'A Real-Life David Vs Goliath Story' - Who Was Golf's Underdog Of The Year?

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.

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

Matt Cradock

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

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 supported him outside of the ropes just a year or two before, and the latter coming out on top - what a story! Hidalgo played with so much flare and feeling throughout the week, and particularly on Sunday, it generated scintillating entertainment and made him easy to root for.

Hidalgo could have won it in regulation but missed a pretty simple putt on the 72nd hole. There were concerns his chance had gone, but roared on by waves of "Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Hidalgo!" from the fans, the smaller Spaniard (in stature, I hasten to add) pulled one out of the fire and stared down Rahm over an extended playoff. An amazing underdog story with the happiest of endings.

Elliott Heath

These are all very worthy nominees and Nick Dunlap is certainly one of the real breakout stars of 2024, but I find it hard to truly call him an underdog after winning the US Amateur in 2023. He has undoubtedly had an incredible year and is now arguably the best golfer on this list with a very promising career ahead of him.

I think Angel Hidalgo and Paul Waring’s wins were the biggest due to the competition faced. Hidalgo took down Jon Rahm on home soil while Paul Waring won one of the DP World Tour’s biggest events to earn himself a PGA Tour card at the age of 38 out of absolutely nowhere.

Waring is the winner for me here. He played like a seasoned pro and reminded us all of just how great every DP World Tour player can be on their day. He’s going to have a tough task playing in the States in 2025, but who can bet against him now after that incredible week in Abu Dhabi.