The Power 18 golf rankings: Jon Rahm, Ludvig Åberg keep rising ahead of U.S. Open

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He still leads the PGA Tour in just about every statistical category, but the bunches of wins have yet to follow. Key word being yet. The world No. 1 now has four podium finishes in his last five starts as his string of runner-up results was followed by a T12 at the PGA Championship and a third-place effort in his defense at TPC Craig Ranch. Speaking of defenses, Scheffler went for his third straight Memorial title, which would have doubled as a nice slump buster, but he again fell short. Previous: 1 2

The light work schedule has continued for McIlroy as he has completed just six PGA Tour events as the calendar flipped to the sixth month of the year. After a decent showing at the Truist Championship, McIlroy was firmly in the mix at the PGA Championship following a sluggish start. The game continues to hold up under the toughest test, giving him one of the highest floors in the world. Weirdly enough, his driver has handcuffed him a hair given the waywardness creeping in with that club. Previous: 2 3

It seemed like some poor putting in the final round of the Truist Championship carried over into his week at Aronimink. Young found himself in the throngs of contention at the PGA Championship before a forgettable weekend sent his name tumbling down the leaderboard. Everything in his game looks sharp, as noted by his runaway victory at the Cadillac Championship over Scheffler. Previous: 3 4

Looked like he was going to grab the third leg of the career grand slam before Rai raced through the finish line. The runner-up result at the PGA Championship silenced those who were wondering about his major prowess amid his LIV Golf tenure. He now looks ahead to the U.S. Open, where he has four straight top-12 finishes, including his win at Torrey Pines. The iron play is in a much tidier spot compared to the last two seasons. Previous: 6 5

The Englishman leads the PGA Tour in terms of wins but has been a relative no-show in the two major championships thus far. That will need to change for Fitzpatrick, and there may be no better spot than the U.S. Open where he can say he claimed his lone major title in 2022. Everything looks stellar in his game; it’s just about playing himself into those championships a hair more consistently. Previous: 4 6

Ludvig Åberg

Åberg has had no issues playing himself into weekend contention in 2026 as he is enjoying the best statistical season of his career. The loss at The Players Championship has had a trickle-down effect, as anytime he does not win, some murmur about his closing capabilities. The Swede should be granted patience given his run of form that includes nine straight top-21 finishes, six of which have been top 10s. Previous: 7 7

The two-time major champion continues to be the model of consistency in those championships, notching another top-10 finish at the PGA Championship. Schauffele’s irons disappointed at Aronimink, but his driver is continuing to trend upward. Schauffele has been putting together high-quality floor performances the last couple of months, but a ceiling showing will be needed if he is to nab one of the last two majors of the year. Previous: 5 8

There’s just something about hanging around in golf tournaments that seems to be unappreciated. Henley did just that at Colonial, where a birdie-birdie-birdie finish in regulation got him into a playoff, where he made — you guessed it — a birdie on the first playoff hole to win his first title of the year. This comes after a legitimate chance at the Masters, showing that when golf courses are firm, fast, fiery and require a variety of shots, Henley can contend with the best. Previous: 13 9

The schedule is something else. After dominating the DP World Tour in the early part of the season, Reed has taken time away from the circuit, as his most recent tournaments before the U.S. Open will be … the Masters and the PGA Championship. He is gearing up for a busy summer, and his game continues to hold up on major tests, as evidenced by his top-10 finish at the PGA Championship, where he wasn’t feeling great about his swing early in the week. Previous: 12 10

Sometimes it just takes one thought or one feel to shake a golfer out of a funk, and that seems to have been the case for Spaun. The reigning U.S. Open champion won the week before the Masters and has since followed it up with contention runs at the Truist Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge. Spaun’s iron play has been the best in the world the last three months with his putter proving to be a missing ingredient. Previous: Not ranked 11

There were some poor turns in Rose’s race, but he steadied the steering wheel at the PGA Championship, where he finished inside the top 10 yet again. Only he, McIlroy and Schauffele can say they have finished inside the top 10 in both majors in 2026. Rose’s game is checkered with inconsistencies — that is to be expected at this stage in his career — but his ability to play his way into golf’s biggest events remains unbelievably impressive. Previous: 11 12

Gotterup has shown serious guts, even without his best stuff, on some of the sterner tests golf has to offer. He finished T14 at the Truist Championship and T10 at the PGA Championship despite some struggles around the greens at both. The ball striking is fantastic, and he is making putts in bunches. Combined with an ability to think his way around the golf course, Gotterup’s off weeks are suddenly looking awfully good. Previous: 14 13

Another week and another chance that Kim saw slip through his grasp at TPC Craig Ranch. He has been the best player not to win on the PGA Tour this season with six top-five finishes to his credit. He nearly picked up another at the RBC Canadian Open but finished T15 on Sunday. Kim led by five with 36 holes to play and by a pair with just 18 to go at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson before he was caught by Wyndham Clark’s Sunday 60. Still, the consistency with which he is finding the first page of the leaderboard should be applauded. Previous: 15 14

Played himself into the mix at the Truist Championship, where he finished T5 and then played himself to an early exit at the PGA Championship the following week. Similarly played his way into contention at the RBC Canadian Open only to finish T11 on Sunday. That seems to be the case in Fleetwood’s 2026 — one or two steps forward and then one back. The iron play continues to be hit or miss, but luckily, his putter is starting to look like the club it was this past fall. Previous: 10 15

That is now four straight top-25 finishes for the two-time PGA Championship winner. Thomas fired a final-round 65 at Aronimink and waited for hours until he was ultimately caught and settled for a T4 finish. While much has been made of his putter switch, Thomas’ driving has vastly improved thanks to tighter misses off the tee. That will be key to his major aspirations. Previous: Not ranked 16

The health is a serious question mark, even a few months removed from his withdrawal from the Players. Morikawa continues to struggle walking around the golf courses, and it now seems to be catching up to him. It appears time is the only remedy for his back issues, and once he is right, the game is likely to follow, but the position remains precarious, especially given his torrid start to the season. Previous: 8 17

DeChambeau finished third at LIV Golf Virginia and LIV Golf Korea, while missing the cuts at both the Masters and PGA Championship. That is now three missed cuts in his last four major appearances for the two-time U.S. Open champion. There is a lot of noise around DeChambeau (when isn’t there?) about where his priority lies, and it seems to be affecting his game on the stages that matter. Previous: 9 18

How could you not include Smalley? He nearly went wire-to-wire at the PGA Championship and followed up his run at the year’s second major with a T3 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He now has four top-10 finishes in his last five starts as everything in his game continues to click. Smalley has a silky smooth tempo, and the experience from the PGA should only serve him well in the future. Previous: Not ranked