The PGA Tour Champions’ 2024 season will soon come to an end. The senior league will move to the Phoenix Country Club in Arizona for the season finale, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Only the top 36 from the season-long standings will tee up in Phoenix.

Out of this, only one will come out victorious and take home the coveted trophy and a hefty share of the $3 million prize purse. And here we have the top 5 who could have the best chance to become the 2024 Charles Schwab Cup Championship’s ultimate winner!

1. Ernie Els

This is the year Ernie Els could add his first-ever Charles Schwap Cup to his portfolio. For the first time in his PGA Tour Champions career, the 55-year-old has been the Charles Schwab Cup Standings leader for 12 events straight. This clubhouse leader has had a happening season with three victories coming in for him.

Els became the first player in the 2024 season to win consecutive events, the Principal Charity Classic and American Family Insurance Championship since 2023. His 2024 portfolio doesn’t stop there. The 55-year-old pro was fortunate to add his first senior major, the Kaulig Companies Championship, and card in a runner-up at the Boeing Classic right with six other top 10s. Undoubtedly, Els is on the rise this year, and he isn’t going to be stopped at the Phoenix Country Club either.

2. Padraig Harrington

You’d be wrong if you thought Els was the only one who enjoyed three victories this year. On top of becoming a champion at the Hoag Classic Newport Beach and winning the Dick’s Open for the third year in a row (no one has ever done that since 2017), Padraig Harrington was also inducted to the World Hall of Fame as the class of ’24 inductee in June.

While these were the Irish pro’s achievements at the start of the year, as the year came to a near conclusion, Harrington finished solo second at the SAS Championship and one event later, won the Charles Schwab Cup playoff event, the Simmons Banks Championship. After winning the $365K check, the Irish pro even joked about the weight of the trophy. Regardless, this hammered down the dominant run Harrington has had on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024. With such momentum, it is hard to assume that Harrington cannot win the season finale.

3. Steven Alker

It was his first year of the season in Hualalai, Hawaii, and Steven Alker stunned everyone with his first victory at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. Although he didn’t win other tournaments this year, fortunately, Alker is still in his best form in 2024.

The Kiwi pro bagged fifteen! Yes, 15 top-10 finishes in the season, which included four runner-up scorecards at the Cologuard Classic, Galleri Classic, a solo second at the Regions Traditions, and a T2 at the Boeing Classic. He might have been second most of the season and this in this list, but that doesn’t mean that Alker doesn’t have the prowess to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship for the second time in his PGA Tour Champions’ career.

4. Ye Yang

The South Korean pro opened his winning bag for the PGA Tour Champions in the 2024 season after making his debut in 2022. Y.E. Yang won the Ascension Charity Classic after carding a runner-up finish at the Kaulig Companies Championship and eight other top 15s in the season before that.

Then, in the last four starts before the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Yang had a scorecard that looked like this: T15 at the Constellation Furyk & Friends, T11 at the SAS Championship, a 69 at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, and lastly, a solo runner-up at the Simmons Banks championship. Except for the slip-up at the Dominion, Yang is having a great run and would probably not miss the final event.

5. Stewart Cink

Yes, Stewart Cink is ranked 12th on the Charles Schwab Cup standings, but it is because he was playing more on the PGA Tour and participated in only 10 PGA Tour Champions tournaments. Even in that, the American pro successfully finished in the top 10s eight times. Exceptional to say the least.

And Cink also won The Ally Challenge in August to top off his 2024 season. In the last four starts after his victory, the 51-year-old finished inside the top 15 all the time; a T3-T11-T5-T5 result shows that Cink has been trying to get inside the winning circle again. This time he hopefully wouldn’t just be a top finisher but a leader in the end.

As the golfers gear up for the PGA Tour Champions’ season finale at the Phoenix Country Club, who do you think will take away the Charles Schwab Cup Championship’s trophy? Share it in the comments.