Following a duration of eight months and encompassing 39 tournaments, the 2025 PGA Tour season has reached its conclusion. The sequence of events progresses closer to the forthcoming Sentry and recedes further from the most recent Masters as time elapses. It’s simple to overlook the occurrences of the past season, considering the multitude of events conducted and the diverse narratives that unfolded. Thus, we’ve chosen to encapsulate it all — the highlights, the challenges, and all elements in between.
The season’s commencement in Kapalua appears distant, marked by Hideki Matsuyama’s establishment of a new scoring benchmark relative to par during the initial week of the year. By the season’s final week, Matsuyama had secured only a solitary top-10 placement throughout his 2025 campaign, albeit a significant one.
Peculiar statistics like the aforementioned, unexpected victors, and the emergence of improbable contenders all contributed to the distinctiveness of the 2025 season. It’s important to acknowledge that Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy significantly contributed to the unfolding narrative throughout the year.
Let’s present some end-of-year accolades to commemorate the preceding eight months.
PGA Tour Player of the Year
Scottie Scheffler: Repetition is key. For the fourth consecutive season, Scheffler distinguished himself as the premier player on the PGA Tour, with this year surpassing his previous achievements. He attained a major championship beyond Augusta National for the first time, propelling him toward legendary status, and further solidified his position by delivering a remarkably comprehensive performance at The Open.
Coupled with a postseason triumph, a successful defense at the Memorial, and a record-setting victory in his home state of Texas, Scheffler unequivocally asserted his dominance following a somewhat sluggish start to the year attributed to an unforeseen injury sustained during the holiday season. He stands as the first golfer since Tiger Woods to secure back-to-back seasons with five or more wins, accomplishing this feat while topping the following statistical categories on the PGA Tour.
(A moment to inhale deeply; certain items were omitted for conciseness)
- Official earnings
- Total strokes acquired
- Strokes gained from tee to green
- Strokes gained off the tee
- Strokes gained on approach
- Green in regulation percentage from fairway
- Scrambling proficiency
- Adjusted scoring average
- Actual scoring average
- Scoring average prior to cut
- Par-breaking shots
- Recovery from bogeys
- Ratio of birdies to bogeys
- Average number of birdies
- Percentage of birdies or better
- Bogey avoidance
- Par 4 scoring
- Par 5 scoring
- Performance in final rounds
- Scoring average in Round 1
- Scoring average in Round 2
- Scoring average on Front 9
- Scoring average on Back 9
- Scoring average in early rounds
- Scoring average in later rounds
- Longest streak of sub-par rounds
- Consecutive Year-to-Date rounds in the 60s
- Consecutive top-10 finishes
- Victories
Tournament of the Year
The Masters: Could it possibly be anything other than the Masters? McIlroy firmly established his place within the historical record by accomplishing the career grand slam in a manner uniquely characteristic of him. McIlroy commenced the final round holding a two-stroke advantage and encountered each of his major championship challenges en route to attaining lasting glory.
Facing Bryson DeChambeau in the final round, McIlroy commenced in a somewhat uneasy fashion, as DeChambeau seized the lead after the second green. McIlroy subsequently surpassed him while conquering his prior setbacks on this stage, encompassing deficiencies in wedge play, missed short putts on the greens, and recollections of Augusta National’s past, notably the tee shot on No. 10.
Other contenders, including Scheffler, Ludvig Åberg, and Patrick Reed, also emerged, yet it was ultimately fellow European Justin Rose who distinguished himself. Following a bogey on his 71st hole, the Englishman secured a birdie on his final hole of regulation, thereby exerting additional pressure on McIlroy, who necessitated par on the last hole to secure victory.
Unable to execute an up-and-down after missing the green to the right with a wedge in hand from the middle of the fairway, McIlroy encountered Rose in a playoff. There, Rory rectified his miscue in regulation with the same club from the same yardage, ultimately claiming the coveted green jacket.
Shot of the Year
McIlroy’s approach into No. 15 in final round of Masters: McIlroy experienced a full spectrum of events on No. 15 during his triumph at Augusta National. He chipped the ball into the water and incurred a double bogey on Thursday, executed another exceptional swing with a 6 iron to set up the sole eagle on Saturday, and delivered the pinnacle of all shots in the final round to stabilize his position after encountering some turbulent waters in the two preceding holes.
McIlroy executed numerous remarkable swings during this Masters victory, any of which could be highlighted (both positive and negative). Examples include the wedge in the playoff to seal the deal, the long iron into No. 17 to propel him one up over Rose, the approach shot from the trees on No. 7, or even the wedge into No. 13 that reopened the tournament. However, the forceful 7 iron around the trees stands out as the one that will be replayed most frequently, not only this year but for decades to come. Indeed, it was the “shot of a lifetime,” as Jim Nantz aptly described it.
Breakout Player
J.J. Spaun: From contending for his position in 2024 to ascending as a top 10 player globally, Spaun exceeded expectations (even his own). The season commenced with a consistent Florida swing, marked by a runner-up finish at PGA National and a playoff defeat to McIlroy at The Players Championship. Spaun’s campaign was distinguished by substantial enhancements in his iron play and rapid adaptation in critical moments.
He conveyed that The Players loss significantly boosted his confidence, as he now recognized his rightful place among the world’s elite. He validated this sentiment at the U.S. Open, emerging from a crowded leaderboard on a wet, rainy, and decidedly unpleasant Sunday at Oakmont Country Club. Another playoff loss to Rose transpired in the postseason, with Spaun merely a few fortunate bounces away from securing victories in not only a major but also two other prominent tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule. He reached a high of world No. 6 and automatically secured a spot on his inaugural U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Most Disappointing Player
Xander Schauffele: The world No. 3 encountered a setback when he was compelled to take a break from the game due to an intercostal strain in his ribs. He returned during the Florida swing with subpar outcomes, and while his game exhibited improvement over the year, it never quite reached the level of his 2024 performance, during which he was arguably the second-best player globally and perhaps the most well-rounded.
Schauffele failed to secure a single top-five finish in 2025, missed the Tour Championship for the first time in his career, and ultimately concluded at No. 42 in the FedEx Cup standings. Despite achieving top 10 finishes in two majors, Schauffele’s 2025 season was considered underwhelming in light of his accomplishments the previous year.
Most Heartwarming Moment
Tommy Fleetwood winning FedEx Cup: Numerous narratives culminated in fairytale endings in 2025, with Fleetwood’s among the most poignant. Following agonizing losses at the Travelers Championship and the FedEx St. Jude Championship during the summer, the Englishman arrived at the PGA Tour’s season finale still in pursuit of his first victory.
He rectified this with an impressive triumph at East Lake, hoisting the FedEx Cup trophy following the decision made in May to modify the format of the Tour Championship, ensuring that all players commenced at even par. Fleetwood capitalized on this opportunity and persistently knocked on the door before finally breaching it. He secured the largest payout of his career — and the season — accompanied by numerous embraces from friends, family, and fellow PGA Tour participants. He also concluded the finest season of his career; statistically, only Scheffler and McIlroy surpassed him in 2025.
Most Bizarre Winner
Brian Campbell: If anything, this serves as a compliment. In an era of golf characterized by speed and the relentless pursuit of maximum swing velocity, aiming to propel the ball as far as possible and subsequently improvising from there, Campbell has adopted a distinct strategy. In 2025, this approach ultimately proved successful. Campbell ranked last in driving distance (279 yards) and second-to-last in ball speed (163 mph), yet he still achieved a tie for third with two victories during the campaign.
He triumphed at the Mexico Open, a haven for long hitters, in a playoff against the longest player on the PGA Tour (Aldrich Potgieter), and subsequently prevailed again in a playoff at the John Deere Classic. Across his other 20 starts, Campbell secured no other top-30 finishes, missed 10 cuts, and was compelled to withdraw twice. He participated in the weekend a total of 10 times in 2025, and remarkably, he emerged victorious 20% of the time.
Story of the Year
Keegan Bradley potentially serving as Ryder Cup playing captain: Regarding off-course developments, the prospect of Bradley including himself on the U.S. Ryder Cup roster dominated discussions for much of 2025. A steady commencement to his year rendered such a decision unlikely before Bradley experienced a series of finishes encompassing a T8 at the PGA Championship, T7 at the Memorial, T33 at the U.S. Open, and a victory at the Travelers Championship.
The attention intensified, and the inquiries from that point forward became increasingly insistent. Bradley ultimately resolved not to assume a dual role — instead concentrating on his captaincy — for the forthcoming Ryder Cup, a testament to remarkable selflessness from a leader in sports. After being overlooked in 2023, Bradley performed even more commendably in 2025, yet ultimately selected himself as his own captain, with his captaincy serving as the sole obstacle preventing him from participating in his first Ryder Cup in over a decade.
