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The term “breaking out” means different things to different people. For Ben Griffin last year, it meant finally stepping into the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour alongside Andrew Novak at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
Griffin was one of many golfers to break out in 2025. The former mortgage loan officer won three times on the PGA Tour, clocked two top-10 finishes in the major championships and participated on the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black. He rose from No. 68 in the Official World Golf Rankings to No. 8. Not too shabby.
However, he was not the breakout candidate. Instead, that was J.J. Spaun. One year removed from being on the brink of losing his PGA Tour card, Spaun surged ahead in 2025 thanks to continued improvement in his approach play complementing added distance off the tee.
Spaun started the year No. 115 in the world and finished 2025 as the sixth-ranked golfer. He won the U.S. Open in dramatic fashion and fell in FedEx Cup Playoffs at the Players Championship and St. Jude Championship.
Those are your classic cases of breaking out in golf terms.
Cameron Young broke out for his long-awaited first victory on the PGA Tour. Tommy Fleetwood did the same and claimed the FedEx Cup while climbing to No. 3 in the world. Despite this, both have been labeled “breakout candidates” by some because they have another level to break through — this time on a major stage.
Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa lead notable bounce-back candidates on PGA Tour in 2026
Patrick McDonald
For our purposes, we will keep our line of thinking primarily in the Spaun camp, those players around the top 100 in the world or further down the rankings who we believe can make the big jump. Players who casual golf fans did not know or at the very least did not care for at the onset of the season but will be glued to their televisions watching by the end of it.
Five candidates to break out on PGA Tour in 2026
Official World Golf Rankings