It’s been a great year for golf.
There was a history of Rory McIlroy.
Offensive quality from Scottie Scheffler.
American Breakthrough for Tommy Fleetwood.
The Ryder Cup is the glory of Europe.
And the emergence of three new stars in the form of Lottie’s Lottie Wiad and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita in the women’s game, and Marco Penge in the men’s.
But how do they climb? Let’s take a look.
1. Rory McIlroy
All wins are good but some wins are better and McCroy’s win at kings is just that. It wasn’t just his first win at Augusta National, it was his first championship win in 11 years, and it ended a career Grand Slam (he’s just the sixth player to win all four majors).
That win alone is impressive enough, but earlier in the year he had won the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-AM-ALTSHIPTSHIPTSHIPTSHIPTSHIPLA, and later won the race in Ireland, adding a seventh race to the Dubai title.
It’s a good year. The year defined by the work. And the best year for any golfer in 2025.
2. Scottie Scheffler
In any typical york born york, Texas-Bride World No. 1 would have taken it for granted that it came back. It is his bad luck that in 2025 McCroy took him.
Scheffler actually started slowly, not misleading until the end of March following a cut on his hand at his Christmas 2024 events. But in his 15 starts since late March he has never finished outside the top 10, winning six times including the PGA Championship and the Open.
The last stain on his year came with the RYDER Cup performance that was, for the second game running, complete and unstoppable in the US Defeat.
3. Tommy Fleetwood
The Englishman had finished in the top three on the PGA Tour 13 times before this year’s tour and was headed for Colin Montgomerie Territory which meant the Americans were quiet about their failure.
He was leading the intelligence of June’s travelers but was caught in the line. The same thing happened in early August at the St. Jude Championship. But at the end of that month, at the Tour Championship, it was Lucky’s third time.
He then won the Indian Championship in October, shortly after taking the lead in Europe’s Ryder Cup Heroics at Black Bethpage in New York. He was always loved by a lover but now he is a star.
4. Luke Donald
The Englishman posted a first-round 67 to stay inside the top five behind the PGA holes, but that was the highlight of this year when the clubs were in his hands – the majority struggled to make the cut.
That’s not fair. He is one of the stars of 2025 because of his continued quality as Ryder’s captain because while he was successful in winning the European Championship in Rome two years ago, he was even better when they went to keep the cup at Bethpage Black in New York.
European fans may regain their senses when Donald is replaced by Henrik Stenson as captain – it could be the best thing in the event’s history.
5. Lottie Wiad
Golf always knew that England had a 21-year-old star because when she won the 2024 AUGUSA Women’s Amateur, she made 15, 17 and 18 shots in the final round.
But July 2025 was sounding short. In her first week, while still an amateur, she won the Irish Ladies European Tour opener by six (yes, six) strokes. A week later he finished one shot away from the Evian players, the fourth major competition of the year.
After a while, turned professional, he won the LPGA / Allow Scotland open and ended the month as the pre-professional favorite in the British women’s open (where he finished eighth).
6. Marco Penge
In the last event of English After a month, however, he was banned for two months (with another month suspended) for breaking the rules of betting. Going into the last weeks of April he was playing better but still showed his best golf.
Then the dam broke in surprising style. He won the Hainan Classic, in July he was second in the Scottish Open, in August he added the Danish Championship and in October the Open de Espana.
Having started the year outside the top 400 in the world and was banned, he ended up placing second in the 2025 race in Dubai, establishing himself inside the top 50 in the world and looking forward to playing all the majors in 2026.
7. Miyu Yamashita
LPGA’s depth has been a key factor in 2025 and only two players have won more – World Namashita and Japan’s Yamashita and Japan.
The 24-year-old was a 13-time winner on home soil before this year and boy has she taken her quality to the next level. She won the AIG Women’s British open in August and added the Maybank champion in November.
It is now entered for the third time in the world that he is tracking the challenge of thitikul to the top spot in 2026.
