Two Improbable American Winners And The Return Of A Former Lpga No. 1

Every Tuesday, SI Golf will rank 9 newsmakers from nan play world. Sometimes, we'll formed a wide net. Tell america what you deliberation connected nan SI Golf X account.

1. Michael Brennan: Hello, world. The 23-year-old was granted a sponsor’s exemption into nan Bank of Utah Championship—and dominated successful conscionable his 3rd ever PGA Tour start. Now, he’s nan 13th subordinate to triumph a Tour arena connected a sponsor’s induce and nan eighth to triumph for nan first clip successful their 3rd (or fewer) profession start. Having earned Korn Ferry Tour position for 2026 pinch 3 wins connected nan PGA Tour Americas, he’ll bypass that now and caput consecutive to nan large leagues.

2. Jordan Gumberg: The American stepped up to his past spread astatine Korea’s Genesis Championship connected nan DP World Tour, needing to decorativeness successful nan apical 14 to declare a circuit paper for adjacent year. Then he did nan unthinkable, holing an eagle from 58 yards distant and securing position for adjacent year. Afterward, nan 30-year-old admitted he was “at a nonaccomplishment for words … it was nan champion changeable I’ve deed successful my profession truthful far.”

3. Minjee Lee: The three-time awesome champion was named nan MVP of nan LPGA’s International Crown successful Korea pinch a 4–0–1 grounds as Team Australia claimed nan title. And Lee helped her squad triumph successful style, arsenic she was down by 3 successful her semifinal match, but tied nan lucifer connected nan 17th spread pinch a chip-in and past won it connected nan last. 

4. Fifa Laopakdee: Very fewer knew nan 20-year-old Thai’s sanction earlier Sunday. Now, he’ll tee it up successful nan 2026 Masters and British Open. The Arizona State inferior won nan Asia-Pacific Am successful a playoff, coming backmost from six strokes and birdieing his last 5 holes. With nan win, he’ll beryllium nan first Thai amateur to play astatine Augusta National. 

5. Yani Tseng: The erstwhile world No. 1 is back. The 36-year-old from Taiwan won connected nan Ladies European Tour—putting lefty​​—for her first triumph successful astir 12 years. After becoming nan youngest subordinate to triumph 5 majors, she vanished into nan play wilderness pinch hep surgeries, backmost issues, putting yips and “a batch of crying.” Now, she has 1 of nan champion comeback stories of nan year. 

6. Max Homa: In his last commencement of nan year, Homa started to limp during nan 2nd information successful Utah. He aggravated a “pretty good-sized” bony spur while stepping downhill, yet still went connected to sprout a bogey-free round. And pinch an eagle connected his last spread of nan week, he vanished T9 for his 2nd apical 10 of nan year. It was a turbulent play for Homa, calling play “toxic” and moving connected from his longtime caddie. But ending 2025 connected a decent statement mightiness beryllium a motion that nan six-time Tour victor will bounce backmost successful ‘26. 

Fan favourite Max Homa ended his 2025 connected a precocious statement pinch a T9 decorativeness successful Utah. / Allison Lawhon-Imagn Images

7. Peter Dawson: The erstwhile president of nan Official World Golf Ranking (he stepped down successful April), explained to nan Global Golf Post why he didn’t consciousness LIV Golf events deserved world ranking points. And connected apical of that, nan 77-year-old added that he doesn’t spot nan circuit arsenic a “success by immoderate measure” and wonders “why nan PIF [Public Investment Fund] and Saudi Arabia are persisting pinch it.” He’s surely not unsocial successful that opinion; though LIV whitethorn get world ranking points successful nan future. 

8. Will Zalatoris: The PGA Tour victor was astatine this week’s PGA Tour Champions event, getting proposal from nan oldies astir really to negociate their bodies. That’s because nan 29-year-old Zalatoris has undergone backmost room doubly successful nan past fewer years, making only 41 starts since 2022. But he provided a caller update that he’s fresh to return to title successful 2026. A subordinate who had six apical 10s successful fields betwixt 2020–22, tin he return to that form? 

9. Cody “Beef” Franke: The celebrated Barstool Sports play influencer tragically died past play astatine nan property of 31. Franke was besides nan caput pro astatine Thornberry Creek Country Club astatine Oneida successful Hobart, Wisc., and made a sanction for himself by making play instruction videos. He was known arsenic 1 of nan nicest, classiest and polite group anyone would travel across, refusing to shingle someone’s manus pinch his chapeau on. Rest successful peace.

Also considered: Maja Stark, Matt McCarty, Frankie Capan III, David Ford, Steven Alker