Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay headline five PGA Tour players who could own the season’s closing stretch.
The PGA Tour is entering the part of the calendar where reputations get sharpened or exposed.
With the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday arriving this week and the U.S. Open looming, there isn’t much runway left for stars to find their best stuff before the season starts sprinting toward the playoffs.
That’s what makes this stretch so fascinating.
Some players are already sitting near the top of the sport. Others are trying to turn strong underlying numbers into trophies.
A few are hunting validation before the biggest weeks of the year disappear.
Start with Scottie Scheffler, because ignoring the world No. 1 would be foolish.
Scheffler hasn’t exactly been lost, but his season still feels like it’s waiting for a signature explosion. His ball-striking profile is absurd ... first in strokes gained tee-to-green, first in total strokes gained, third off the tee, 15th on approach, fourth around the green and 15th putting.
Add in the top marks in scoring average, birdie average and bogey avoidance, and it’s obvious this isn’t a player barely hanging on, it’s a superstar overdue to stack wins.
At Muirfield Village, he can chase a third straight Memorial title. Soon after, the U.S. Open gives him another shot at history.
Justin Thomas is a different kind of watch. After back surgery cost him valuable time, his return was always going to be uneven.
Now, though, the results are starting to look dangerous. A T23 in Miami, 13th at the Truist Championship, a T4 at the PGA Championship and another T13 at Colonial suggest Thomas is no longer just shaking off rust. He’s building.
Patrick Cantlay might be the quietest threat in the sport right now.
He hasn’t won since the 2022 BMW Championship, but six top-15 finishes in 11 starts say the game is still there. His Memorial history is elite, too, with two wins and two more top-five finishes at Jack Nicklaus’ place.
Nicolai Højgaard also deserves more attention.
His scoring average stacks up with names like Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young.
The DP World Tour winner still needs his first PGA Tour victory, but he’s getting close.
READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler Chases Memorial Three-Peat
Then there’s Ben Griffin, who’s heating up after a slow start. Recent finishes of 10th, third, T14 and third show the 2025 breakout wasn’t fake. If his iron play rebounds, Griffin can crash the late-season party again.
The Memorial starts the pressure cooker. These five look ready for it.
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