rory-mcilroy-scottie-scheffler-masters-green-jacket-g.jpg
Getty Images

Let's leave the official awards to the leagues and their governing bodies, shall we? PGA Tour Player of the Year? That was Scottie Scheffler. Sportsman of the Year? That could be Rory McIlroy. It's almost like the Most Valuable Player versus Offensive Player of the Year discussion in the NFL -- it does not make much sense. Rookie of the Year? Well, that was Aldrich Potgieter.

While these awards have their purposes, these fascinating athletes deserve even more unique honors. After all, they're fascinating players playing an intriguing game. These are not your high school superlatives -- best smile, most likely to be the president, most athletic -- but a list of curated achievements from the odd year in golf.

Following a 2024 in which Scheffler basically won every notable tournament, this year, the players inside the ropes seemed a little more tense. The PGA Tour tightened its belt with fewer playing opportunities and fewer full-time members, and some started to feel the effects.

Letters were penned, meetings were had, cell phones were snatched and a 13 was even penciled onto a scorecard at PGA West. Oh yeah, some players even visited the White House trying to end golf's civil war. (Spoiler alert: It's ongoing.) 

All of this occurred before the calendar flipped to April. From there, golf mainly occupied center stage thanks to McIlroy's Masters triumph, Scheffler's stunning play at the PGA Championship and The Open, and other feel-good victories belonging to players like Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and J.J. Spaun.

But let's not forget about the rules decision late at the U.S. Open or the mud balls and driver testing at the PGA Championship. There was the envelope rule being used at the Ryder Cup, and of course, the karaoke, too. 

So, as legendary rapper Eminem (and possibly PGA of America President Don Rea) once said, "You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it. You better never let it go. You only get one shot -- do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime."

Let's get into this year's superlatives.

Most likely to stop Scottie Scheffler: Ravioli

This will be the last nod to the Italian delicacy before the calendar flips to the new year. Preparing a homemade dinner over the holidays before the 2025 season proved to be the only thing that could slow Scheffler down. The world No. 1 was sidelined the first month of the campaign and battled the occasional left miss when he did return to the golf course as he continued to gain more and more strength in a hand injured by glass that shattered while trying to roll out pasta dough.

It was a windy road early (for Scheffler's standards), but the end result was a fourth straight PGA Tour Player of the Year campaign that consisted of 20 top 25 finishes, 17 top 10s, six victories and two more major championships in 20 tournaments. Not too shabby for a Schef of his caliber.

Most dramatic: Rory McIlroy

This covers both definitions of the word -- "let me snatch the phone out of your hand while you heckle and record me during the practice round of the Players Championship" and "let me take years off everyone's lives while I attempt to complete the career grand slam down the second nine at Augusta National."

No one was quite as dramatic as McIlroy in 2025.

He holed monstrous putts on the 18th green at the Masters and the Irish Open for victories, as well as on the Earth Course in the DP World Tour Championship to force a playoff against Matt Fitzpatrick. He went dark for a month following his win at Augusta National as he was forced to replace his driver at the PGA Championship and got sour at the media before he fended off the U.S. crowd at the Ryder Cup en route to a road triumph for his European team.

Most likely to hire a new PR team: Wyndham Clark

It is never good when a player is making more noise outside the ropes than inside the ropes, and unfortunately for the 2023 U.S. Open champion, that was the case this year. The biggest splash Clark conjured came at the PGA Championship, where he whipped his driver back into a T-Mobile-sponsored sign surrounding the tee box on No. 16 at Quail Hollow following a wayward drive.

Ironically, the T-Mobile athlete wasn't done. The frustrations boiled over to the U.S. Open, where two years after raising the trophy, Clark raised hell in the Oakmont Country Club locker room. He offered (what some may consider) an apology the following week at the Travelers Championship, but Oakmont did not accept. A letter to its membership was released the following month stating that Clark was banned from the club until he fulfilled certain requirements, such as a charitable donation and counseling.

Most likely to take matters into his own hands (next time): Keegan Bradley

The United States captain should have played in the Ryder Cup. Yes, it was labeled as one of the most unselfish moves in sports, but sometimes it is OK to be selfish. Bradley started to understand that as the Ryder Cup crept closer.

The U.S. captain noted that he was thinking about playing during practice rounds and let his mind drift towards the thought of teaming with Scheffler. His team got behind early and often, some tactical decisions proved unwise, and Bradley once again left a Ryder Cup without a trophy in hand.

Now, the question becomes whether he participates in another one, and if so, in what capacity. He could certainly take a vice captain role ... but captain or player? That may be a steeper mountain to scale. Returning as the leader seems far-fetched as of now, but he may have one more run in him as a player, which is why his 2026 season may be among the most intriguing in all of golf.

"I really would enjoy playing in one more. I don't know if I'll get the chance," Bradley said. "This effing event has been so brutal to me. I don't know if I want to play. No, I do. It's such a weird thing to love something so much that just doesn't give you anything."

Most likely to hold a meeting that could have been an email: PGA Tour, LIV Golf

Most likely to become Father Time: Justin Rose

There's something about a player performing at such a high level on the tail end of his career that is admirable, and no one fit this category more than Rose in 2025. He came agonizingly close to winning the Masters, became the oldest since Phil Mickelson to win on the PGA Tour with his victory at the St. Jude Championship, and once again served as a lynchpin for the European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black, where he was putting his ball into what seemed like a swimming pool.

The 45-year-old has worked his tail off to maintain his level of play and has even elevated it in recent years. While the consistency is not there, Rose's ceiling performances remain. It is why he still contends in major championships. It's why he does not want to be the Ryder Cup captain in 2027. And it's why, when he talks about the remaining years of his career and what may be possible, you should believe him.

"I still feel like there is that golden summer of my career available to me," Rose said after winning the St. Jude Championship. "That's what I've been pushing for. Moments like getting close at [Royal] Troon and then obviously getting close at Augusta [National], they're signals that it's possible. This is another really, really, really important signal that I'm on the right track with my game, and actually maybe even getting a little bit better at the moment."

Most likely to give it to you straight: Viktor Hovland

He's the best quote in golf because you never know what will come out of his mouth, but you do know Hovland will be honest about any topic tossed his way, whether that is with the state of his game, his swing or what he thinks about extraterrestrial life. 

Here are some of his greatest hits from 2025:

  • On early-season struggles: "Right now, it's pretty frustrating. This game of golf, as I said earlier, it's very elusive. It's counterintuitive, and it's very difficult right now. But I know there's a lot of good golf in me that will be there in the future and that I've played in the past. Things will turn around soon. … In my opinion, I suck at it right now, but that's all relative." 
  • After winning the Valspar Championship: "I hit a lot of disgusting shots, but they just happened to go where I looked."
  • On the long par-3 8th at Oakmont: "I just think all the best par-3s are under 200 [yards]. … As soon as you start to take head covers off on par 3s, I just think it gets a little silly."
  • While in contention at U.S. Open: "We'd all like to win. There is also a deep passion in me that I want to hit the shots. I want to stand on the tee and hit the shots that I'm envisioning."
  • On getting heckled at the Ryder Cup: "They won't really come close to the thoughts I have in my own head, so I think I'll just laugh it off for the most part."

Most likely to want a do-over: PGA of America

People make fun of organizations and corporations because it is easy, oftentimes because those organizations and corporations make it so. Enter the PGA of America in 2025.

If given a chance to redo the last 12 months, you can bet they would. The decision to make Bradley captain came the year prior, but the effects trickled into 2025, where it became a question at every single tournament stop for the U.S. skipper. In hindsight (and foresight), it was unwise to select a top 15 player in the world to lead a Ryder Cup team without holding a single conversation about the job prior.

It did not stop there, though. Players ripped on Quail Hollow leading into the PGA Championship, stating it was nearly identical to what they typically see at the annual PGA Tour stop. To the organization's credit, it decided to play the ball down amid wet conditions and players' displeasure; unfortunately, the lack of communication regarding driver testing brought a different cloud over the championship.

Now, back to the Ryder Cup: The Master of Ceremonies who relinquished her microphone and the PGA of America president who would not relinquish his. LinkedIn posts, non-apologetic apologies and damage control all ensued, and it all could have been avoided if the event had been better run.