Best New Players Without a Major? They lead the US Open

PINEHURST, NC – When Xander Schauffele won the PGA Championship last month, he squandered one title (Best Player Without a Major) for another (Major Champion). That means the first one needs a new owner.

There are many competitors, but the choice depends on the factors. Is it for the weakest player with the best current form, regardless of longevity? Or a weak player who has built a solid resume over many years of success? Good question.

Let's go to the candidates.

Viktor Hovland, 26: World No. 5, 6 PGA Tour wins
Ludwig Aberg, 24 years old: World number 6, 1 PGA Tour win
Patrick Cantlay, 32: World No. 9, 8 PGA Tour wins
Max Homa, 33: World No. 10, 6 PGA Tour wins
Rickie Fowler, 35 years old: World No. 43, 6 PGA Tour wins

This is a grill room debate, and since everyone is entitled to their opinion – including golf writers (like me) – let's give the hardware a shot.

Runner-up for Best Player Without a Major: Viktor Hovland
Best Player Without a Major (Career Category): Patrick Cantlay
Best Non-Major Player (Current Stage of Form): Ludwig Aberg

And here's the kicker: these two co-winners lead the 124th US Open.

Cantlay opened with a five-under 65 on Thursday at Pinehurst No. 2, and in the group behind him Aberg shot a 6-under 66. Those two were alone at the top of the leaderboard after the morning wave ended.

Cantlay made just one bogey and birdied three of his last five holes in a round that was a stark contrast to Aberg's. Players who hit the most greens, have strong short games and putt well are considered the incoming favorites. If you miss the vegetables here, that's where the problem starts. Cantlay hit just 10 greens but got up 7 of 8 times, including both times he was in the bunker (one of which, on the 11th, he holed for birdie). He leads the field in SG: Around the green.

Aberg, on the other hand, was consistently good and boring. He never missed a fairway and hit 16 of 18 greens – the last being a 6-foot bogey on the par-3 9th, his final hole, which led to a birdie. Both times he missed the green he only made his bogeys.

“I think it's important to stay disciplined,” Aberg said. “There are a lot of pins where you don't really think about going. So me and Joe [Skovron], my caddy, we have a lot of good conversations about the specific areas you are trying to touch on. It's hard to be very precise with numbers and those things. But try to get a gauge of where to hit it, where to miss it, make sure we always behave in the right way.”

In a follow-up, Aberg was asked if it was difficult to be disciplined.

“Yes, of course,” she said. “It's the US Open, it should be tough.”

This is Cantlay's 30th major start, but he still has only four top ten finishes. Neither of them has been to the US Open, though he has tied for 15th (once) and tied for 14th (twice) in his last three appearances here.

As for Aberg, this is still the third major start of his career. In fact, the highly decorated golfer made an immediate impact at the European Ryder Cup last fall before is played with a big one. When he played in one of the four hundred, he did not disappoint. He was in top form alongside Max Homa on Sunday's Masters, shooting a 69 and finishing tied for second, four shots behind winner Scottie Scheffler but three strokes ahead of his next contenders.

He's been running strong all season: T9 at Farmers, 2nd at Pebble Beach, 8th at Players, T10 at RBC Heritage and T5 at Memorial last year. He surprisingly missed out on the PGA Championship last month, but now that week is looking up.

Cantlay and Aberg took an early lead, but still, of course it's early.

On Tuesday, Tiger Woods predicted that Thursday's low could be a winning score come Sunday. Cantlay neither agreed nor disagreed with that, but he did offer one prediction.

“I think they can get a golf course the way they want it,” Cantlay said. “With the Bermuda greens and rain not in the forecast, I expect the golf course to play hard over the next few days.”

Josh Behow

Golf.com Editor

As managing editor of GOLF.com, Berhow manages the day-to-day and long-term programming of one of the most widely read news and service websites in the sport. He spends most of his days writing, planning, organizing and wondering if he will ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and two children. You can reach him at [email protected].