With just one first-time major championship winner in the last 5 slams (Xander Schauffele at the 2024 PGA Championship, before he went on to also claim The Open), it’s worth wondering whether another first-time champ could take home the Wanamaker Trophy next week at Quail Hollow.
Capable players like Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg and Patrick Cantlay are all looking for that career-defining victory., as are LIV players Tyrell Hatton and Joaquin Niemann.
Utilizing North Carolina DraftKings Sportsbook, we utilized odds to win the next major championship (The 2025 PGA) as our deciding factor of who the best golfers are that don’t have a major championship on their resume.
⛳️ More: How To Bet On Golf In NC
Best Golfers Never To Win A Major: Odds Based On 2025 PGA Championship
The information below may be something you want to consider as you wager on these great golfers using North Carolina sports betting apps.
Golfer | Odds (2025 PGA Championship) | Best Finish At A Major** |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 | 2 (2024 Masters) |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 | T2 (2023 PGA Championship) |
Patrick Cantlay | +2800 | T3 (2024 US Open) |
Tyrell Hatton | +5000 | T-5 (2016 Open Championship) |
Tommy Fleetwood | +4000 | 2 (2019 Open Championship) |
Will Zalatoris | +4000 | T2 (2022 US Open) |
Joaquin Niemann | +4000 | T-16 (2023 Masters) |
Sungjae Im | +4000 | T-2 (2020 Masters) |
Sam Burns | +4000 | T-9 (2024 US Open) |
*Will be updated after each major championship
**Latest best finish if finished at same position multiple times
Also: Anatomy of a PGA Championship Winner: Who to Bet on at Quail Hollow 2025.
Which Golfers Will Break Through in a Major Next?
Based on the odds from DraftKings North Carolina Sportsbook on next wekk's PGA, it seems like oddsmakers are counting on Aberg and Hovland to be the frontrunners to breakthrough next.  
That’s because the Swede is listed at +1600 to win the PGA (he finished second to Scottie Scheffler at the 2024 Masters), while the Norwegian is No. 2 at +2000, ahead of Patrick Cantlay (+2800) and Tyrell Hatton (+3000).
Of the group listed above, Hovland, Aberg, Will Zalatoris, Fleetwood and Sungjae Im all have runner-up finishes to their name at majors. Cantlay - who briefly held the back nine lead at Augusta in 2019 before Tiger Woods made his charge - posted his best major finish at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst last summer with a T3. Hatton, who has won twice on the DPWT since October but primarily plays the LIV Tour, posted a T5 at the Open back in 2016.
Then there's the curious case of Joaquin Niemann. The young Chilean has been the most prolific winner on LIV for about two years, but it's barely translated at all to good play in major championships. Niemann has never posted a top-15 in a slam, with his best being a T16 at the 2023 Masters.
Whether any of those pros can breakthrough at Quail Hollow the way that Schauffele did last year remains to be seen, though oddsmakers from one of the nation’s premier sportsbooks are giving the cadre of young stars a fighting chance against the likes of McIlroy, Scheffler and DeChambeau.
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Author
Thomas Leary is a senior editor for BetCarolina.com. He previously worked at Sports Business Journal.
