It’s that time of year again, where sporting scribes like me look to wrap up the year in neat little ranked bows. I could have easily focused on the positive for my first such list, gleefully extolling the virtues of Scheffler or McIlroy. But I have decided to focus on Santa’s naughty list, looking at the five most inexplicable backward slides in world golf this season.
5. Sahith Theegala (USA)
This isn’t supposed to be the year where the up-and-coming talent hits a stumbling block. But that is exactly what happened to crowd favourite Sahith Theegala. As with many guys on this list, injury played an important role in Theegala’s demise. The short-game virtuoso sustained an oblique injury in February and attempted to play through the pain. His swing motion changed, resulting in an even more severe neck injury. He was forced to withdraw from several key tournaments (he took six weeks off at one point to focus on recovery). He missed the cut in the three events he played after returning at the Open, finishing in a lowly 147th in the FedEx Cup standings. It will be fascinating to see how he bounces back after his first true career setback.
4. Max Homa (USA)
This has been a tough old year for Homa. The effervescent American had enjoyed several years elite golf, earning a spot in three successive American team events. He reached a career-best ranking of 5th in 2023. But he has struggled this year, coming to grips with a bone-spur issue while battling loss of confidence. Homa quit X earlier this year due to online toxicity (that’s where his head was at). He missed five successive cuts between February and April and would fail to qualify for the season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs. He did enjoy some improvement during the FedEx Fall campaign, notching up three top-20 showings in four outings (including a top-10 finish to end the PGA Tour season). He picked up a T14 finish at Gary Player Country Cub and appears to be trending in the right direction. Still, this was a shocking season for a man of his talents.
3. Tony Finau (USA)
This is one that truly surprised me. Sure, Finau is known for lacking killer instinct (despite Tiger saying that he was a potential major winner after playing with him at the 2019 Masters). But the laidback Finau just felt like he would be in the upper echelons for years to come. What could go wrong with that swing? The six-time PGA Tour champion won twice in 2023 and picked up five top-10 finishes last year. However, he suffered a left-knee injury towards the end of last season that demanded off-season surgery. He has not looked his languid, comfortable best since, picking up just one top-ten finish all season (he finished in a tie for 5th at the Genesis Invitational). He has been awful around the green and has tinkered with his swing in a desperate search for rhythm (he even made some big equipment changes after barely sneaking into the FedEx Cup Playoffs). Currently ranked 80th in the OWGR, Finau is suddenly in danger of losing his full PGA Tour exempt status.
2. Cameron Smith (AUS)
It doesn’t feel like that long ago that Cameron Smith was romping home to victory at the Old Course, breaking European golf enthusiasts’ hearts with victory over Rory at the 2022 Open Championship. But he is one of those guys- unlike Bryson and Rahm- whose competitive instincts have been dulled on LIV. Smith was a force in the early stages of the breakaway tour but has since lost momentum, finishing18th in this season’s individual points tally. More alarmingly, Smith missed the cut in all four of this year’s majors. Recently, he missed the cut at the Saudi International and Aussie PGA Championship. The only reason he isn’t higher on this list is that he picked up some late-season redemption last week, losing out in a playoff at his beloved Australian Open. Will 2026 mark a return to form for the mullet-loving Aussie?
1. Yannick Paul (GER)
Well, this one may have caught you off guard. Yes, I know, Yannick Paul is hardly in the Cam Smith and Tony Finau bracket of players. But need I remind you, the German was an up-and-coming force on the European circuit a few years back, putting himself into the Ryder Cup fray in 2023. Things have changed. He was the victim of his own ambition in the off-season, injuring his lower back during strength training. That led to a slew of early missed cuts and his results haven’t improved much since. Aside from an incongruous solo 3rd at the Volvo China Open, Paul has failed to pick up another top-30 finish, missing 12 cuts. Ouch. That drastic dip in form resulting in him losing his DP World Tour playing privileges. It’s off to Q-school he goes (while brother Jeremy is also playing Q-school on the other side of the pond).
