The PGA Tour is the biggest, best and most prestigious place for golfers to ply their trade, even if LIV might offer better financial rewards to some of its players. For many years, the PGA Tour has been dominated by home players, which is to say those from the United States. This is no surprise, as the USA boasts incredible strength in depth in the sport and at any given tournament, the vast majority of the field will hail from the States.
The extent to which Americans have led the way on the main tour is very well illustrated by looking at the list of players with the most tournament wins. Legends of the game Sam Snead and Tiger Woods have the most victories with a whopping 82 each. The top five is rounded out by three more golfing icons, with Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer boasting 73, 64 and 62, respectively. All are American, as are all the 10 most successful golfers, with Fiji’s Vijay Singh the first overseas player on the list.
Singh comes in at number 14 thanks to the 34 PGA wins he mustered between 1993 and 2008 and if we go a little lower down the list we see Rory McIlroy at 29 wins, tied 18th with Lee Trevino and Gene Littler. Only nine further non-Americans are among the top 50 in terms of career wins on the PGA Tour but there are real signs that things are changing.
2025 a Stellar Year for the Europeans
Dreams do come true. pic.twitter.com/6WiHrVIjNl
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) April 14, 2025
More and more golfers from outside the US have become regulars on the PGA Tour over the past decade and more. The European Tour, currently known as the DP World Tour, has suffered as a result, but it does mean that the homegrown hegemony on the PGA Tour is being challenged. In 2024, there were tournament winners from France, Canada, Japan, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Australia, England, Venezuela, Taiwan, Colombia and Puerto Rico.
However, 2025 has been, at least thus far, the year of the Europeans. It has been, quite simply, an incredible year for players from this side of the Atlantic. With little over four months of the season gone, we have already seen tournament wins for five different European players. One of those needs no introduction at all, and Rory McIlroy has been the standout performer of 2025.
The Northern Irish world number two has three PGA Tour wins this term already and all three have been in huge events. He won the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Players Championship and, of course, the US Masters. Belgium’s Thomas Detry, Swedish star Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland of Norway have also claimed big wins too, but the most recent European winner may be one to watch ahead of the upcoming US PGA Championship.
Could It Be Straka’s Time to Shine?
.jpg){kind=link}
Austrian powerhouse Sepp Straka picked up the biggest paycheque of his career on Sunday the 11th of May when he claimed victory at the Truist Championship. He saw off Irishman Shane Lowry and US star Justin Thomas to win by two strokes, taking home a very handsome $3.6m. This was the 32-year-old’s second win on the PGA Tour of 2025 after his January win in the American Express (where Thomas was also second, two shots back).
Straka now boasts four PGA wins to his name and has missed out twice in play-offs, too. Right now he is in the form of his life and has broken into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in his career. Currently ninth in the world, he is one of seven European players inside the top 16. Whilst all eyes will be on Rory at Quail Hollow for the US PGA Championship, there may well be those who fancy Straka’s chances to claim his first major.
The big-hitting Austrian played his first major back in 2019 and finished 28th at the US Open. The following year he played at the US PGA and came tied 66th but overall his record in the big four tournaments is a little lacklustre. In 2023 he was tied for seventh at the PGA and tied second at the Open, his only top-10 finishes. He missed the cut at the 2024 edition of the least prestigious major and also failed to make the weekend at the Masters last month.
However, his win last time out at the Wissahickon Course at Philadelphia Cricket Club will have given him huge confidence. His world ranking will have bolstered that further, with Straka now possessing the belief that he belongs right at the top of the game. In recent times he has sacrificed a little length off the tee in favour of greater accuracy and it seems to be paying dividends. His average drive sees him well down in 137th place but he is 14th for accuracy.
His approach play has been stunning this year too, and he stands second for strokes gained approaching the green. His well-placed drives have also helped him rank second for greens in regulation and these are all likely to be key stats at Quail Hollow.
Straka, Rory and the Rest Hunting for Glory
2025 has been an unprecedented year in terms of strike rate for the Europeans, but in recent times the majors have still tended to be dominated by Americans. Rory claimed the career Grand Slam with his incredible triumph at Augusta but US players won all four majors in 2024 and three of them in 2023.
Given his sensational record at Quail Hollow, which will host this year’s US PGA, many will fancy McIlroy. The Masters champion is the favourite, a sliver ahead of Scottie Scheffler in the betting. Four Americans come next but Jon Rahm, Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Hovland, Tyrell Hatton, Lowry and, of course, Straka, are all towards the top of the odds. Not since 2016 have European golfers won more than one major in a year but we think 2025 could well see that change.