Every Tuesday, SI Golf will rank nine newsmakers from the golf world. Sometimes, we'll cast a wide net. Tell us what you think on the SI Golf X account.
1. Michael Brennan: Hello, world. The 23-year-old was granted a sponsor’s exemption into the Bank of Utah Championship—and dominated in just his third ever PGA Tour start. Now, he’s the 13th player to win a Tour event on a sponsor’s invite and the eighth to win for the first time in their third (or fewer) career start. Having earned Korn Ferry Tour status for 2026 with three wins on the PGA Tour Americas, he’ll bypass that now and head straight to the big leagues.
2. Jordan Gumberg: The American stepped up to his last hole at Korea’s Genesis Championship on the DP World Tour, needing to finish in the top 14 to claim a tour card for next year. Then he did the unthinkable, holing an eagle from 58 yards away and securing status for next year. Afterward, the 30-year-old admitted he was “at a loss for words … it was the best shot I’ve hit in my career so far.”
3. Minjee Lee: The three-time major champion was named the MVP of the LPGA’s International Crown in Korea with a 4–0–1 record as Team Australia claimed the title. And Lee helped her team win in style, as she was down by three in her semifinal match, but tied the match on the 17th hole with a chip-in and then won it on the last.
4. Fifa Laopakdee: Very few knew the 20-year-old Thai’s name before Sunday. Now, he’ll tee it up in the 2026 Masters and British Open. The Arizona State junior won the Asia-Pacific Am in a playoff, coming back from six strokes and birdieing his final five holes. With the win, he’ll be the first Thai amateur to play at Augusta National.
5. Yani Tseng: The former world No. 1 is back. The 36-year-old from Taiwan won on the Ladies European Tour—putting lefty—for her first victory in nearly 12 years. After becoming the youngest player to win five majors, she disappeared into the golf wilderness with hip surgeries, back issues, putting yips and “a lot of crying.” Now, she has one of the best comeback stories of the year.
6. Max Homa: In his final start of the year, Homa started to limp during the second round in Utah. He aggravated a “pretty good-sized” bone spur while walking downhill, yet still went on to shoot a bogey-free round. And with an eagle on his final hole of the week, he finished T9 for his second top 10 of the year. It was a turbulent season for Homa, calling golf “toxic” and moving on from his longtime caddie. But ending 2025 on a decent note might be a sign that the six-time Tour winner will bounce back in ‘26.
7. Peter Dawson: The former chairman of the Official World Golf Ranking (he stepped down in April), explained to the Global Golf Post why he didn’t feel LIV Golf events deserved world ranking points. And on top of that, the 77-year-old added that he doesn’t see the tour as a “success by any measure” and wonders “why the PIF [Public Investment Fund] and Saudi Arabia are persisting with it.” He’s certainly not alone in that opinion; though LIV may get world ranking points in the future.
8. Will Zalatoris: The PGA Tour winner was at this week’s PGA Tour Champions event, getting advice from the oldies about how to manage their bodies. That’s because the 29-year-old Zalatoris has undergone back surgery twice in the past few years, making only 41 starts since 2022. But he provided a recent update that he’s ready to return to competition in 2026. A player who had six top 10s in majors between 2020–22, can he return to that form?
9. Cody “Beef” Franke: The popular Barstool Sports golf influencer tragically died last weekend at the age of 31. Franke was also the head pro at Thornberry Creek Country Club at Oneida in Hobart, Wisc., and made a name for himself by making golf instruction videos. He was known as one of the nicest, classiest and polite people anyone would come across, refusing to shake someone’s hand with his hat on. Rest in peace.
Also considered: Maja Stark, Matt McCarty, Frankie Capan III, David Ford, Steven Alker
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Two Improbable American Winners and the Return of a Former LPGA No. 1.