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Rory McIlroy lost the DP World Championship in a play-off to Matt Fitzpatrick, but still won the Race to Dubai during the season title for the seventh time, capping a season in which he won three times on the PGA Tour – highlighted by his Masters title to complete the career Grand Slam – and helped Europe win a Ryder Cup on the road. Was this McIlroy’s best year ever?
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): This was absolutely the best season of Rory’s career, but not for the reasons you’d think. Yes, the Grand Slam was nice, and yes, winning the Ryder Cup on the road (something McIlroy himself called one of the most difficult accomplishments in golf) doesn’t hurt. But for my money, the totality of these achievements is even better than the sum of the parts. This was the year McIlroy cemented himself as the greatest player of his generation, and even if he continues to win more or win more, this year will always be more important to his enduring greatness than those that came before or after it.
Josh Sens, senior writer (@Josh_Sens): For sure. It wasn’t just what she won, but how she won. Wild ride en route to winning the Masters, ending a 10-year drought at a tournament that had delivered more heartache than any other. And then that performance at the Ryder Cup, backing up his prediction amid all that ugliness from the crowds. Those moments will stick in the collective memory more than any other seasonal achievement.
Josh Schrock, news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): There are no questions. As my colleagues pointed out, it’s not just what he did, but how he did it and where he did it. He won at Pebble, TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National, conquering personal ghosts and avoiding what would have been a spiritual collapse. He overcame post-achievement depression after winning the Masters, had an inspiring week at the Open, won the Irish Open in thrilling fashion and then led Europe to a victory outside the Ryder Cup. As James noted, he is the greatest player of his generation and may have cemented himself as the best European player of all time.
McIlroy’s seven Race to Dubai titles are just one shy of Colin Montgomerie’s record eight, which McIlroy looks likely to match or break. Does McIlroy get enough credit for the worldwide success he’s had?
Colgan: I feel like Rory’s criminally underrated resume abroad is almost in short supply among golf fans today. But I think that goes back to what I said above: All those other accolades seemed a little … empty in the face of the major championship drought. Now that the drought is over, we can see those achievements in their fullness.
sense: Hmm. I don’t know. He collected $1.2 million for second place in the event and another $2 million for winning the event during the season, and his name appeared on the banner headlines of every golf publication around the world. What should we do? Start erecting monuments in his honor? He has achieved a lot overseas. But he’s not exactly criss-crossing the globe at the clip of stars of past generations. He plays a select schedule and is lavishly rewarded for it.
Shrock: I think Colgan has nailed it. Rory has been an enduring figure around the world for more than a decade, but the big fall, countless heartbreaks and lack of a green jacket caused most to overlook the big picture.
Speaking of McIlroy, the teams were announced for the Golf Channel showdown he will lead off with Scottie Scheffler on Dec. 17. McIlroy’s team will consist of Shane Lowry, Haotong Li and Luke Donald, while Scheffler will have Sam Burns, Luke Clanton and Keegan Bradley in an event with a variety of formats and games lined up. Do you think the unique spin will be enough to pull it off better than other made-for-TV matches?
Colgan: I mean, I think it’s a little funny that we’re filling the quiet golf season with … more golf. If there is evidence that real human beings want to watch these events, I certainly haven’t seen it. But for those of us who write about the sport, these made-for-TV jokes are better than a black hole with nothing on the golf calendar, so … I guess that’s good?
sense: Well said, James. It’s hard to get too excited about an event like this. But complaining about them from this position seems a bit contradictory.
Shrock: Co-sign the above. New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp emphasized the importance of the absence in improving the professional golf product. This is the opposite. I’m all for swinging, but I’m having a hard time seeing this breakthrough.
The LPGA season ends next week with the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., and it will be Nelly Korda’s last chance to pick up a win. Korda won seven times last year – how is that a week away from a possible winless season?
Colgan: Yes, it’s shocking — and it’s frustrating, too, if you’re the LPGA — but I think the easiest explanation lies in the flat club. Korda ranks 98th on Tour in 2025 in final-round shots and 101st in three-shot average. Interestingly, that’s not far from where Korda ranked in those categories in her seven-win 2024. But when you factor in the variance — and the regression in some of the otherworldly parts of her game last season — it’s not a stretch to end up with a seven-win margin.
sense: Golf is a highly volatile game where the smallest of margins can separate success from failure, nowhere more so than at the elite level. When irons are just a hair away, when shots that used to fall start grazing the cup – those small mistakes produce disproportionately smaller scores. Either way, this year further underscores just how insanely awesome her 2024 was.
Shrock: The answer lies in a little bit of everything. The determination has sustained her when she has been in strife. She has been dealing with a neck injury that may be more of a pain than she first let on. She also mentioned that she’s been dealing with a pacing issue, where she’s been dealing with a laid-back look at the top. It’s also hard to win. Her stats aren’t much worse than last year, but she just hasn’t been in the mix a ton and when she was in the mix at Erin Hills, the player betrayed her.
What was the most interesting subplot of Annika: The WNBA Star this week Caitlin Clark attracting pro-am monster galleries or the attention of When TrumpPresident Donald Trump’s granddaughter gets a sponsor’s exemption and shoots 83-75 to miss the cut?
Colgan: There were many who rushed to defend the President’s granddaughter from accusations that she … might not have earned an invitation on the merits of her golf. (No hate to Kai, whose TikTok mega-stardom made him eligible for a sponsor exclusion, but I didn’t realize that was up for debate!) If the LPGA can turn even 10 percent of those people into regular watchers, it will be worth the effort!
sense: While it’s fun to watch Clark go from court to court, it’s always especially interesting to see a really good player try to compete at the next level. It’s an in-your-face reminder of the gulf between the best and the rest. I guess you could say that the way people’s political allegiances colored their view of Kai’s exclusion was also interesting. But mostly this was just depressing.
Shrock: The most interesting subplot was what the LPGA might do to try to keep the extra eye Clark and Trump brought. It’s great that Clark is into golf and can expose her fans to golf. Pro-am streaming is a win! Giving Trump a sponsor invitation is an opportunistic swing for social media impressions, but unless there’s a grand plan to capitalize on moves like this, then it means very little. The LPGA should be applauded for trying things to increase viewership, interest, etc., but Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump are no antidote to what ails the tour.
