PGA Tour Early Stage... Multinational Group Takes Over

Five Wins in Six Tournaments This Year: A Display of Power
Straka and Detry Lead European Surge
All Top 5 Spots in FedEx Cup Rankings Taken
American Stars Scheffler and Schauffele Prepare for a Comeback

The headwinds are strong. In the early stages of the 2025 PGA Tour, a multinational group is showing a powerful presence. In contrast, American players have managed only one win in six tournaments.

Thomas Detry became the first Belgian player to win the WM Phoenix Open. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News.

This year, players from Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada have been collecting winning trophies on the PGA Tour. The FedEx Cup rankings clearly reflect this. On the 14th (local time), Sepp Straka (Austria, 854 points), Thomas Detry (Belgium, 832 points), and Hideki Matsuyama (Japan, 814 points) occupied the top three spots, fiercely competing. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), who returned after playing on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), ranked 4th (700 points), and Nick Taylor (Canada) was 5th (626 points). Not a single American player is in the top 5.

Even when expanding the range to the top 10, there are only three American players. Harris English, the only American winner this year, is 6th (515 points), Collin Morikawa is 8th (460 points), and Justin Thomas is 9th (443 points). Among Korean players, Im Sung-jae holds the highest rank without a win, sitting 7th (502 points) in the FedEx Cup rankings. Cam Davis (Australia) is 10th (440 points).

The multinational group, a blend of veterans and rookies, has shown strong performances since the opening tournament. At The Sentry, which concluded on the 5th of last month, Matsuyama won, earning 700 FedEx Cup points. This was his 11th career win, the first in five months since the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2023.

Next, at the Sony Open held on the 12th of last month, Nick Taylor caused an upset. He claimed the title after two playoff rounds against Nico Echavarria (Colombia). A week later, at the Americas Express, Straka secured his third career win after a year and a half since the 2023 John Deere Classic in July 2023.

At last week's WM Phoenix Open, Thomas Detry made history. He became the first Belgian player to win a PGA Tour championship, attracting attention.

The dominance of non-American players is expected to continue. Especially Rory McIlroy plans to fully participate in the PGA Tour schedule. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first tournament of the year, marking his 27th career victory.

The United States has high expectations for Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 who has returned after recovering from an injury. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News

America is aiming for a strong comeback, led by world No. 1 and No. 2 players Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele. Scheffler recovered from a right-hand injury and made a late return at the WM Phoenix Open. He won seven titles last year, including the Masters and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Schauffele, who won two major tournaments last year, has only played in the opening event and is currently resting.