10 golfers who can win their first major in 2019

It's a question that's asked annually on the professional golf scene: Will we have a first-time major winner this season?

In 2018, two golfers, Patrick Reed and Francesco Molinari, won their first major titles. Now, Brooks Koepka can't win every major — or could he? It would seem like a safe bet to think we'll have at least one first-time major winner again in 2019.

So just who among the many still searching for a major championship are serious contenders to break through with potentially the biggest victory of their careers? Here's a look at 10 golfers who might be on the cusp of winning a major title in 2019.

Patrick Cantlay
Last season was the first time Cantlay played in all four majors. He made the cut in three, with a tie for 12th at the Open Championship the best finish of the bunch. He's probably the true long shot on this list, but Cantlay does have three top 10s already on the 2018-19 slate. He finished T9 at the Desert Classic in January, so he's worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses.

Cameron Champ
One thing we know: Champ will likely outdrive most, if not all, of the field at any given major tournament this season. But he's also the popular pick for a breakout as golf's next young star. The 23-year-old won his first PGA Tour event in October and also tied for 32nd at the U.S. Open in 2018. Champ might be a year or two away from his first major title, but he's definitely someone on the radar because of his ability off the tee and ever-present confidence as a whole.

Bryson DeChambeau
He might have recently come under fire from Brooks Koepka for his pre-swing ritual, but there is no denying that DeChambeau is ready to take that major step in his career. That's because he's won five times on the PGA Tour since June 2017 and made his U.S. Ryder Cup debut last season. However, his best major finish in 2018 was a tie for 25th at the U.S. Open. For all that DeChambeau does to prepare himself for every tournament, and every shot for that matter, it really seems like only a matter of time before he claims that first major victory.

Tony Finau
Finau is on a lot of these lists because of his play in the 2018 majors. He didn't win a single PGA Tour event last season but finished in the top 10 in three of the four majors. Finau shared the lead after three rounds at the U.S. Open and was tied for second following the first day of the Open Championship. The task now for Finau is about finishing. Can he successfully see his way through an entire major tournament and be the only one standing at the end? That's the big question surrounding him in 2019.

Tommy Fleetwood
The Englishman would love to join Ryder Cup buddy Francesco Molinari (2018 Open Championship winner) as a first-time major winner. There's good reason to believe it can happen as early as 2019. Fleetwood finished fourth at the 2017 U.S. Open and was second last season. He held a piece of the U.S. Open lead heading into the weekend in '17 and shot a blistering 63 in the final round in 2018 to fall short of Brooks Koepka. Shot-making will be key for Fleetwood in the big events, because we know his confidence and swagger will always give him a chance.

Rickie Fowler
By now, golf fans should be aware that Fowler is the most prominent name on this list. That's mostly because he's come so close in the past. Since 2014, Fowler has posted seven top-five finishes at majors, including three runner-up performances. His most recent was at the Masters in 2018. For Fowler, it could start becoming a mental thing. He recently turned 30, so it's not like the clock is ticking — or is it? Much intrigue surrounds Fowler, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in 2019.

Matt Kuchar
Like Fowler, Kuchar remains in search of that elusive major, but his quest has been going on much longer. The 40-year-old has 11 top-10 finishes at those major tournaments, including four in the last two seasons. So what makes this year seem like potentially the year for Kuchar? Well, he's already won twice on the 2018-19 campaign, most recently at the Sony Open in mid-January. That's as good of a start to a season that one can hope.

Marc Leishman
Consistency has always been the key to Leishman's game. At times he looks like he's ready to grab the game by its ears and wrestle it down in dominant fashion. On other occasions, he can seem lost on the course. Leishman has top-10 major finishes in four of the last five seasons, three of which came at the Open Championship. He's off to a good start this season, fourth on the PGA Tour money list with a victory in October and two top fives in January.

Xander Schauffele
Like Bryson DeChambeau, the golf world sees Schauffele as someone on the verge of a major championship. The PGA Tour's current money leader has played in seven major tournaments over the past two seasons and placed in the top six at three of them, including the last two U.S. Opens. Schauffele has already won twice on the PGA Tour in 2018-19 but still carries an underdog approach into tournaments, which means he's not about to take anything for granted — no matter how much success he achieves.

Brandt Snedeker
Similar to Kuchar, the 38-year-old Snedeker continues to chase the major dream. He's come close before, at the 2008 Masters (T3) and 2012 Open Championship (T3). Last season, Snedeker's best major finish was a tie for 42nd at the PGA Championship, but he also carded a 59 en route to winning the Wyndham Championship in 2018. Maybe, just maybe, Snedeker can get hot at one of the four big ones this season and close the deal.