Early major predictions for 2020

It's been an epic year of golf, with Tiger Woods winning the masters, Shane Lowry's dreams coming true at the Open in Northern Ireland and Jon Rahm emulating his hero Seve Ballesteros by winning the Race to Dubai. With 2020 just around the corner, GolfMagic takes a look at next year's majors and who we think could win them.

The Masters

Rory McIlroy - 10/1

Yes I know what you're thinking, here we go again with McIlroy and the Masters. Granted, he's bottled it a few times and the occasion seems to have got the better of him, but what a year this man had in 2019. He was voted PGA Player of the Year by his fellow professionals and you can see why. Countless top 10's and a multiple win season has meant that this man has rocketed up the rankings back to world No.2 and he's not going to stop there.

McIlroy has played some incredible golf this year and he's already won on the new PGA Tour season, claiming the WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan Golf Club. The Northern Irishman is back to his best and he's playing with a swagger about him that makes him very dangerous. McIlroy just needs the Masters to complete a career Grand Slam and we think that 2020 will finally be the year that he wins his first green jacket.

PGA Championship

Jon Rahm - 20/1

We can't believe that this man's odds are as high as 20/1 as things stand, but we expect them to tumble in the coming months. Jon Rahm has been an absolute machine this year, winning three times on the European Tour and being crowned the 2019 Race to Dubai champion.

It's hard to believe that this man is only 25 years old, but there is no doubt we are looking at a future major champion. He missed the cut at last year's PGA Championship, but in 2018 he finished T4. Rahm is now third in the world rankings and we think that he has every chance of winning the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. We also think there is a chance it could be a double major year for the Spaniard...

US Open

Justin Thomas - 18/1

After suffering with a wrist injury, Justin Thomas has come back looking as good as ever. His ball striking seems to be the best it has been for a few years and the way in which he went about his two wins at the BMW Championship and the CJ Cup was emphatic. The American is currently fifth in the world rankings but GolfMagic is predicting a seriously good year for Thomas in 2020.

He already knows what it takes to win a major, having won the PGA Championship in 2017 and we think that Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, the host of the 2020 US Open, is a course that will suit Thomas' strong iron play. There will be a few others challenging him for this one, with the likes of Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm who will have a field day off the tee round this track, but we think it will be Thomas who goes on to lift the trophy.

The Open

Tommy Fleetwood - 18/1

Now the Open Championship is a tournament where there can be a few surprises. Yes, Shane Lowry is an Irish local but it was still a big surprise to see him lift the Claret Jug. In 2020, our early prediction is that the man who came second at Royal Portrush will go on to win his first major at Royal St. George's, Tommy Fleetwood.

Fleetwood played brilliantly in Northern Ireland to finish in second place and he finished the year very strong too. His win at the Nedbank Golf Challenge was spectacular, making three eagles in his final round. The victory sent him into second place in the Race to Dubai rankings prior to the DP World Tour Championship and he very nearly went on to win the season-long event, had it not been for Jon Rahm's performance.

This year an Irishman won in Northern Ireland, so why not an Englishman in England in 2020?

Of course these predictions are our early picks, going by recent form, so we'll be keeping a close eye out for other possible contenders over the coming months.