Golf is a sport that celebrates precision, resilience, patience, and the pursuit of excellence, where each season brings fresh faces and unexpected triumphs. The 2024 PGA Tour season has been no exception, with young talents and underdogs making their mark on the game’s biggest stage.

The fans have witnessed many new and unknown faces break through the shackles and gain big career victories. While the spotlight was on the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, & Rory McIlroy, other stars stole the show as well throughout the season.

Let’s shed some light on these lesser-known stars to round off another amazing season of golf presented by the PGA Tour. Here are 5 emotional victories in the PGA Tour in 2024.

Robert MacIntyre

The Scottish swinger had been in the Tour since 2018, testing and trying different strategies that would help him reach the helm. He nearly got there once on home soil at the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open. Unfortunately, his -14 was not enough to overcome the threat of Rory McIlroy back then.

With his father, Dougie MacIntyre as his caddie, the 28-year-old entered the Hamilton Golf & Country Club with only one goal in mind, victory. After 4 grueling rounds of intense battle with top players like Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, Tommy Fleetwood, and many other pros, MacIntyre achieved his dream of capturing the first PGA Tour win of his career at the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. Overwhelmed with emotions, the young Scottish player raised his arms before embracing his father to celebrate the victory. The good fortune followed him back home a few weeks later as MacIntyre did the unthinkable and captured another win at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open taking his revenge on Rory McIlroy once again.

Nico Echavarria

It was the end of October in 2024. The spirits were high as fans were eagerly waiting to see who captured the 2024 Zozo Championship. It was a star-studded field with the likes of Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and many more at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. But by the last hole, the real battle was between Thomas & Echavarria. The 2022 PGA Championship winner was only 1 stroke away from the Columbian when he made a birdie. With Thomas now equalling his score, it was up to Echavarria to sink the ball and let his birdie give him the title. And so he did!

The crowd roared watching Nico Echavarria celebrate his victory at the 2024 Zozo Championship. But that is not where it ended. An emotional Echavarria immediately grabbed a hold of his phone and video-called his family to give them the news himself. The sentimental moment was caught on tape as it was shared by the PGA Tour on their X account.

Rafael Campos

Rafael Campos had been playing in the PGA Tour for over 15 years. During his spell in the league, the Puerto Rican had many memorable moments. But none of them included a PGA Tour victory. However, things were a bit different when he teed off at the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda. While Campos had not made the cut for 4 consecutive events, he was ready to change all that in the next 4 days. Going up against the likes of Andrew Novak, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, and 117 other pros, he faced a thought battle to climb the top of the leaderboard.

After finishing tied at the top with Novak, Campos’s final round -3 was enough to turn the table on his opponent and capture his first-ever PGA Tour win at the 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship. He finished the tournament with a score of -19 and immediately went into a state of disbelief. Within seconds, Campos was in tears as he embraced his caddie before wiping off his tears. That was followed by a look around the course as he was treated to standing ovations by all those who were visiting. The victory, the celebration, and the ovation seemed magical for the 36-year-old as he had finally reached the pinnacle.

Davis Thompson

Davis Thompson had been a ‘nearly’ man for the longest time. In his 3 years in the Tour, the 25-year-old had finished as a runner-up 3 times already. He also had 4 other top-10 finishes in the last couple of years. The 2024 season was also halfway done with Thompson still winless. But all that changed at the 2024 John Deere Classic in TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

The Atlanta local kicked off the tournament with a birdie in the first two holes and never looked back. Despite a partially washed-out 2nd round, Thompson was able to obtain a -28 score, 4 strokes fewer than anyone else in the field. He convincingly won the tournament, capturing his first PGA Tour title. After the last putt, a short smile was followed by tears as Thompson’s partner approached him from the stands to celebrate with him. As she got closer, an enthusiastic and teary golfer embraced her in joy.

Maverick McNealy

At 29 years of age, Maverick McNealy was stepping onto the Plantation Course in Hawaii for his 100th tournament where he had made the cut. While it was not confirmed until he made it past round 2, there was still one landmark he hadn’t overcome for sure, winning his first PGA Tour title. Facing a very difficult challenge at one of the most unforgiving courses in the world, McNealy had his work cut out for him already.

But no one could have imagined what transpired through the next 4 days of the event. In the first round itself, McNealy scored an 8-under par 62 to take a mammoth lead on the board. This carried him through the remaining 3 rounds as others were not able to catch up to his brilliant first-round performance. A -2 in the final round was enough to give Maverick McNealy his first PGA Tour win of his career; the 2024 RSM Classic. McNealy was visibly in tears as his entire team, friends, and family embraced him after celebrating among themselves. It was a victory for everyone who was on the sidelines with him and the emotional pro from Stanford was clearly relishing having so many loved ones around him during this major accomplishment of his career.

These were some of the best and most emotional victories of the 2024 PGA Tour season. But honorable mentions go to Xander Schauffele; who won his first major at the PGA championship in 2024. Also Nick Dunlap; who bagged his first PGA Tour victory as an amateur, the 2024 American Express, and followed it up with his first Tour victory as a pro at the 2024 Barracuda Championship. Dunlap set a record as the first player to achieve amateur and pro wins in the same season of the PGA Tour.

What was the best moment of the PGA Tour 2024 season according to you? Share your views in the comments section.