Breakfast Ball #50: 2024 in Review, Part Two

A bumper edition of the newsletter today. Grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage, sit down on front of the fire, and enjoy.

If you have yet to fill out our feedback survey, please do! It would be the best Christmas present you could give me 🙏 

Happy Christmas to all! 🎄 

In This Week’s Newsletter:

2024 Report Cards: A year in review, part two

Part one of the European player report cards was in last week’s newsletter. We finish up today with the second six 2023 European Ryder Cup team members.

Jon Rahm: B

Starts: 20 | Top 20s: 17 | Top 5s: 10 | Wins: 2

2024 was a transformative year for Jon Rahm as he adjusted to life on LIV Golf. Despite admitting he missed iconic PGA Tour stops like Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach, Rahm excelled, winning two LIV events and claiming the season-long individual title. However, his performances in majors left much to be desired. He missed a major cut for the first time since 2019, and his best finish, T7 at The Open, was eight strokes behind winner Xander Schauffele. A rebound on golf’s biggest stages seems imminent in 2025.

Ludvig Åberg: B-

Starts: 22 | Top 20s: 15 | Top 5s: 5 | Wins: 0

Ludvig Åberg’s 2024 season was disrupted by a torn medial meniscus, culminating in surgery that sidelined him. Considering his struggles with pain starting in early May, it’s challenging to fully evaluate his performance this year. In April, we caught a glimpse of Ludvig Åberg’s immense potential as he pushed Scottie Scheffler deep into the final holes at The Masters. Given his trajectory, I’d be genuinely surprised if we reach next December without a third professional win to his name.

Sepp Straka: C+

Starts: 28 | Top 20s: 10 | Top 5s: 3 | Wins: 0

Although Sepp Straka’s name didn’t dominate headlines this season, he quietly finished 2024 as one of the PGA Tour’s top 30 players, earning a spot at the TOUR Championship. However, his drop in driving distance is concerning. Once ranked 22nd in 2019 with an average of 304.4 yards, Straka fell to 146th in 2024, likely trading length for accuracy. While this approach has its merits, relying on diminished distance may not be a sustainable formula for long-term success in today’s game.

Nicolai Højgaard: C+

Starts: 30 | Top 20s: 9 | Top 5s: 1 | Wins: 0

In his first start as a full PGA Tour member, Nicolai Højgaard pushed Matthieu Pavon to the final hole, narrowly losing by a single stroke (more on that below). Despite this strong debut, he only managed one other top-30 finish in the U.S., at The Masters, where he briefly led on Saturday before settling for T16. In 2025, Nicolai will be joined by his twin brother Rasmus on the PGA Tour. At just 23 years old, the Højgaard twins promise to be an exciting duo to watch.

Matt Fitzpatrick: D-

Starts: 25 | Top 20s: 7 | Top 5s: 2 | Wins: 0

Matt Fitzpatrick endured a challenging 2024 season. It marked his first winless year since 2019 and saw the lowest number of top-20 finishes in his career. Statistically, it was his worst season in strokes gained since 2016. While Fitzpatrick remains an elite player capable of turning things around quickly, the continuation of this downward trend could jeopardize his chances of securing a Ryder Cup spot.

Rory McIlroy: B+

Starts: 27 | Top 20s: 18 | Top 5s: 13 | Wins: 4

Assessing Rory McIlroy's 2024 season is no easy task. Thirteen top-five finishes in 27 starts reflect an elite level of consistency, yet the elusive major victory remains out of reach. He capped off the year with a sixth Race to Dubai title and a win at the DP World Tour Championship, displaying his class after an up and down year on and off the course. For most, his “downs” would be career peaks. Here’s hoping 2025 finally delivers that long-awaited major triumph.

My Top Five Shots of 2024

In golf, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. My top five shots of the year are unlikely to be the same as anyone else. Some may focus entirely on shot difficulty and execution, while others may prefer a hole in one or a long putt. Personally, I love when players perform under the most intense pressure when a tournament or a missed cut is on the line. Let me know if there are any others you would include!

5: Francesco Molinari, Second Round, US Open

Two shots off the cut line at the final hole in the second round of the US Open, with five consecutive missed cuts at majors—what do you do? How about delivering a jaw-dropping hole-in-one?

4: Matthieu Pavon, Final Round, Farmers Insurance Open

Matthieu Pavon, after seven years on the European Tour, secured his first professional win at the Spanish Open in October 2023, earning a PGA Tour spot. In just his third PGA Tour start, he overcame a rough drive on the 18th at Torrey Pines, delivering a brilliant 147-yard approach out of thick rough to set up an 8-foot birdie putt for the win over Nicolai Højgaard. Incroyable!

3: Rory McIlroy, Final Round, Irish Open

While this tournament ended in heartbreak for McIlroy, this shot was extraordinary. Needing an eagle to force a playoff, with a wind howling across the course, McIlroy hit a bomb from 191 yards to 10 feet. This is the only one in my top five where the player didn’t actually make the putt that this shot set up, but if anyone ever has any doubt about Rory’s ability to perform under pressure, watch this.

2: Scottie Scheffler, Final Round, Masters

If you see other shot of the year lists, this one is unlikely to pop up near the top. After all, it is just an 89 yard wedge shot. However, I believe this is the moment when the world completely realized that Scottie Scheffler is the undisputed king of golf. On the 9th hole of the final round of The Masters, the tournament was in the balance. Scheffler stepped up and hit this shot to a few inches, then got another birdie on the 10th and never really looked back. It is Scottie’s world, and we are all just living in it.

1: Bryson DeChambeau, Final Round, US Open

There is really only one answer for the shot of the year. Every bone in my Irish body absolutely hated it when it happened, but even if this was for a Saturday tournament at your local course, it would be incredibly impressive. But it wasn’t—It was for the US Open at Pinehurst. Most pro and amateur players will say that a long bunker shot is the most difficult type of shot in the sport. Bryson executed it under the most intense pressure and won the US Open. Bravo 😑 

I’d Love Your Feedback!

Thank you to those who have filled out the survey so far!

I would really appreciate as many responses as possible as I go into planning mode with some time off at the end of the year. I promise it will take less than 5 minutes, and if it doesn’t, I will buy you a pint (probably).

Every one of the respondents thus far wants to hear about my personal golfing exploits… I may regret including that as an option. In the picture above I was 4 up in a match against John through 11 holes. I then proceeded to lose every single one of the last 7 holes in a margarita-induced coma. More to come next week.

Click below to share your feedback:

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Thank you for being a part of this journey. Your support means the world to me!

Other News and Results

• 🇩🇪 Bernhard and Jason Langer won the PNC Championship in a playoff against Tiger and Charlie Woods

  • It was a great tournament to watch, as major champions teamed up with their family members to battle it out

• Shot of the week: 🇮🇪 Paddy Harrington (Padraig’s son) made a fantastic hole-in-one at the PNC Championship, which Padraig described as “pure joy”

  • 🐯 Tiger’s son Charlie also had a hole in one at the tournament

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 John Parry, a 3-time winner on the Challenge Tour in 2024, won the Mauritius Open on the DP World Tour

  • Parry was ranked 544th in the world as recently as March, but this win has propelled him into the top 100

Evan’s Trivia Corner

The answer to last week’s question was Colin Montgomerie! Monty won 8 Race to Dubai titles, despite never winning a major.

Today is a Christmas-themed question in honor of St. Nick himself.

Two Nick’s have won major championships. One of them is of course Sir Nick Faldo, who won 6 major titles during his career. Who is the other?

This golfer won 3 majors, including 2 in the same year in 1994.

Come back next week for the answer!

If you have any feedback for the newsletter or would like to get in touch, I would love to hear from you! Email [email protected] or message us on Twitter/X at @BlueHorizonGolf. Thank you for reading!