YEARENDER-Golf: McIlroy joins elite club with Masters win, Scheffler dominates majors

Writing

Rory McIlroy’s long-awaited Masters victory in April made him the first golfer in 25 years to join the sport’s most exclusive club. However, Scottie Scheffler’s two-major haul in 2025 has raised the possibility that the next career Grand Slam winner could soon emerge.

McIlroy, competing in his 11th attempt to complete the career Grand Slam, endured a dramatic final round at Augusta National. He squandered a four-shot lead but rallied from a crowded leaderboard and ultimately triumphed in a sudden-death playoff.

After sinking a four-foot birdie putt to secure the win, the Northern Irishman raised his arms before collapsing to his knees in tears, releasing years of frustration. The moment became one of the most enduring images of the golf season.

“There wasn’t much joy in that reaction. It was all relief,” McIlroy said afterward. “Then the joy came pretty soon after. That was more than a decade of emotion coming out of me.”

With the Masters title, McIlroy joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only players to complete the career Grand Slam of golf’s four major championships.

That elite group could soon gain another member.

A Cut Above

World number one Scottie Scheffler proved he remains a step above the rest in 2025, leading the PGA Tour with six victories, including dominant wins at the PGA Championship and the British Open. He also finished fourth at the Masters and seventh at the U.S. Open.

Scheffler, who won the Masters in 2022 and 2024, now owns three legs of the career Grand Slam. He will have his first opportunity to complete the set at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where the final round will be played on his 30th birthday.

His sustained excellence, which earned him a fourth consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year award, has drawn comparisons to 15-time major champion Tiger Woods. If healthy, Scheffler is expected to be the betting favorite at every major next season.

“I don’t think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger so soon,” said two-time major champion Xander Schauffele at the British Open. “And here’s Scottie taking that throne. He’s not just on a run — he’s been doing this for over two years.”

Monster Putt

American J.J. Spaun delivered one of the year’s most remarkable stories, transforming from journeyman to major champion with a stunning U.S. Open victory at Oakmont. Spaun sealed the win with a dramatic 64-foot birdie putt, finishing two shots clear in punishing conditions.

A late-afternoon storm soaked Oakmont during the final round, forcing a 96-minute delay. Spaun, who had opened with five bogeys, surged back with fearless putting down the stretch to claim a life-changing triumph.

“It’s like a storybook ending,” Spaun said. “An underdog fighting back, never quitting. With the rain and that putt, you couldn’t write a better story.”

‘Higher Standard’

Bethpage Black hosted golf’s most prestigious team event, but the Ryder Cup atmosphere overshadowed play as torrents of verbal abuse and inappropriate behavior from the home crowd drew widespread criticism.

McIlroy, typically one of the PGA Tour’s most popular figures, bore the brunt of the hostility. After Europe claimed its first Ryder Cup victory on foreign soil in 13 years, McIlroy said, “Golf should be held to a higher standard than this.”

On the course, Europe narrowly avoided the biggest collapse in Ryder Cup history, fending off a spirited U.S. comeback on Sunday. Tyrrell Hatton clinched the title in the penultimate match, earning a decisive half-point against Collin Morikawa to reach the winning total of 14½ points.

Golf’s Civil War

The indoor TGL league, co-founded by Tiger Woods and McIlroy, staged its inaugural season in 2025. The Atlanta Drive team — Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Justin Thomas, and Lucas Glover — captured the championship.

Designed to complement the traditional golf calendar, TGL will launch its second season on December 28 with new hole designs and a larger green.

Meanwhile, hopes of resolving golf’s ongoing divide dimmed as negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf stalled. Although a framework agreement was announced in June 2023, a final deal appears distant.

Earlier this month, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told Reuters that while he remains in regular contact with PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, the two sides are not currently engaged in serious negotiations. -Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters