From Aronimink to Zalatoris – an A-Z of golf in 2026

There is still much to look forward to in the upcoming year, despite the possibility that this golfing year will struggle to match the tumultuous highs of 2025.

Rory McIlroy’s career Grand Slam victory and European Ryder Cup victories made the previous year one of the most extraordinary in living memory for sheer drama and tension.

Sei Young Kim won the 2020 Women’s PGA there, and the same year, Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship in 2018 and Justin Rose won the AT&amp, T championship in 2010.

Rose might be worth watching at the year’s second men’s major given the Englishman’s prowess with classic courses and his 2013 US open victory at nearby Merion.

A significantly altered Royal Birkdale is the venue for this year’s Open Championship. On one of the most picturesque and challenging courses on the Open rota, the seventh hole has been changed to a short par three, the fourteenth hole has reverted to being a par five, and there is a new short 15th.

Although this year’s Ryder Cup won’t be held, Cups will garner a lot of attention. The Solheim Cup goes to the Netherlands for the first time and expect Anna Nordqvist’s Europeans to make a strong bid to regain the trophy in September.

At Los Angeles’ Bel Air Country Club, the Curtis Cup is defended by Great Britain and Ireland. I have a chance of posting only their second away win under Catriona Matthew’s wise leadership, GB &amp.

Dean Robertson retains the captaincy of the GB&amp, I men’s amateurs when they seek to win back the Walker Cup at Lahinch in September.

And when Brandt Snedeker takes on Geoff Ogilvy’s Internationals in the Presidents Cup at Medinah in September, expect the American pros to rediscover their foursomes and fourball prowess.

A strong European showing this July could help continue the improvement in the tournament’s standing.

David Ford might be the man for you if you’re looking for a young gun to completely dominate the game. The Georgia-born lefty, 23, turned pro last year after posting the top seven PGA Tour University rankings.

Following McIlroy’s accomplishment last April, we are back on career Grand Slam watch. Scottie Scheffler is the most likely candidate to win the seventh slam, despite Jordan Spieth’s only need for the PGA and Phil Mickelson’s US Open.

The world no. 1 needs only the US Open to compete with McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen in golf’s most exclusive club, after winning both of his Open and PGA titles last year.

An Italian job looks the most likely alternative if Luke Donald relinquishes the European Ryder Cup leadership with Francesco and Edoardo Molinari providing a compelling captaincy combo.

By April, a decision will likely be made, and Donald has yet to vehemently oppose attempting to win another title for Europe.

The hearing will determine whether LIV stars like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will continue to play on the DP World Tour, and the continental captain will only decide if he can have his strongest line-up.

Early 2026 has to yield Judgement day on this thorny issue as they appeal against sanctions for playing LIV events without official tour permission.

Every year we wonder about Major breakthroughs and 2026 could be the year for Brits Tommy Fleetwood and Charley Hull. Fleetwood of Southport will enjoy the local Open in Birkdale and the US Open in Shinnecock Hills, where Koepka finished second in 2018 behind Koepka.

After finishing second at the AIG Women’s Open last year, which was her fourth straight major runner-up finish, Hull has declared majors are important to her.

Nelly Korda is still number two in the world but was winless in 2025. She placed third overall in the Tour Championship, ending the year on a relative high. If she can address the issues that plague her, Thitikul will have a respectable position in the rankings.

Scheffler is more than seven points clear at the top of the men’s rankings. Since May 2023, he has attended the summit. And after winning six games in 2025, it’s unlikely that the American will ever surpass the previous best-ever record.

Two Ps for you, Marco Penge and John Parry venture onto the PGA Tour for the first time as members in 2026. The big-hitting Penge is a particularly exciting prospect, and both Englishmen won the right to compete on the DP World Tour last year.

Please be quiet! Perhaps like never before the authorities need to consider fan behaviour at major events to ensure the Royal and Ancient game continues to be played with the decorum it deserves.

In 2004, Mickelson hit a putt on the move instead of kicking his ball off the 13th green, which was so difficult that it was almost unplayable. In 2018, he switched to a two-shot penalty. At the venerable but limited Long Island venue, what will June bring?

Could Tiger Woods be in the field? Unfortunately, the 15-time major-winning great is recovering from his most recent back surgery. His influence on other courses will undoubtedly grow as he prepares to introduce a revised PGA Tour schedule and perhaps assumes the role of US Ryder Cup captain.

The US Women’s Open will be a fascinating week at LA’s Riviera Country Club, a great venue that will hold the golf events at the 2028 Olympics.

Another promising American left-hander worth watching as he prepares to play for the first time in full on the PGA Tour. The 22-year-old had a stellar college career at Auburn, where he recorded a record 558 birdies and is currently in the top ten on the tour.

The AIG Women’s Open returns to Royal Lytham and St Anne’s at the end of July, where Georgia Hall was the champion in 2018. Could this be a rehash of the Lancashire links’ staging of the men’s Open, which took place 14 years ago? The location of the 2028 championship is still unknown.

X has to be Xander Schauffele because, well, where else could I go? The American must rediscover the form that gave rise to two majors in 2024, making last year’s injury-induced inconsistentness a minor blip in a successful career to date.

Cameron Young demonstrated his potential at the Ryder Cup. Ensconced in the world’s top 20 and now with a long awaited tour win under his belt, expect the New Yorker to push for top-10 recognition in 2026.

Will Zalatoris must carry the banner at the end of the alphabet in light of Fuzzy Zoeller’s tragic passing recently.

There are many fans who are desperate for a long-term recovery after his most recent back surgery, which occurred at an event in South Africa at the end of last year.