Six non-Scottish golfers to watch in 2026

Here are six players we believe are worth keeping an eye on in 2026:

Helen Briem

The tall German player underlined her potential when starring for Stephen Gallacher’s triumphant European team in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup in Rome. She then won three consecutive LET Access Series tournaments as an amateur in 2024 before landing a breakthrough win as a professional in the La Sella Open later the same year. Now Briem will be aiming to shine on the LPGA in 2026 after winning the circuit’s O-Series in Alabama.

Elvis Smylie

Having first had a glimpse of the Australian in the flesh during this year’s Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry, it was easy to see why he’s already a DP World Tour winner after landing the BMW Australian PGA Championship at the start of the 2025 campaign. Helped by that effort, the left-hander finished 23rd in last season’s Race to Dubai and looks as though he can go on to become one of the game’s leading lights over the next decade or so.

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen

The Dane topped the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings in 2024 and attended a Ryder Cup get-together hosted by Luke Donald in East Lothian last summer before seeing his game go off the boil a bit at the wrong time. However, he ended his 2025 DP World Tour campaign by playing with Rory McIlroy in the final group in the last round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai before getting the 2026 campaign off to a flyer by winning the Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne in a field that included McIlroy and home favourites Cameron Smith and Adam Scott.

Charley Hull

It’s about time the English player made her major breakthrough and 2026 could be the year. She probably has more natural talent than any player in the women’s game and it would be fantastic if Hull could become a first-time major champion in the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes on the Lancashire coast, as her compatriot and close friend Georgia Hall on the event’s last visit there in 2018. Catriona Matthew, too, in 2009.

Kristoffer Reitan

With Edinburgh man Tim Poyser on his bag, the Norwegian landed his maiden DP World Tour win after taking advantage of last-hole bogey by Ewen Ferguson in the Soudal Open in Belgium. Reitan went on to secure one of the 2026 PGA Tour cards up for grabs at the end of the season and he’ll head across the Atlantic as the Nedbank Challenge winner as well after producing a polished performance in the event hosted by Gary Player at Sun City in December.

Ben Griffin

The American won three times on the PGA Tour in 2025, including a team triumph alongside Andrew Novak in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Having ended 2024 sitting 65th in the Official World Golf Ranking, he’s climbed to ninth and looks as though he could be challenging for majors in 2026. He beat Rasmus Hojgaard in the singles in the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black and will be determined to be back wearing US colours in the centenary edition at Adare Manor in 2027.