The next big thing: the 5 best golfer in the world aged 21 or under
Professional golf has many archetypes that we adore.
The journeyman who always saves his card. The veteran who finds something special in his 40s. The champion who rekindles the magic for one week in a major in his 50s.
But nothing quite gets the juices flowing like a youngster thrilling us with the first steps of a great career.
Who should we be looking out for right now?
Let’s take a look.
Blades Brown
Brown carded a 60 on the PGA Tour in January (at The American Express), was third in the Puerto Rico Open in February, and he is also a two time 54-hole leader on the Korn Ferry Tour this season (eventually finishing second and third).
And he’s still only 18 – in fact he was the youngest-ever KFT pre-final round leader when he grabbed the first of those leads.
It’s safe to say that the Nashville born and bred golfer is somewhat precocious.
In fact, he was also the youngest-ever medallist in the US Amateur aged 16 and the man whose record he broke was only the great Bobby Jones.
Unusually for an American, he quit education after high school and turned pro in December 2024.
He landed one second place on the KFT in 2025, but it was not enough for graduation to the top tier. His current form suggests he’ll be on the PGA Tour sooner rather than later, however.
A final thought: that 60 could have been even better – he had a 7-foot birdie putt at the last for a 59.
Angel Ayora
The Spanish 21-year-old has connections.
He is managed by Javier Ballesteros, son of Seve, and is physically trained by Juan Carlos Ferrero, formerly the trainer of Carlos Alcaraz and winner of a Grand Slam even himself.
Ayora’s amateur achievements were not shining but he was still considered a future star and he’s taken to the pro ranks with style and composure.
He graduated from the second tier with one victory and second place in the Grand Final, and ranked 20th in the Race to Dubai in his rookie season on the DP World Tour.
Perhaps the only gap in his CV at this stage is a top level win because he’s become a relentless accumulator of top 10s and top 20s.
If he could find a rock solid putting stroke, the wins would pour in and he surely has graduation to the PGA Tour in his sights at the end of 2026.
He’s capable of it, too.
Wenyi Ding
The Chinese 21-year-old spent time at Arizona State University where Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm honed their games – and he won the US Amateur Championship in 2022.
He’s where it gets weird: when he won that prestigious junior title he had already clocked eight top 10 finishes on the professional China Tour including a win and third place in the China Open.
He won the 2024 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship which got him spots in last year’s Masters and US Open, but he passed on those opportunities to turn pro late in the year and he easily kept hold of his DP World Tour card.
He pushed another fine youngster, David Puig, close when he was second in the Australian PGA Championship late in 2025.
Jackson Koivun
The World No. 1 amateur became just the third player to earn a PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated Program last year, but he deferred it and said it was a no-brainer – he likes Auburn University and the amateur game that much.
“He’s just special,’ said Auburn head coach Nick Clinard. “He’s elite physically, he’s elite emotionally, he’s elite mentally. He’s got the whole package.”
The 20-year-old wins college events for fun, went 3-1 in the 2025 Walker Cup and has proved himself on the PGA Tour with four finishes of T12 or better last year.
He might be the best of the lost.
Expectations will be high when he decides to take his PGA Tour card, but he might be up to them.
Aldrich Potgieter
The South African 21-year-old already has so much pro experience under his belt it is sometimes hard to believe he is still as young as he is.
Born in SA, he spent a large chunk of his youth in Western Australia where his family relocated for his golf. They returned to their homeland after COVID and Potgieter won the 2022 British Amateur Championship aged just 17.
It was immediately apparent that he is a prodigious hitter, helped by the rugby and wrestling he played as a boy.
He turned pro in 2023 and early in 2024 he became the youngest winner on the Korn Ferry Tour aged 19. Two weeks later he thrashed a 59 on the same circuit and he ended the year finishing second at the Nedbank Challenge – also known as Africa’s Major.
Last year, his rookie campaign on the PGA Tour, he broke through with victory in the Rocket Classic.
Consistency is what he needs. His A game is very, very good. His B game is poor.
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