When it comes to the main stories that took over 2024, you will likely think of Bryson DeChambeau’s victory at the US Open, or perhaps Nelly Korda’s five-tournament win streak.
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However, along with the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Korda dominating the men’s and women’s game, there are still a number of events that perhaps went unnoticed, stories that can be classed as an underdog venture.
Admittedly, the big names seemed to dominate proceedings in 2024, but there were still several underdog stories that occurred and, in this piece, we have decided to scope out our favorites.
Whether it’s Nick Dunlap becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since 1991, or Linnea Strom firing an 11-under-par final of 60 to win for the first time on the LPGA Tour, we have tried to include all of the amazing underdog moments that happened this season.
Check out the list of nominees below, as well as what the Golf Monthly team have claimed is their biggest underdog story to occur over the past 12 months.
Underdog Nominees
- Nick Dunlap – The American Express
- Angel Hidalgo – Open de Espana
- Linnea Strom – ShopRite LPGA Classic
- Paul Waring – Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
- Rafael Campos – Bermuda Championship
- Matthieu Pavon – Farmers Insurance Open
- Iron Heads GC – LIV Golf Team Championship
- Bailey Tardy – Blue Bay LPGA
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This is a difficult decision for me, especially as I backed Paul Waring to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at over +10000! However, the moment that I think deserves the ‘underdog’ title is Rafael Campos.
I covered this tournament back in November and, while researching the players, I noticed he had missed 13 cuts in 15 starts prior to his victory. That stat, plus the fact his daughter had been welcomed into the world just six days before his win, makes this an incredible story and one that I think is a worthy winner.
Jonny Leighfield
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Even as a massive fan of the European Tour, this one was a pretty straightforward pick for me. Angel Hidalgo’s victory over Jon Rahm at the Open de Espana was quite possibly the closest real-life version of David v Goliath you are ever likely to see.
The highly-acclaimed four-time Major winner taking on a relatively inexperienced fellow pro who had watched and…
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