Iona Stephen: Who I’m backing to win the Majors in 2024

Iona Stephen is backing Ludvig Aberg to win a Major in 2024.

Forget New Year’s resolutions, for golf fans January marks the countdown to the Majors and as you read this, it’s less than three months until the opening tee shots at the Masters!

You’ll all have opinions on who will win the biggest events in 2024, and I’d love to hear them, but for now, I’ve looked into my crystal ball to predict who will lift the nine Majors across the men’s and women’s games this year.

The Masters: Augusta National, April 11-14

My winner: Scottie Scheffler

T10th last year with the hullaballoo of being defending champion is pretty good going. He’s world No.1 and has the game and experience now to get the job done around the hallowed grounds of Augusta

National. Statistically, he’s better tee to green than he was when he won in 2022 and his putting is moving back towards his best. Despite his woes on the greens in 2023, Scheffler still managed to turn up when it mattered most going T10-T2-3rd-T23 in the Majors and I firmly believe he’ll be pulling on another green jacket come April 14^th.

Chevron Championship: The Club at Carlton Woods, April 18-21

My winner: Rose Zhang

The breakout star in the women’s game in 2023, Zhang’s summer saw her win once, finish in the top 10 of three of the four Majors she played and qualify for the US Solheim Cup team.

The 20-year-old has all the ingredients to lift a Major title early on in her career. Yes, she may be reducing the number of LPGA events in her 2024 schedule to allow for her studies at Stanford, but I think that’ll make her even more determined to ‘turn up’ at the events she enters.

US PGA Championship: Valhalla, May 16-19

My winner: Viktor Hovland

The Norwegian superstar made big progress in 2023. He made huge strides with his short game and if you couple that with improvements in strategy and mental fortitude then you have an appealing package. Hovland was in the penultimate group at The Masters and only missed out on last year’s PGA Championship by a couple of shots to

Brooks Koepka, but it was tense all the way home. Of course, progress in golf doesn’t always happen in a straight line, but I am certain Hovland is ready to take a seat at the Major winners’ table and Valhalla is as good a place as any for that to happen.

US Women’s Open: Lancaster Country Club, May 30-Jun 2

My winner: Georgia Hall

Last year was a strong one for the Englishwoman and I believe 2024 will be the year we see Georgia considered one of the world’s best female golfers. The 2018 AIG Women’s Open champion was ranked as high as 8th in the world in 2023 but has slipped to 21st as we start a new year. However, I know Georgia has been grinding hard in the off-season and I believe she is ready to prove she can win on the biggest stage on both sides of the Atlantic.

US Open: Pinehurst No.2, June 13-16

My winner: Ludvig Aberg

I know this might feel like a big call for a man who is yet to tee it up in a Major, but whenever Aberg’s name pops up, particularly when so much of the airwaves are dominated by unsettling and unstable conversations, it brings with it great light and hope for the future.

The Swede made a huge impression in the last 12 months, moving from 3,064 in the world at the end of to 32nd as I write this. He won on both sides of the pond and made an impressive debut in Europe’s Ryder Cup win, all while going about his business in a very stress-free and understated manner. Don’t be surprised if the 24-year-old’s game adjusts immediately and he calmly and unassumingly picks up a Major title in 2024.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship: Sahalee, June 20-23

My winner: Nasa Hataoka

A quick glance at Hataoka’s Major championship record will tell you that she’s due one. She has nine top-10 finishes in 29 career starts since 2017, Hataoka and has twice lost in play-offs (2018 KPMG Women’s PGA and 2021 US Women’s Open).

In 2023, the Japanese star finished in the top-four twice and led eventual winner Allisen Corpuz by one stroke going into the final round at Pebble Beach. The 24-year-old is already a six-time winner on the LPGA and a six-time winner on the JLPGA, and 2024 is the year she’ll add a Major to that record.

The Open: Royal Troon, July 18-21

My winner: Rory McIlroy

When Troon last hosted The Open in 2016, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson produced that epic Sunday showdown with the Swede making history as the first male Scandinavian to win a Major.

Eight years on, will we get another first-time winner of the sport’s oldest Major? I don’t think so.

I still feel a sense of disappointment when I think back to 2022 and the 150^th Open as Rory was pipped by Cam Smith. The Northern Irishman felt like the poster boy champion for such a historic event, but I believe this will be the year for the Race to Dubai winner to return to Major winning ways for the first time in a decade.

We all know what Rory is capable of when he is in full flow and the Scottish air will bring out the best in him. Personally, I just hope there’s at least one winning Major interview with Rory in 2023.

Amundi Evian Championship: Evian Resort Golf Club, August 11-14

My winner: Linn Grant

The 24-year-old is the latest Swedish talent to pop up in the women’s game, where she already has five LET wins and one LPGA victory under her belt, including a victory at the Scandinavian Mixed. Grant was 3-2 as a rookie at the 2023 Solheim Cup in

Spain and always shows up to compete on the biggest stage. She finished eighth at the Evian in 2022 – her best Major result to date – but showed some promising signs in the big events last year and I think there are exciting things ahead for the big hitter in 2024.

AIG Women’s Open: St Andrews Old Course, August 21-25

My winner: Charley Hull

When I interviewed Charley Hull after her narrow defeat to Lilia Vu at last year’s AIGWO she told me she was off to the range to ‘make her hands bleed’. That’s how hungry Charley Hull is to lift the AIGWO trophy and there is no better stage for the 27-year-old to finally win her first Major than the Home of Golf.

I believe she’s the best ball-striker in the women’s game and the English star has all the credentials required to lift that coveted title.

– Read more from Iona Stephen, including her views on the ball rollback, slow play, and her hopes of playing in the AIG Women’s Open!

About the author

Iona Stephen – Broadcaster and Today’s Golfer contributor

A former professional golfer, who has played on the Ladies European Tour, Iona is a highly respected golf broadcaster.

She joined Today’s Golfer as a regular contributor in 2023 and offers insight into the professional game from her life working on the world’s biggest tours.

The Scotswoman is as comfortable covering the game from the commentary booth as she is broadcasting in front of the camera and from the course, where she is regularly seen interviewing the world’s best players during their rounds.

Alongside her television work, Stephen also has her own YouTube channel – On The Road With Iona.

Follow Iona on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find out more at ionastephen.com