Cole Hammer, match-play maverick
This entry also comes with a prediction. Hammer has been the top-ranked player in the WAGR – even earning the Mark H. McCormack medal in August – and will find his way back there in 2020. He is currently No. 2 in the world.
Hammer continues to rack up experiences in amateur golf and beyond – he played the Houston Open on a sponsor exemption roughly a month after representing the U.S. in the Walker Cup this fall – and experiences only translate into more comfort. The evolution of Hammer’s career probably appeals to a wider audience than any other entries on this list – in part because he’s so good in a good-to-head setting, and in part because of the marketability of his surname.
He’s a Texan with Jordan Spieth-like potential, though that likely comes farther in the future than 2020.