Did Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler win 2025?

Sign up every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in sports and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss what we learned in 2025, who won the year and more.

Who won the year? Well, Rory McIlroy completed the career Grand SlamScottie Scheffler won two races, but Luke Donald and the European Ryder Cup team won a road game in bustling Bethpage. That’s just a sampling of the nominees, and it doesn’t even include recreational golf, which is booming again. Who or what won 2025?

Jessica Marksbury, Senior Editor (@jess_marksbury): Some very worthy candidates here, but I’ll take the obvious answer and go with Rory. or The Grand Slam career is a generational achievement — and the drama that accompanied his achievement, from the playoff and exorcism of his Augusta demons to his cathartic reaction to finally shedding the weight of his major championship drought — made it all the more compelling and emotionally satisfying for those of us watching at home.

Nick Piastowski, Senior Editor (@nickpia): Yeah, hard to argue against Rory. The biggest win, the biggest moment. Let’s do this, though. McIlroy wins the year. And we’ll say that Scottie Scheffler is on his way to winning the decade. And the news that every LPGA event will be on live TV could be the most influential moment for the future.

Josh Schrock, news editor (Schrock_And_Awe): It’s Rory. He checked two of the last three items off his career bucket list, wins at Pebble, Sawgrass, Augusta and Ireland before putting golf fans in Bethpage in a locker for three days. Oh, and him won Sports Personality of the Year. But an honorable mention to the LPGA for hiring Craig Kessler as commissioner. It has already made some significant changes, starting with changing the transmission, as Nick pointed out. I think the LPGA is in good hands, and I can’t wait to see where they go under his watch. If we’re doing a podium finisher of the year, Rory gets the gold, Scottie gets the silver, and the LPGA gets an early medal for where I think Kessler can get them.

What was the most memorable moment of the year? And no, you can’t choose all the same.

Marksbury: Rory’s 18th green damage at Augusta brought a tear to my eye. As members of the media, we’re used to remaining neutral, but watching Rory’s ups and downs during that final round was an exhausting and emotionally draining experience. I can’t remember a major championship in recent times where the spectators and fans on the ground wanted a win for a player more, perhaps since Tiger at the Masters in 2019, or Tom Watson at the Turnberry in 2009. Rory’s achievement felt like a victory for all of us who have watched him during his career.

Piastowski: Let’s go with JJ Spaun’s winning putt at the US Open in Oakmont. I love his story. I liked his comeback after making five bogeys in his first six holes during the final round. Then came his 65-foot putt, in the rain, with the ball illuminated by cameras and a leaderboard. It was like a movie.

Schrock: For me, it was Rory’s eagle putt to send the Irish Open into a playoff. He had been in a huge funk coming out to Portrush. He lost the Irish Open last year when Rasmus Hojgaard trailed him on Sunday. The thump of the crowd literally rose from the ground as the eagle shot landed with his punch, it was electric and a memory that few are able to do what Rory McIlroy can do.

Which story didn’t get as much attention as it deserved?

Marksbury: I had the pleasure of reviewing Jeeno Thitikul’s record breaking season for the countdown of the best stories of the year, and wow, what she achieved in 2025 it is truly extraordinary. She won three times – a far cry from Nelly Korda’s seven wins last year – but that was the most of anyone on the LPGA Tour this year, with 29 different players claiming titles (also a new record). Jeeno’s consistency was absolutely amazing: 14 top 10s in 20 events, leading to a new record in earnings for a season ($7,578,330!) and a new record average of 68.68, surpassing the mark set by Annika Sorenstam in 2002. Such achievements are worth endless praise!

Piastowski: I love this answer, Jess. Thitikul should have received more attention for what he has achieved. I will go with Minjee Lee’s win at the Women’s PGAgiving her three directions. It will be interesting to see if she can win another one or two and fully enter the conversation of all-time greats, if she isn’t already there.

Schrock: I like this answer, Nick. I was there that week in Frisco and it was very impressive to watch Minjee pick that course by herself while everyone else was complaining about unfair pegs. I don’t know if we’ve fully appreciated the run that Justin Rose is on at age 45. He was runner-up at Troon, played Rory in a tie for 72 holes at the Masters, which included going nuclear on Sunday, beat Tommy in Memphis and then stole Team USA’s souls with every shot in Bethpage. I don’t know how long his “Indian Summer” will last, but it’s one of the best stories in professional golf right now.

What did you learn in 2025?

Marksbury: Considering the fugitive the success of the Internet Invitationalthe arrival of TGL and the introduction of Optum Golf Channel Games, it is becoming increasingly clear that there is an appetite for golf consumption that reaches far beyond the Tour. I’m very interested to see where this leads.

Piastowski: I like this answer. Yes, there is a lot of golf, for sure, and the question will be whether golf can sustain it. I’m going to go with something I’ve learned again, I think, and how good Tiger Woods was and the impact he’s had. Think how many times his name was mentioned this year with Scottie Scheffler. Think how much attention is paid every time the man speaks. His influence is extraordinary.

Schrock: Piggyback off Nick here, but Tiger still has another chapter of legacy writing ahead of the course. The influence he has in helping shape the future of the PGA Tour cannot be overstated. From a potential new-look plan to reunion, Tiger will play a big role what the future of the tournament looks like. Tiger may not last a ton in the future, but what we see will have its fingerprints all over it.

Teams led by Scott Scheffler and Rory McIlroy headlined the Optum Golf Channel Games on Wednesday, where the made-for-TV event ditched the traditional format and competed in speed golf and a host of different challenges. What did you think? And does this type of event have more staying power than some of the traditional matches or skin games we’ve seen?

Marksbury: Challenge-based games are always fun, even when unknown players are competing, like in the Golf Channel’s Big Break days. So adding higher ranked players like Rory and Scottie definitely ups the fun factor – and I think I actually enjoy the fast pace more than traditional matches and skins games.

Piastowski: I didn’t mind! The speed challenge was fun. The polos seemed to have unraveled a bit, so to speak. But yes, as we talked about above, I wonder if all these events, shows and competitions are sustainable. That said, otherwise is better for me, and I hope this sticks around.

Schrock: I liked it more than I thought. What worked was the pace. It was fast and something new. I really liked the relay idea and thought it worked overall. Golf needs more variety and something like this was much better than another version of The Match.