Highlands and seems to have found his iron play after a slow start to his year. Previous: NR |
| 17 |
| His consistency finally paid off with a nice showing at the U.S. Open where Henley raced to the finish line for a top-10 finish. He continues to flash brilliance on the greens and is experiencing his best putting season since 2017 while continuing with his solid ball-striking numbers. Previous: 18 |
| 18 |
| His nine-week work trip has finally come to an end. During his non-stop schedule, Kim found his footing with a top-five finish at the Canadian Open and a playoff loss at the Travelers Championship. His ball-striking statistics experienced a bump with his driver transforming into a weapon thanks to some added distance off the tee. Previous: NR |