The U.S. Open is often the toughest major on the PGA Tour’s calendar, but several players at the 2024 edition of the event started it off with strong performances.

The morning wave of the event saw three players shoot 3-under or better for the event. Patrick Cantlay (5-under) and Ludvig Aberg (4-under) each ranked top-10 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), so seeing them atop the leaderboard won’t surprise many.

But Matthieu Pavon being in the top three? That will surprise some golf fans.

Pavon is a PGA Tour rookie but has enjoyed a solid first season. He’s now positioning himself to contend at the U.S. Open — an event in which he has participated several times before.

Here’s what to know about Pavon as he thrusts himself into the spotlight on golf’s biggest stage.

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Who is Matthieu Pavon?

Pavon is a 31-year-old rookie on the PGA Tour. The Frenchman turned professional in 2013, playing on the Alps Tour and Challenge Tour before breaking onto the European Tour in 2017.

Pavon played several years on the European Tour, faring well and earning an entry into the Open Championship in 2017 after finishing third at the Scottish Open. However, Pavon didn’t win on the European Tour until October 2023, when he won the Acciona Open de España after shooting 23-under for the tournament. He was a wire-to-wire winner in that contest.

Pavon’s win helped him finish 15th in the European Tour’s race to Dubai. That allowed him to earn a PGA Tour membership for 2024, and the U.S. Open is his 13th event played on the tour this season.

Matthieu Pavon PGA Tour wins

Though Pavon has completed play at just 20 PGA Tour events during his career, he does have a win to his name. The Frenchman earned a victory at the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open, his third event played during the season.

Pavon shot 13-under for the tournament, just edging Nicolai Hojgaard (12-under) and a trio of 11-under finishers to earn his first PGA Tour win. He entered the day tied for the lead with Hojgaard before outshooting him by one stroke to earn his title.

That was part of a torrid stretch for Pavon during which he logged three, top-10 finishes in a four-event span. That included a third-place finish at the rain-shortened Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He finished behind only 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Swedish star Ludvig Aberg at that event.

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Has Matthieu Pavon ever won a major?

While Pavon has a PGA Tour win, he has not yet won a major. He is making just his seventh major appearance at the U.S. Open, but he has made the cut just twice before. Those came at the 2018 U.S. Open, where he finished tied for 25th, and the 2024 Masters, where he tied for 12th.

Below is a recap of Pavon’s performance in majors to date:

Matthieu Pavon career earnings

Pavon hasn’t been on the PGA Tour long, but he’s already earned $4,025,446 competing on it. Most of that stems from his win at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, for which he earned a combined $2.98 million.

The 2024 U.S. Open has a purse worth $21.5 million, so if Pavon continues to stay near the top of the leaderboard, he should be poised to add a hefty sum to his already impressive earnings.

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Matthieu Pavon OWGR

Pavon currently ranks as the 24th-best golfer in the world, according to the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). That’s a marked improvement over the ranking of 93 that he held at the end of the 2023 season.

Pavon’s strong showing at the U.S. Open should help to improve his OWGR. If he can continue his steady play, he should be positioned to continue his rapid climb up golf’s most prestigious leaderboard.