So far in 2024 on the PGA Tour, there are four rookie winners.
That eclipses the number of rookie champs for all of last season, when Ludvig Aberg (RSM Classic), Vincent Norrman (Barbasol Championship) and Nico Echavarria (Puerto Rico Open) found victory lane.
Two of those 2023 wins were opposite-field events. The first three in 2024 were “regular” Tour stops, with the fourth a FedEx Fall series tournament.
There were just two rookie winners in 2022 and one each during the 2021 and 2020 seasons. There were six in 2017, so 2024 has a chance to be one of more prolific years for rookies in a while.
Check out the list of rookie winners this season.
Nick Dunlap, American Express
Dunlap, 20, was the most surprising winner on Tour in a while when he claimed the American Express. He was also the first sponsor exemption to win on Tour since 2020. And he was the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since 1991.
Matthieu Pavon, Farmers Insurance Open
Matthieu Pavon, 31, became the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour with his victory at the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. The victory put him in prime position to represent France at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Jake Knapp, Mexico Open at Vidanta
Knapp, 29, made three of four cuts in 2024, including a tie for third at the Farmers, before breaking through with his first PGA Tour win at the Mexico Open at Vidanta. The one-time nightclub bouncer won by two over another rookie, Sami Valimaki.
Matt McCarty, 2024 Black Desert Championship
In his third overall start and just his second since officially becoming a member of the PGA Tour, Matt McCarty won the 2024 Black Desert Championship, giving him four wins in his last 10 professional starts between the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour.
Most wins by a rookie on PGA Tour
Jack Nicklaus’ rookie season was 1962 and he won three times that year, including the U.S. Open.
