It is almost the new year, and for a sport that has been accused (fairly) of being stuck in the past and allergic to change, golf has hit the accelerator in recent years. Which sets up 2026 to be interesting in ways that extend beyond the golf course and who wins what major.
The Athletic’s golf staff made two predictions, highlighting the possibilities for what we can expect on and off the course.
Scottie Scheffler will not complete the career Grand Slam
At this point, it’s just easier to presume Scottie Scheffler will win any golf tournament he deigns to enter, and after winning two majors in 2025, he’s now three-quarters of the way to the career Grand Slam. The U.S. Open is all that eludes Scheffler from becoming the 10th man to win it, and the seventh in the modern era. Fresh off Rory McIlroy’s own entry in golf’s most exclusive club, it’d be entirely too easy to assume Scheffler just takes care of business at Shinnecock Hills this June and does it in his first try. To that, I only caution that it took McIlroy more than a decade to win the Masters, and eight all-time greats, with names like Palmer and Trevino and Watson, all ended their careers one major short.
Success at the U.S. Open has eluded Scheffler comparatively. He has four top-10 finishes and twice in the top three, but I dare you to point to a moment on any Father’s Day where you seriously believed him to be the eventual champion. He’ll figure it out, but I like his chances better at Pebble Beach in 2027 than I do on Long Island in 2026. — Hugh Kellenberger
Scottie Scheffler will complete the career Grand Slam
It’s a little uncomfortable to admit, you know, given the nine-win 2024 and the two-major run of 2025, but Scheffler is only getting better.
When we look back on Scheffler’s peak, I think we’ll realize the three months starting this time last year as he recovered from hand surgery were the strangest outliers in an all-time apex. He talks often about the offseason being where he adds things to his game, works on his body and tries to take another leap, and the infamous ravioli incident shuttered that all-important stretch. For three months, his driver took a (relative) dip and the little details like distance control took time to recover.
But if you take a step back and look at the entire picture, his putting became an all-world strength. His overall tee-to-green game was right back at 2024 levels down the stretch. And now? In theory, he’ll have that offseason he didn’t get last year. Ruh roh.
If there were two (quite contrived) critiques left of Scheffler last, they were that he hadn’t proven himself on a links course, and he sometimes struggles to meet the erratic, incalculable tests of certain U.S. Open venues. Well, he dominated the Open at Portrush so handily that he removed any doubts about that. Next, he’ll head to the U.S. Open at Shinnecock looking to both complete the career slam and remove the final question mark. Let’s keep in mind he’s finished T7 or better at four of the last five U.S. Opens, so the narrative is a little silly. But even more importantly, he will likely be preparing for this all offseason. Good luck. — Brody Miller
How can Rory McIlroy top his 2025? (Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy wins a sixth major
Last year, the Northern Irishman ended an 11-year-long winless drought in the majors by finally slipping on the green jacket. There were some ups and downs following that momentous victory. The ups being a team win at an away Ryder Cup and an individual win at the Irish Open. The downs include disappointing weeks at the remaining major championships and some chippiness with the media in between. But now, nine months removed from achieving his greatest accomplishment, the career Grand Slam, McIlroy will settle into a more neutral headspace and position himself to build his major resume even further. McIlroy says that the majors and the Ryder Cup are his sole focus now. I have an inkling that establishing a narrower goal, while also playing with significantly lessened external pressure, will help McIlroy’s chances to win a sixth major in 2026 — Aronimink, the site of next year’s PGA Championship, would be my best guess. — Gabby Herzig
Tiger Woods will be named the 2027 Ryder Cup captain
The U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy will be revealed at some point in the first half of 2026, and the 15-time major champion will take the job. At the Hero World Challenge, Woods refused to rule out the possibility: “No one’s asked me about it,” he said. That’s a cagey answer. Here’s why I think Woods will do it. First, by 2027, Woods won’t be nearly as busy with his duties shaping the PGA Tour — the objective right now is that the new competitive model will be implemented in 2027. Secondly, he’s turning 50 at the end of the month. Being the Ryder Cup captain will be the perfect addition to Woods’ “next chapter.” He’ll be making an impact in golf, but he won’t be required to push his body to its brink to recover in time for tournament appearances. Thirdly, if anyone is going to whip the back office of the U.S. Ryder Cup organization into shape, it’s Woods. Oversight and silly mistakes won’t be acceptable, and the U.S. team leadership will convince themselves they need Woods to help recover from the disaster at Bethpage Black. — Herzig
Tiger Woods is coming off two surgeries in the last year. (Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
Tiger Woods makes his Champions Tour debut
Tiger will turn 50 on Dec. 30, making him eligible for the Champions Tour. It could not come at a better time for the circuit, which has reached a nadir as it struggles to make anyone in particular care about aging pro golfers wringing out a few more paychecks. The PGA Tour should be considering whether it’s a worthwhile investment, period, and I suspect new CEO Brian Rolapp is way more willing to consider such a radical move. But Tiger Woods represents an opportunity, and the Champions Tour can offer him a chance to compete against his actual peers — and drive a golf cart, a not insignificant factor after his 2025 was wrecked with even more injuries.
The idea of Tiger being a regular fixture feels far-fetched, but could he center a schedule around the U.S. Senior Open, with a few strategic appearances at venues (or sponsors) he has a propensity for? Tiger still draws crowds and TV audiences. The Champions Tour desperately needs both. — Kellenberger
The PGA Tour unveils an entirely new schedule/model
New CEO Brian Rolapp has sent signals he’s ready to blow it all up and create a stronger PGA Tour that makes sense for the modern era. Now we’re seeing players talk openly about the possibility of a 20-event schedule that starts after the Super Bowl and gives them a week off after majors. There’s talk of moving high-profile venues like Pebble Beach and Riviera to the summer. Nothing seems off the table. Point being: the tour is ripe for change. Exclusivity. Scarcity. Trying to make events actually matter.
While it’s unclear how cutting hundreds of hours of programming works for an upcoming TV deal, it’s very clear Rolapp is open to reducing the schedule bloat to find a model that creates demand in viewers. The signature event model may have accidentally created a situation where the big events are too closed off and the small events lack any intrigue. Lose-lose. One thing I’m eyeing: What does Rolapp’s committee think of the playoff model? He talked in August about how it’s so important for the audience to understand what’s at stake each round. That seems pointed toward the often silly FedEx Cup. — Miller
