Five PGA Golfers Set for a Breakout Year in 2023

The 2022-2023 PGA TOUR season is about to hit the gas following the Christmas and holiday break. The full schedule kicks off with the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January. From then it’s a weekly schedule of events throughout 2023. This is a perfect time to step away from the buzz of some of the famous names we know and look for five players that may be set for a breakout year on the PGA TOUR.

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There are almost thirty rookies this year on the PGA TOUR so there are plenty of names to pull from. However, there are also plenty of players that have had some time on the schedule from last season that could make a mark this season. That’s why I’m starting my list of players that are set for a breakout year on the PGA TOUR with Sahith Theegala.

Sahith Theegala

Sahith Theegala has already become known as a player with a solid game that seemingly always has a smile on his face. He’s also a fan favorite after only a short time on TOUR. The California native and Pepperdine alum turned pro in 2020 and quickly made a name for himself. He finished T19 at his first Korn Ferry tournament and T14 at the PGA Safeway Open. Since then he has made 17-straight cuts, leads the PGA TOUR in birdies and won the QBE Shootout with Tom Hoge. Theegala closed out 2021- 2022 with three finishes of T5 or better, including a T3 at the Phoenix Open and a T2 at the Travelers Championship. He has started the new season just as strongly. Heading into the holiday break, he’s already carded finishes of T6 at the Fortinet, a T5 at the ZOZO and a T2 at the RMS Classic.

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Taylor Montgomery

Taylor Montgomery had a breakout year on the Korn Ferry Tour with nine finishes in the Top 10 in seventeen events. He also earned his PGA TOUR which kicked off his impressive start so far this season. He has made the cut in every start so far and only had one finish outside of T15. That tournament was the Houston Open where he ended up T57 after a rough start and only one round in the 60s. Still, he made the cut and played the weekend. His other finishes include two T15 runs at the Shriners and the RSM Classic. He was T10 at Mayakoba, T9 at Sanderson Farm and 3rd at the Fortinet Championship. The Vegas native sits 11th in FedEx points.

Justin Suh

Justin Suh put his mark on the golf program at USC. The young player from San Jose, California was named several years as an All-American and crowned the No. 1 amateur in the world. Suh was impressive during his time on the Korn Ferry where he won the KFT Championship and earned his PGA Card. So far he’s had a rough start to the beginning of his PGA TOUR career as he missed the cut in his first three PGA TOUR outings in the 2022-2023 season. However, he has since bounced back by making the cut in his last four events. He has begun to show the skill level that helped him win the KFT and get his TOUR CARD. He finished T29 at the CJ Cup and has five straight tournaments with at least one round in the 60s, plus two events with at least three rounds in the 60s.

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Brandon Matthews

If you like long hitters then Brandon Matthews is your man! The Temple University alum from Dupont, Pennsylvania averaged 323.4 yards off the tee in 2022. Matthews turned pro in 2016 and has been a known name on the KFT, Latin American, and PGA TOURS. He won three times on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and once on the KFT. Now he has moved from the KFT full-time after getting his PGA TOUR Card. Matthews has not had the start to the 2022-2023 PGA season that he probably hoped for. So far, after seven events he has had to withdraw twice and made the cut only once. That being said, Matthews will be entering a string of tournaments where he can display his distance off the tee.

Davis Riley

Davis Riley had an impressive start to his career on the PGA TOUR. In 2020-2021 he made the cut in four of his seven events. Last season he played 29 tournaments and missed playing on the weekend nine times. He had six finishes of 10th or better and ten of 25th or better. That season he was 2nd at the Valspar and T4 at the Charles Schwab. He has opened up the new season with one missed cut in his seven tournaments while having a T19 at Sanderson Farms.

Of course, this list is purely a gut reaction after watching the start of the 2022-2023 season while looking at how these players finished off last season. Every player can go through a bad stretch or a string of fantastic finishes. The ones that seem to have what we call breakout seasons tend to be the ones that can finish consistently inside the top 25 or better.

Read our best bets to win a PGA major in 2023 article next.