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2026 PGA TOUR full-membership fantasy rankings: Nos. 1-50
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Scottie Scheffler closes out win at The Open
Written by Rob Bolton
NOTE: All of the golfers ranked include ages as of Jan. 15, 2026, 2025 earnings (“salary”) and levels of status on the PGA TOUR. An asterisk beside a salary value indicates that a golfer is a bargain.
| Rank | Golfer | Age | 2025 Earnings | Status | Comment |
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | 29 | 27.659M | Top 30 | Fantasy luxe. So clearly the No. 1, that the Tiger Woods comparisons are fair. They’re also relevant in our world as salary leagues that don’t omit Scheffler slice him into halves or thirds to spread the wealth. |
| 2 | Rory McIlroy | 36 | 16.992M | Top 30 | Suffice it to say that it didn’t take him long to reconnect with motivation after achieving the career Grand Slam. Gamers would love a fully focused McIlroy all of the time, but it’s tough to gripe given what he gives. |
| 3 | Xander Schauffele | 32 | 4.839M* | Top 50 | It wasn’t that he didn’t get it going post-injury early in 2025; it’s that he didn’t make up for time missed pre-Playoffs. Season-ending victory at the Baycurrent Classic was massive. Exponential rebound imminent. |
| 4 | Tommy Fleetwood | 34 | 18.496M | Top 30 | You know a guy is special when he wins the FedExCup for his breakthrough PGA TOUR title to the surprise of no one. No more what-ifs, but remember that $10 million of his salary was a result of that. |
| 5 | Sam Burns | 29 | 6.801M* | Top 30 | Although he went winless again in 2025, what’s not to love? Plays a lot, makes most cuts, lots of top 10s and led the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting. As safe as it comes as the best available on the board. |
| 6 | Collin Morikawa | 28 | 7.915M* | Top 30 | There’s a Morikawa stan in every league, but even they feel discouraged by a muted 2025. Hit it big early with two seconds, but the revolving door of caddies was distracting. Putting suffered. Now at a superb price. |
| 7 | Ludvig Åberg | 26 | 8.276M* | Top 30 | The days are short, but the seasons are long. Traded early successes with an illness early in 2025 before balancing out. Sooner or later, he’s going to win multiple times in a single season. Do not hesitate. |
| 8 | Russell Henley | 36 | 14.070M | Top 30 | Man, how good has he been the last three seasons?! He’s the model for how to ascend and thrive in the era of Signature Events. Still a bonus in majors, not a target, but that’s spread him around nicely elsewhere. |
| 9 | Hideki Matsuyama | 33 | 6.650M* | Top 30 | His 2025 season was an hilarious outlier. After winning The Sentry, he failed to record another top 10 and still increased his top-25 count to 12, a five-year best. Ended strongly after advancing to East Lake. |
| 10 | Robert MacIntyre | 29 | 8.467M* | Top 30 | How you build with your salary cap is critical, but with Signature Events, it’s not irresponsible to pay for this guy. You’re getting a complete player, afraid of nothing and marching back out for more. |
| 11 | Matt Fitzpatrick | 31 | 3.831M* | Top 50 | ‘Twas a tale of two seasons within a season for the Brit. Changes to his setup and equipment yielded seven top 10s, a win at the DP World Tour Championship and a 2-1-1 record at the Ryder Cup. Bank on more. |
| 12 | Patrick Cantlay | 33 | 9.441M | Top 30 | Still elite and in his prime, but he’s winless in three seasons and recorded “only” nine top 10s in the last two combined. Because he’s proven, his floor is insurance to continue to support in the second round. |
| 13 | Ben Griffin | 29 | 11.724M | Top 30 | To any gamer who thinks that they reached early on Draft Day, you can hear him say, “I got you.” Tenacious competitor who plays a ton yet checked in at fourth in adjusted scoring. Enters 2026 as a newlywed, too. |
| 14 | Sepp Straka | 32 | 10.650M | Top 30 | With another season of consistently strong form, it’s hard to remember what it was like when he was so streaky. So good on approach that he was 10th in par-5 scoring despite below-average distance off the tee. |
| 15 | Maverick McNealy | 30 | 8.322M | Top 30 | His transition from the amateur ranks to the pros was anything but seamless, and his rise on the PGA TOUR took time, but now we can get used to this kind of output as he slides into his prime. So much quality. |
| 16 | Viktor Hovland | 28 | 5.824M* | Top 30 | From the undisclosed injury, the fractured toe, the dreadful start of 2025 and the multiple coaching changes, he went through a lot and still delivered in the long term. Prime candidate to improve multi-fold. |
| 17 | Sungjae Im | 27 | 5.082M* | Top 30 | A green-light special for salary gamers after only one top 10 in Signature Events during what was arguably his worst season in 2025, but he’s never missed a TOUR Championship where earnings now are official. |
| 18 | Corey Conners | 34 | 8.167M | Top 30 | Ball-striking remains his calling card, so it’s never blasé because it’s so lucrative. He’s also returned as a regular threat in the majors with three top 10s and two top 25s in the last six. Early third-round cornerstone. |
| 19 | J.J. Spaun | 35 | 13.278M | Top 30 | Having the time of his life, and you love to see it. If you chalk up the U.S. Open win as the best kind of bonus, he was still sensational. Gamers will call too early and overspend, but there will be worse options. |
| 20 | Keegan Bradley | 39 | 8.702M | Top 30 | No U.S. Ryder Cup captain has been able to balance the responsibilities of that leadership while still maintaining competitiveness in decades, no matter what circuit he plays. Showing no signs of easing off the throttle. |
| 21 | Shane Lowry | 38 | 7.082M | Top 30 | You wouldn’t have expected a record total of top 25s (12) with his worst record in the majors in years (no top 35s), so he’s evolved nicely for full-season gamers. Ended the year strong, too. Plug and play. |
| 22 | Cameron Young | 28 | 8.789M | Top 30 | Given how he performed in the last few months, it’s easy to be giddy but still allow him to come to you. It’s still a small sample size in the context of consistency, which has been his challenge. |
| 23 | Si Woo Kim | 30 | 4.184M | Top 50 | He’s the glue for any successful fantasy team. Among the busiest and most experienced, so he’s among the most reliable. At least 20 paydays in each of the last five seasons with an average of 11 top 25s per. |
| 24 | Jordan Spieth | 32 | 3.159M* | Top 70 | Not too shabby a return from surgery on his left wrist, especially since he was 12th in adjusted scoring. No podium finishes for just the second time in his career (2020), but that drought won’t last long. |
| 25 | Harris English | 36 | 8.840M | Top 30 | “Bonus pop in majors,” indeed. That was included in last year’s advice. Hung up a pair of runners-up in the series after a T12 at the Masters, but he’s still more of a rock-solid character actor than a leading man. |
| 26 | Brian Harman | 38 | 5.547M | Top 30 | Keeps on keeping on. Although he’s above TOUR average in all of his hot zones, he’s shown regression across the board. That said, given his status, experience and peace of mind, he remains as reliable as ever. |
| 27 | Akshay Bhatia | 23 | 4.882M* | Top 30 | Made exactly 26 starts in each of his first three seasons, so the rapid success hasn’t curtailed his schedule. He’s also been a quick study through his cycles of the host tracks. Next up |
| 28 | Alex Noren | 43 | DP World Tour | 1.346M* | It’s not how the Swede drew it up, but he’ll take it. Sat out the first four months and still finished the year inside the top 15 of the OWGR. Now we get to watch what he can do with a full season. A salary no-brainer. |
| 29 | Justin Rose | 45 | 8.857M | Top 30 | Aging like the finest of wines, he continues to max out despite headwinds of Father Time and a limited schedule (by choice), but it’s the balance he’s developed that’s allowed him to remain strong and competitive. |
| 30 | Wyndham Clark | 32 | 2.883M* | Top 70 | Because he’s acknowledged the lessons he’s learned amid a challenging 2025, he’s a low-cost investment in salary games and perhaps a lower-round draft pick. Nifty angles for a guy exempt into all majors. |
| 31 | Aaron Rai | 30 | 3.274M* | Top 70 | Endured a predictable slide in output as he leveled up, but he held on for a slot inside the opening Aon Next 10. Post-Playoffs, he ignited for a T3 and a victory on the DP World Tour. Cashed in last seven majors. |
| 32 | Sami Valimaki | 27 | 3.388M* | Top 100 | The best always figure it out. His T2-T18-Win blast to close the season was what we had been expecting from the former Rookie of the Year on the DP World Tour. Paced the opening Aon Next 10. Arrows way up. |
| 33 | Min Woo Lee | 27 | 3.301M* | Top 70 | Got his breakthrough win (Texas Children’s Houston Open), but it was more of the same overall. Ended strongly worldwide. A third season often is the charm. In the first two Signature Events via the Aon Next 10. |
| 34 | Taylor Pendrith | 34 | 3.978M | Top 50 | Held his own against the biggest boys in 2025, but his putting regressed, so there’s even more room to grow. Also helps that 2026 is a Presidents Cup year. His hunger to qualify in 2022 and 2024 paid dividends. |
| 35 | Rasmus Højgaard | 24 | 2.103M* | Top 100 | The Dane is a steal at that price. Got the job done as a first-time PGA TOUR member in 2025, but so much more is on the horizon. Cashed in last six majors; starts in the entire series are virtual locks in 2026. |
| 36 | Nick Taylor | 37 | 5.431M | Top 30 | The headline of him failing to qualify for the 2024 Presidents Cup in his native Canada feels like a longer time ago than it is. Perhaps pressure to qualify was too much because he’s consistently stronger than ever now. |
| 37 | Harry Hall | 28 | 4.309M | Top 30 | He’s escalated so quickly that it’s tempting to expect a continuation, especially as the TOUR’s top converter of par breakers after greens in regulation, but hesitate reaching in favor of talent that’s proven it for longer. |
| 38 | Andrew Novak | 30 | 7.788M | Top 30 | If he didn’t play as often (or contribute) as much as he does, we’d lament him dropping 9.5% in greens hit over 2024 to rank 177th. But with four podiums among six top 10s and 12 top 25s, he’s a hustler. |
| 39 | Chris Gotterup | 26 | 4.844M* | Top 30 | It was easy to slap an asterisk beside his salary because he’s crashed into the top tier on TOUR. He even finished 15th in adjusted scoring while slotting third in distance of all drives. A special talent on the rise. |
| 40 | Daniel Berger | 32 | 4.115M | Top 50 | A broken right ring finger ended his Playoffs, but he’d finish the season without a top 25 in 10 starts after nine in his first 12. It mirrors Kyle Tucker’s uneven season with the Chicago Cubs and should warn suitors. |
| 41 | Michael Thorbjornsen | 24 | 2.286M* | Top 100 | For those of us with fair expectations, he exceeded them in his first full season. Led TOUR in total driving and greens hit. Also showcased consistently strong form after a rough first three months. Get him. |
| 42 | Justin Thomas | 32 | 10.896M | Top 30 | Announced that he had a microdiscectomy on Nov. 13. Typical time frames to return vary (e.g., 6-10 months), so it’s probably aggressive to see him at the Masters. Consider baiting your opposition into an early call. |
| 43 | Billy Horschel | 39 | 1.483M* | Multi-year | Cited that surgery on his right hip was preventive, but the timing was key because he’s fully exempt as a winner through 2026. It cost us in real time, but he’s a no-brainer for salary gamers. Lots left in the tank. |
| 44 | Jason Day | 38 | 3.740M | Top 50 | Three consecutive seasons without a mid-tournament withdrawal! Be still, our once-beating hearts. The Aussie has settled into a nice pocket of consistency and health, but support with busier talent if you acquire him. |
| 45 | Chris Kirk | 40 | 2.964M* | Top 70 | Had very little going until the U.S. Open (T12) and closed with a flourish to finish inside the first phase of the Aon Next 10. It proved that he still has that gear. Remarkably consistent throughout most of his career. |
| 46 | Jacob Bridgeman | 26 | 4.437M* | Top 30 | After zero top 10s among 10 top 25s as a rookie in 2024, he was the only guy who left the 2025 TOUR Championship without a PGA TOUR victory because Tommy Fleetwood prevailed. Superb putter. |
| 47 | Thomas Detry | 33 | 3.651M | Top 50 | Because he’s front-loaded in all three seasons on the PGA TOUR, he profiles as trade bait, especially since he’s fully exempt as a winner through 2027. Needs to perform better in the Signature Events. |
| 48 | Denny McCarthy | 32 | 3.871M* | Top 50 | Eclipsed 150 career cuts made in 2025 and still remains without a PGA TOUR trophy. His world-class putting allows him to rise into contention when par is a good score and where experience matters. |
| 49 | Max Greyserman | 30 | 3.798M* | Top 70 | Didn’t waste a torrid close to 2024, but didn’t improve on it. Still on the learning curve, entering his third season, but looks every bit the part. In the first class of the Aon Next 10. More starts in majors coming. |
| 50 | Pierceson Coody | 26 | 1.171M* | Korn Ferry Tour | To the surprise of no one, he was a regular contender as a moonlighter on the Korn Ferry Tour (15 starts) with conditional status on the PGA TOUR (17 starts). Returns full-time like a freight train. All aboard! |
