Jon Rahm has had an incredible year in 2021, which has seen him rise to the number one spot in the world rankings. The Spaniard won his first Major Championship at the US Open and was named the PGA Player of the Year for the 2020/21 season.
Now he has that first Major success, he looks set to win many more big events in the sport. Wrestling the world number one position off Rahm is going to prove difficult this season. Here are three men who have the best chance.
Collin Morikawa
Former world amateur number one Collin Morikawa has made an impressive start to his professional career on the PGA Tour. Two of his five tournament wins have come in Major Championships, which indicates he is the man for the big occasions. Morikawa is 22/1 in the betting with Paddy Power for the 2022 US Masters. Victory at Augusta would see him close the gap with Rahm at the very least.
The American is often one of the top tips for online betting on golf as he has been so consistent over the last 12 months. The world number three was a big player for USA at the recent Ryder Cup. He was unbeaten in his four matches, winning three and tying his singles match on the final day.
Patrick Cantlay
It’s unlikely to be long before Patrick Cantlay becomes a Major winner. He has decent form in all four of the big events, including the US PGA Championship where he finished in a tie for third place in 2019.
Cantlay ended last season in the perfect way. He won the Tour Championship which was also enough to seal the FedEx Cup. He finished ahead of Rahm by one strike at East Lake Golf Club. That success helped him move up from ninth place to fourth in the world rankings.
The 29-year-old will be full of confidence following the best year of his career. If he can follow it up with another big campaign, he looks certain to be challenging Rahm for the top spot.
Xander Schauffele
The biggest success of Xander Schauffele’s career came in 2021 when he was victorious in the Summer Olympics. The American won the tournament in Japan to seal the gold medal. A final round of 67 was enough to prevail by one stroke ahead of Rory Sabbatini.
Schauffele is up to fifth in the world rankings. He is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour but his last win on tour came in 2019. Given what he is capable of, he will be hoping for a much better campaign in the 2021/22 season.
The Olympic gold medallist has some excellent form at Augusta. He has finished runner-up and in a tie for third in the Masters in two of the last three years. The course suits his game so expect a big performance once again from him.
It is going to be an exciting season ahead as the likes of Rahm, Morikawa, Cantlay and Schauffele could push each other to produce their best golf, which will make for great viewing.