5 Golfers Who Won for the First Time on the PGA Tour in 2024
There has been plenty of turnover on the PGA Tour in recent years. Many of golf's top stars, including Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau, left the PGA Tour for the rival LIV Golf, an upstart tour funded by Saudi Arabia. While the PGA Tour still has plenty of top players, such as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, a new generation of talent is emerging early in the 2024 season. As of this May, the following five players won for the first time on the PGA Tour this season.
1. Nick Dunlap
Not only did Nick Dunlap win his first career PGA Tour event in 2024, but he did so as a college student, becoming the first amateur to win on the Tour since Mickelson won the Tucson Open in 1991. Dunlap, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, was only the third amateur champion on the PGA Tour since 1957 and seventh all-time. He shot a 29-under 259 to finish first at The American Express at PGA West in La Quinta, California. Christian Bezuidenhout came in second, shooting a 28-under 258.
Dunlap's 259, which included a 12-under-par third-round score, broke the tournament record for lowest score in 72 holes. However, because he was still an amateur, he couldn't collect the $1.5 million first-place prize or the 500 FedEx Cup points. Dunlap did receive a PGA Tour card for winning the tournament and left college to turn pro a few days later. As of June 7, he had played in 11 more events, earning $578,758 in prize money. His best result since The American Express was a T11 at the Texas Children's Houston Open in March.
2. Mathieu Pavon
Mathieu Pavon, who has won on the European Tour, joined the PGA Tour as a 31-year-old rookie in 2023 and won for the first time in just his 11th event at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines South in San Diego, California. Pavon trailed leader Stephan Jaeger after three rounds, but he shot a final round 3-under 69 to finish 13-under 275, one shot ahead of second-place finisher Nicolai Hojgaard. He was the first place from France to win on the PGA Tour, which is particularly impressive considering he thought about quitting golf a decade prior due to the "yips."
"It is big for our country," he said after the win. "I hope it will inspire a lot of people, because coming from an amateur player which is 800 in the world to a PGA Tour winner is pretty big."
Pavon followed up his win at the Farmers with a third-place finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and finished T12 at the Masters Tournament.
3. Jake Knapp
A 30-year-old PGA Tour rookie and UCLA graduate, Jake Knapp won the Mexico Open at Vidanta in February, despite a near disastrous final round. Knapp finished the fourth round with an even-par 71, hit only two fairways in the round, and a code of t one point lost a four-stroke lead over a seven-hole stretch. However, he settled his game and won with a four-round score of -19-under 265, two shots ahead of Finnish player Sami Valimaki.
Knapp, playing in just his fifth event, earned $1.46 million and an automatic entry in the Masters and PGA Championship. Prior to earning his PGA Tour card, Knapp spent a combined six years on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Canada. He has done well since his victory, finishing top-10 at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches and The CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
4. Austin Eckroat
One week after Knapp's first win, Austin Eckroat won his first PGA Tour event at the Cognizant Classic at the PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A 25-year-old Oklahoma State University alumnus, who was a four-time All-American and won a team NCAA championship in 2018, Eckroat shot a final round 4-under to finish 17-under 267, three shots ahead of second-place finishers Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee. He earned 500 FedEx Cup points and $1.62 million in prize money.
Like Knapp, Eckroat spent time on the Korn Ferry Tour, although he didn't win there. He earned his PGA Tour card after finishing as runner-up at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. He made 12 cuts in his first 15 PGA Tour events in 2024, while his best finish since winning the Cognizant Classic was T11 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
5. Robert MacIntyre
Robert MacIntyre, a two-time winner on the European Tour, won his first PGA Tour event at the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ontario. The 27-year-old Scotsman shot 2-under in the final round to finish 16-under 264 and hold off American Ben Griffin, who shot 5-under on Sunday and finished the tournament at 15-under 265. MacIntyre earned $1.69 million in prize money and was only the fifth player from Scotland to win on the PGA Tour.
MacIntyre had the privilege of celebrating on the 18th green with his father Dougie, who was his caddie for the tournament. After rotating through caddies this season, he called his father, who was a groundskeeper at a golf course in Scotland, and asked him to carry his bag in Canada. The senior MacIntyre wiped away tears trying to describe what the moment meant to him during a post-round interview.