Golfers poised for a breakout in 2020

Ancer had a strong showing at the Presidents Cup late last year, thus opening the door for what many believe could be a special 2020. The fact is, Ancer was playing well even before he posted the fifth-highest International point total at the Cup. The University of Oklahoma product has three top 10-finishes on the 2019-20 slate, including a tie for second at The American Express.

The reigning Memorial champion, Cantlay is someone who we've been waiting to see break out. Will this be the year? It very well could be after he finished top 10 at the Masters and PGA Championship in 2019. It's the potential in a major environment that has us keeping an eye on Cantlay, who is seventh in the World Golf Ranking (week of Feb. 2).

Champ was the sexy breakout choice last season, but aside from still being one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, he was pretty quiet. Like in 2018, Champ won a fall event in '19. He also placed within the top 20 in two of the three January stops. It just seems like a matter of time before Champ wins a more high-profiled event.

The 30-year-old English has not won a Tour event since 2013; however, his 2019-2020 got off to a strong start during the fall. He has four top-10 finishes thus far, but all came prior to the new year. His 2020 form has not been all that great, but English is still someone to watch as he tries to break that winless drought.

Ranked among the top 25 golfers in the world, England's Fitzpatrick has the game to make noise whether across the pond or state side. He tied for 12th at the U.S. Open last season and also placed in the top 20 at the Open Championship. So there is reason to believe that Fitzpatrick can be even better in 2020.

To the weekend golf viewer, Griffin's name probably does not ring a bell. Those who are aware of his talent, though, might think the breakout has begun after Griffin won the Houston Open in October. However, he's followed it up with a 13th-place finish at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and a T7 at the Sony. 

A lot of eyes will be on Hovland this season. The 2018 U.S. Amateur champion and the low Am at last year's Masters, Hovland has the kind of game to be a multiple winner on the PGA Tour in 2020. However, it will be interesting to see how well he handles the hype and possible pressure that comes along with those early expectations.

Through his first nine PGA Tour events on the 2019-20 campaign, Im has nine top-25 finishes and six inside the top 25. Im was a bit inconsistent during the January stretch of events, but there is still plenty of potential to believe he will enjoy a successful 2020, especially, since he is one of the best putters on Tour.

Fresh off a win at the Farmers, Leishman has now won five times on the PGA Tour and was the top International point-getter at the Presidents Cup. Now it's time for the Australian to win a major. From 2013-18, Leishman had at least one top 10-finish at a major each season — until he struggled while missing two of the four cuts in 2019. It's time to take the next step.

Another international golfer who fared well at the Presidents Cup, Matsuyama also enjoyed a stellar October in the early portion of the 2019-20 season (two top threes and a T16). Perhaps that solid end to 2019 will carry over to this year, where Matsuyama looks to win his first PGA Tour event since 2017 — and then some.

Morikawa burst onto the scene by winning the 2019 Barracuda Championship just days after turning pro. That alone has him saddled with high expectations for the 2020 season. He finished T7 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and T21 at both the Sony and Farmers. Morikawa might not be ready to win a major, but another regular Tour victory and perhaps a top-15 placing in the money would look good.

Niemann is not a stranger to these kinds of lists, and again there is good reason to think he can be in for a strong season. Niemann won his first PGA Tour event at September's Greenbriar and he also tied for fifth at the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this month. That's a good start. Now it's time to see how much he can build on that success. 

In the case of Rahm, a breakout could come in the form of elevating his game to an elite level. Rahm entered the first weekend of February ranked third in the world and has recorded two top-10 finishes at majors for a second consecutive season. There also seems to be a calm about Rahm, who is trying to control his temper while continuing to build some confidence.

Like Rahm, Schauffele's breakout could come with a major victory. There are plenty who believe this will be the year that happens for Schauffele, who has five top-10 finishes over 11 career major starts. Oh yeah, and Schauffele has at least one PGA Tour victory in each of the last three years and placed within the top 10 in three of his first four tournaments this season.

The 2019 Player of the Year on the Korn Ferry Tour, Scheffler has four top-10 finishes in his first nine starts this season. A third at The American Express is a nice start to the 2020 slate for Scheffler, who might have the game and confidence to carry over his Korn Ferry success to the biggest stage in professional golf.

Smith earned his second PGA Tour win at the Sony, and with that has many feeling a potential breakout season has begun. Though Smith fell back down to earth at the Farmers, he's someone who has seen his overall game progress in recent years and appears to have the ability to be competitive in just about every start he makes.

The Austrian is ranked among the top 25 golfers in the world, and on the international scene, there might not be a European garnering more attention at the moment. Wiesberger won three times in 2019, including the Italian Open by one stroke over Matthew Fitzpatrick, Don't be surprised if we see Wiesberger's name on the first page of a major leaderboard this year.

Like Collin Morikawa, Wolff did not waste any time winning his first PGA Tour event shortly after turning pro in 2019. Heis another young talent who golf fans want to see take his game to another level in 2020. The initial jolt of confidence from winning July's 3M Open might be enough to carry Wolff a little longer, but will he be able to handle the grind of Tour life?