The 2025 PGA Tour season kicks off this week as it returns to Hawaii for The Sentry, which will also serve as the first Signature Event of the season for the second consecutive year. While great golf remains a constant, the debate that has divided the world of golf still looms large, as the PGA Tour and LIV have yet to come together and form any sort of united front. Despite the loudmouths on social media saying otherwise, the PGA Tour is primed to produce another thrilling campaign. Will Scottie Scheffler be able to keep up his dominant run until 2025? Will another stud like Xander Schauffele or Rory McIlroy be able to step up to the plate and start their own run of dominance? Or will there be more upset winners this season compared to previous seasons? Who will add to their legacy by adding a major victory to their resume? Which players will break through for their long-awaited first PGA Tour victory? Which players will find nothing but struggle on the course this season? Who will take home the coveted FedEx Cup and the incredible payout that comes with it? We’ll dive into each of these areas furthermore below, and feel free to let us know your predictions for the upcoming season as well!
PGA Tour vs. LIV (God, will this stalemate ever come to a fucking end?):
Another year gone by, and another year where seemingly no progress has been made. You can have all the “meetings” you want; you can continue to say that we’re inching closer to getting a framework of an agreement in place; but until somebody swallows their pride and has the cojones to actually make something happen, all that will happen is the continued division of golf fans, as well as the sport in general.
LIV has shown that with enough “blood money” (how many keyboard warrior phrases can I throw into this piece today?), success is possible. LIV has managed to attract big names and bring their group of 54-hole playing athletes all over the world. Is it just like the PGA Tour? No, it is not, but that’s the point. Golf will continue to be an ever-changing sport, and LIV shows that there is room for growth. As golf continues to try and bring in new fans to the sport, LiV is a prime example of thinking outside the box. 54 holes? Different Team play and solo play? Check. A raucous atmosphere that is the opposite of the traditional stuffy polo shirt and a proper golf clap? Checkmarks across the board.
Like it or not, LIV is a breath of fresh air looking to shake the sport up. Mission accomplished. With being said, it’s time for the golf world to unite and show that these two leagues can elevate each other and the game as a whole. Golf fans want to see the best of the best tee it up each and every week, not just at the four majors. Also, for the fans who think that the players who left for LIV suddenly forgot to play golf, you’re wrong. For fuck sake, Bryson DeChambeau won a major last season. Weird, since he supposedly sold his soul and his golf game for generational wealth. Not to mention, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton still being perennial contenders anytime they tee it up. Fans deserve to watch the best of the best, regardless of which tour or league they play in.
At the end of the day though, seeing all of these players battling it out on the PGA Tour is going to be what heals this divide among the sport and its fans. And with all honesty, LIV may not even need the PGA Tour moving forward. LIV has already partnered with the Asian Tour to give rising players a pathway to LIV and LIV players a pathway to desperately needed Official World Golf Ranking points (LIV events do not currently receive OWGR points, as it is a 54 hole event, rather than a 72 hole event. There are other tours that are 54 holes that receive OWGR points, but I’m not petty.). Plus, LiV is Ian talks with the DP World Tour to try and set up some sort of partnership, which would also essentially bring an end to the stalemate. The DP World Tour has been much more receptive than the PGA Tour to LIV. Although it has fined players for playing in tournaments not approved by the tour (LIV events, cough cough), they are allowing LIV players to play in their events, provided they pay their fines. It may not be a match made in Heaven at the moment, but at least one tour is trying to put in some effort to try and get the sport reunited and trending in the right direction.
Let the players play when and where they want doesn’t seem like a tall ask. The PGA Tour is still the number one golf league in the word, despite what critics say. Players are still rising through the ranks and are geared up to make an impact on the PGA Tour. Kids are still dreaming that one day, they will have a putt to win The Masters, not the LIV Golf Riyadh event. Regardless, there is a need for golf and there is a need for new and different approaches to the sport as a whole. There truly is room at the table for all the different tours and leagues. Put your damn a pride aside and do something for the benefit of the fans rather than for your own wallet for a change. Deep exhale. Rant over.
Can Scottie Scheffler continue his dominance in 2025:
I’ll tell you what. Scottie Scheffler had a pretty good year in 2024. Better get comfortable because this is gonna take a minute or two to summarize. Scheffler won: the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters Tournament, the RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, the Travelers Championship, the Tour Championship, the Hero World Challenge, the FedEx Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal. In total, counting both on-course earnings, FedEx Cup bonuses and unofficial event earnings, Scheffler pocketed a sweet and succulent total of $63,228,357. Not to mention, Scheffler also had a kid, got arrested in one of the most bizarre sequence of events of all-time and sliced up his hand trying to handle the Christmas dinner duties. I got winded just typing all this out, so I can imagine the adrenaline Scheffler was experiencing all season long.
Can Scheffler continue his run of dominance? I would say so. Scheffler ranked 1st on tour last season in Strokes Gained: Total, Tee-to-Green and Approach the Green, 1st in Scoring Average, Birdies Average and Birdies or Better Percentage, 2nd in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, 2nd in Bogey Avoidance, 3rd in Greens in Regulation Percentage and Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage, 5th in Scrambling and 1st in a myriad of other categories also. Scheffler did rank 77th in Strokes Gained: Putting, his lone nemesis in a bag full of every shot available as needed. Scheffler did switch in the middle of the season to using a mallet putter, which greatly improved his results. Moral of the story: if Scheffler can put together a half decent week on the greens, good luck to everybody else.
Is Scheffler invincible? No, of course not. But when Scheffler is in the zone, like it or not, he can put together some great play that is reminiscent of peak Tiger Woods. In 19 official events on tour last season, Scheffler reeled off 7 wins, 16 top 10’s and 0 missed cuts. Even on his bad days, he’s still finishing in the top 10. If you put yourself in the hunt enough times, you’re bound to add a few wins to the ol’ resume. If Scheffler keeps his form up and just keeps doing what he’s been doing, he’s going to be tough to beat over the next few years. Scheffler may not put together as many wins this year as he did last year, but he will be a threat every time he tees it up. Expect another 3-4 wins for sure, possibly a major and perhaps another FedEx Cup trophy.
After a relatively successful first year of Signature Events, the PGA Tour is making a minor tweak to the qualifying criteria for the events. The Sentry will be open to all winners of PGA Tour events from the previous season, as well as any other player who finished in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup Standings. The remaining seven Signature Events will be required to have at least a minimum of 72 players, made up of the top 50 finishers in the previous season’s FedEx Cup Standings, the top 10 in the current FedEx Cup Standings, the top five players in the AON 5 Standings and anyone within the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking. For the first two full-field Signature Events (the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis invitational), players who finished 51-60 in the previous season’s FedEx Cup Fall Standings with also be eligible. Each of the other seven Signature Events will have four spots designated as sponsor exemptions, as well as a separate spot designated for Tiger Woods. If Woods opts to play in any of the Signature Events, it does not take away from the 72 designated spots or the four sponsors exemption spots. The Sentry, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Truist Championship and the Travelers Championship will not have a cut, while the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday will all have a 36-hole cut where the top 50 and ties make the cut, as well as any player within 10-strokes of the lead.
These events serve as a reward to those who are playing their absolute best on the tour that season, with elevated FedEx Cup points and a purse of $20 million per tournament. However, it comes as a detriment to the other 75% of the tour, as that is eight less events that they will be able to play in. For the studs, as long as you start the year off hot or had a good enough season last year to crack the top 50, you’re playing with house money. Play good or bad, you’re still earning a decent paycheck at each of the events without a cut line. For some players, this won’t be an issue, as they can still play well enough at other events to retain their card. But for up and comers and veterans and those looking to break through in a big way, it makes their path more difficult, as they are already blocked out of 25% of the events on tour before they even put a tee in the ground. Gone are the days of where a player can go out every week, play 30+ events and retain their card by sheer grit. Now, you’re forcing them to raise their playing standards. If you want a bigger piece of the pie, play better. On the other side, with the studs playing in all of the Signature Events, they may take some time off and skip a few of the non-Signature Events. These events will serve as the spotlight for the mid-pack players to shine, with the possibility of first-time winners and veteran winners increasing in these weeks. Regardless of which side of the debate you’re on, watching players methodically work their way up the standings over the course of the season never gets old to watch and always produces excellent storylines, especially as the season is coming to a wind down.
Around the Clubhouse:
Two PGA Tour tournaments will have brand new sponsors this season, as Truist takes over from long-time sponsor Wells Fargo as sponsor of the Truist Championship, which will be held this season at The Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course, while the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will take on a new title sponsor as well, with Baycurrent Inc. signing a multi-year deal to host the lone PGA Tour event held in Asia. The new tournament name will be called the Baycurrent Classic and will move from Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club to Yokohama Country Club.
One of my favorite stops each season on the PGA Tour, the Shriners Children’s Open was held annually since 1983 in Las Vegas. After 42 incredible years, the event is no more. Shriners Children’s Hospital opted not to renew their sponsorship following the 2024 edition of the tournament and with no sponsor to replace it, the event was ultimately removed from the schedule without a proper sendoff. Perhaps someday, the tour will return to Las Vegas, but if this is indeed it, the event certainly produced some career-defining highlights through the years. Among them:
- 1983- Fuzzy Zoeller wins the inaugural edition, played as a 90-hole format.
- 1984- Denis Watson final PGA Tour victory.
- 1988- Gary Koch final PGA Tour victory.
- 1991- Andrew Magee and D. A. Weibring set the aggregate scoring record, with each of them firing a 329 (-31) over the five rounds.
- 1994- Bruce Lietzke final PGA Tour victory,
- 1995- Jim Furyk earned his first career PGA Tour victory.
- 1996- Tiger Woods earned his first career PGA Tour victory.
- 1997- Bill Glasson final PGA Tour victory.
- 1998 and 1999- Jim Furyk wins the tournament in back-to-back years.
- 2000- Billy Andrade final PGA Tour victory,
- 2002- Phil Tataurangi first and only PGA Tour victory.
- 2003- Stuart Appleby and Scott McCarron equal the aggregate scoring record of 328 (-31) in the final five round edition of the event.
- 2004- Andre Stolz earns his lone PGA Tour victory in the first 72-hole edition of this event.
- 2005- Wes Short Jr. first and only PGA Tour victory.
- 2006- Troy Matteson first PGA Tour victory.
- 2007- George McNeill first PGA Tour victory.
- 2008- Marc Turnesa first and only PGA Tour victory.
- 2009- Martin Laird first PGA Tour victory.
- 2010- Jonathan Byrd wins by making a hole in one on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff to defeat Martin Laird and Cameron Percy.
- 2011- Kevin Na first PGA Tour victory.
- 2014- Ben Martin first PGA Tour victory.
- 2015- Smylie Kufman lone PGA Tour victory.
- 2016- Rod Pampling final PGA Tour victory.
- 2017- Patrick Cantlay first PGA Tour victory.
- 2020- Martin Laird most recent PGA Tour victory.
- 2021- Sungjae Im most recent PGA Tour victory,
- 2022 and 2023- Ton Kim’s most recent two PGA Tour victories.
- 2024- J. T. Poston wins the final edition.
TGL to Make Long-Awaited Debut:
On January 7, the TGL golf league will make its debut. Founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley, TGL will feature 6 teams of 4 PGA Tour players playing in 15-hole matches on a virtual course, while playing short game shots and putts in a physical short-game area. Each match will consist of an alternate shot portion and a singles portion, with teams being awarded a point for each hole won. A hole can be worth two points if a team throws “the hammer” and successfully wins a hole. Matches will have a 40 second shot clock to keep the pace of play going, as well as a referee and timeouts to match traditional stadium sports structures. If a match is tied after 15 holes, the teams will compete in a closest to the pin contest, with the team putting the two balls the closest winning the match. The teams earn two points for a win, one point for an overtime loss and zero points for a loss in regulation. The top four teams following the regular season will make the playoffs, which is composed of a single-elimination semifinal and a best-of-three match for the championship.
This league is very tech-driven, with the simulator screen measuring 64 feet high by 53 feet wide. The short game area can handle shots from within 50 yards and is perched on a rotating turntable measuring 41 yards around and features seven pin placements, multiple bunkers and various contours that can be adjusted using 567 hydraulic jacks set up underneath the green. The teams competing are:
Atlanta Drive Golf Club:
- Lucas Glover
- Patrick Cantlay
- Justin Thomas
- Billy Horschel
Boston Common Golf:
- Rory McIlroy
- Keegan Bradley
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Adam Scott
Jupiter Links Golf Club:
- Tiger Woods
- Tom Kim
- Max Homa
- Kevin Kisner
Los Angeles Golf Club:
- Sahith Theegala
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Collin Morikawa
- Justin Rose
New York Golf Club:
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Rickie Fowler
- Xander Schauffele
- Cameron Young
The Bay Golf Club:
- Min Woo Lee
- Wyndham Clark
- Ludvig Aberg
- Shane Lowry
The league will take place entirely at the SoFi Center. The league will air its matches on ESPN in the United States and globally on Sky Sports, Sportsnet, Disney+, Fox Sports, U-NEXT and JTBC/Phoenix Sports, depending on the country. The total purse for the season is $21 million, with the winning team taking home the SoFi Cup and a cool $9 million.
Which Players Will Earn Their First Career PGA Tour Victory:
Coming off of three straight top 40 finishes in the FedEx Cup, Denny McCarthy is geared up to finally win on the PGA Tour. In 2024, McCarthy had four top 10’s, eight top 25’s and just four missed cuts in 24 starts, which was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Valero Texas Open, losing in a playoff to Akshay Bhatia. McCarthy’s strength is his short game, ranking 14th in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and 4th in Strokes Gained: Putting last season. McCarthy’s Achilles is on approach, ranking an abysmal 175th in Greens in Regulation Percentage and 111th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green last season. McCarthy also ranked 155th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, which certainly doesn’t help his cause either. If McCarthy can put together a half-decent ball striking week just once, he may finally pick up that long-awaited first victory.
After a sterling rookie season where he took home the Rookie of the Year honors, Eric Cole had a slight sophomore slump, taking home a respectable five top 10’s and 13 top 25’s to go along with 11 missed cuts in 34 starts. Cole played his best during the dog days of summer, logging three top 10 finishes during that stretch at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the John Deere Classic and the Wyndham Championship. Finishing 50th on the dot in the FedEx Cup, Cole is exempt into all of the Signature Events this year. Cole’s short game has backed him out of many jams, ranking inside the top 50 in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and Putting last season. Cole has found success despite spraying it everywhere from the tee, fairway and rough, ranking 149th in Driving Accuracy Percentage and a horrific 174th in Greens in Regulation Percentage. Cole has proven he has game and can succeed on tour. If he can clean up his ball striking skills and continue to keep his short game up to par (I’ll see myself out), Cole will join his father, Bobby Cole, as just the 11th father/son duo to win on the PGA Tour.
Max McGreevy regained his tour card for 2025 after a stellar 2024 Korn Ferry Tour campaign where he earned two wins, nine top 10’s and 12 top 25’s in 25 starts. McGreevy’s game is built for success this go around, ranking inside the top 20 in Driving Accuracy Percentage, Greens in Regulation Percentage, Scrambling and Putting Average, as well as ranking 1st in Sand Save Percentage. McGreevy struggled mightily the last time he played full-time on the PGA Tour, earning one top 10 finish and 27 missed cuts in 37 starts during the 2022-23 season. Sometimes, it takes losing your card and working your way back through the ranks to see what works best for your game. With McGreevy’s game in a much better place now, I predict that he will continue his fine play and earn that maiden PGA Tour victory.
Probably my longest shot in this category but hear me out. Thomas Rosenmueller earned his PGA Tour card for the first time thanks to a solid 2024 season on the Korn Ferry Tour where he earned one victory, seven top 10’s and 10 top 25’s in 24 starts. Rosenmueller is a solid ball striker, ranking inside the top 50 in both Driving Distance and Driving Accuracy Percentage last season on the Korn Ferry Tour, as well as inside the top 15 in both Greens in Regulation Percentage and Scrambling. There aren’t many holes (You’re welcome. You know you like these references.) in Rosenmueller’s game, which is precisely the reason why he is a prime candidate to break through this season. Give me a Rosenmueller surprise victory in an opposite field event or in a weaker non-Signature Event.
I feel like a broken record saying it, but how in the hell has Tommy Fleetwood not yet won on the PGA Tour? Fleetwood is ranked inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking and has had a stellar career on tour, with five runner-up finishes, five third place finishes, 24 top 5 finishes, 37 top 10 finishes and just shy of $25 million in 145 career starts. Fleetwood had a quiet year by his standards, logging four top 10 finishes against two missed cuts in 19 starts to snag a top 20 finish in the FedEx Cup Standings. Fleetwood has a solid game across the board, gaining strokes in each of the six major Strokes Gained categories. At the end of the day, Fleetwood’s near misses can be pointed to his irons and his putter, ranking 92nd in both Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and Putting, 94th in Greens in Regulation Percentage, 139th in Putting Average and 152nd in Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage. Fleetwood has so much talent but can’t seem to get all six cylinders firing at once. All it takes is one week for it to fall into place, so I’m going to keep riding this Fleetwood horse until he gets the job done. Mark my words, Tommy Fleetwood will finally earn that hard-fought first PGA Tour victory.
Which Players Will End Long Winless Streaks:
The fact that it is closing in on four years since Sungjae Im last won a PGA Tour event is mind boggling, even more so considering he finished 7th in the FedEx Cup Standings last year. Im logged eight top 10’s and 14 top 25’s last season, including top 10 finishes at both The Open Championship and at the Tour Championship. Im’s approach game has proven to be the missing piece for another season, ranking 99th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and 145th in Greens in Regulation Percentage. Even so, Im showed great improvement as the season continued on. Im is chomping at the bit to get back in the winner’s circle and I have no doubt that that will finally happen in 2025.
Another player in the same boat as Im above, Patrick Cantlay is closing in on three years removed from his most recent PGA Tour victory, which seems improbable given how often he has been in the hunt in recent years. Cantlay had a respectable four top 10 finishes and 12 top 25’s in 19 starts to go against just one missed cut. With six straight top 25’s to close out the campaign, it has to feel like the momentum is in his court. Once again parallel to Im, Cantlay’s Achilles is also with the irons, ranking 102nd in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and 171st in Greens in Regulation Percentage, not to mention 135th in Driving Accuracy Percentage as well, last season. Much like Fleetwood and Im, they are too talented of a player not to win. Patty Ice finding victory in 2025 is an absolute lock.
Despite playing only 19 events last season, Adam Scott showed that he still has plenty of gas in the tank at 44-years-old. Scott turned on the jets late last year, with three top 5’s and four top 10’s in his final five starts, highlighted by runner-up performances at both the Genesis Scottish Open and the BMW Championship to log a T-4 finish in the FedEx Cup. Scott is another player who has troubling keeping the ball in play, ranking 139th in Driving Accuracy Percentage and 110th in Greens in Regulation Percentage. Incredibly, Scott’s putter was the part of his game keeping him afloat, ranking 27th in Strokes Gained: Putting last season. Putting is important on tour, but being a great ball striker pays dividends in consistently finding yourself on the top of leaderboards. If Scott can get his irons dialed back in again, I have no doubt that he will pick up his first PGA Tour victory since the 2020 Genesis Invitational.
A 15-time winner on tour, it’s surprising that Justin Thomas has not won since his victory at the 2022 PGA Championship, but here we are. Thomas made some gains last season, with six top 10’s and 10 top 25’s, including a runner-up finish in his most recent start at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Thomas’ biggest issue? His putting, as he ranked a dismal 174th last season in Strokes Gained: Putting. Although, him ranking 135th in Greens in Regulation Percentage and 160th in Driving Accuracy Percentage isn’t doing him many favors either. Thomas and his game are close to that rebound victory, and if he can get that ball striking under control and heat up that flat stick, I predict that we will see him hoisting a trophy in 2025.
A fan favorite on social media, we’re coming up on two years since Max Homa’s most recent victory at the 2023 Farmer’s Insurance Open. Last season was a mixed bag for Homa, as he logged his best finish of the season at Augusta National, finishing T-3 at the Masters Tournament. But alas, things cooled off greatly for Homa, as he logged only one more top 10 finish in his final 13 starts. Homa’s game was essentially in shambles across the board, losing strokes in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, Off-the-Tee and Putting. Sometimes, an off-season break gives a player a nice chance to recharge. I’m hopeful that that is the case for Homa and expect that once he gets some reps in this season, he will get his game back in shape and find victory once again on the PGA Tour.
Which Players Will Go Winless:
2024 felt like a lost season for Jordan Spieth, who opened up with a pair of top 6 finishes in his first three starts before things went off the rails. With just 3 top 10’s and 4 top 25’s last year, Spieth did not have his best stuff. The fault lies squarely on a wrist injury he sustained in 2023, which he finally had surgery on at the end of 2024. It’s tough to find success if your wrist is on fire, and the stats show that, with Spieth losing strokes last season in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green, Around-the-Green and Putting. Spieth started off so strong early in his career but has only won twice on tour since his Open Championship victory in 2017, with his most recent title coming at the 2022 RBC Heritage. Spieth is a great family man, and between that and his work with his foundation, sometimes a player’s priorities start to change. Don’t get me wrong, Spieth still has the drive (I think I’m funny, I swear.) to compete. But with other commitments and not being 100% healthy, it’s tough to get your game to peak at the right time. Jordan Spieth will win again, but I don’t see it happening in 2025.
Even though he went winless in 2024, Tony Finau still has a solid season, with five top 10’s and 15 top 25’s in 22 starts, highlighted by a T-2 finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and a T-3 finish at the U. S. Open. Finau’s inability to close it out hinged squarely on his putting, ranking 156th in Strokes Gained Putting vs. ranking inside the top 12 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, Approach the Green and Around-the-Green. Realistically, a putting fix is manageable when you’re still hitting the ball well, but Finau has other issues. He’s coming off knee surgery in the off-season, which I’m sure will require patience early on this season as he comes back from that, but he also has some legal issues off the course involving some former financial backers and an oral contract. Oftentimes, it’s tough to focus on the course when you have issues you’re battling off the course. Finau is a very talented player, but I just expect that he will have some struggles this season and go winless once again.
At 46-years-old, it’s safe to say that Matt Kuchar’s best days are behind him. Kuchar logged just one top 10 and six top 25’s in 26 starts last season but will be remembered most for throwing a little tantrum and refusing to finish the final hole of the Wyndham Championship in the waning moments of daylight despite having no mathematical chance of winning. That being said, Kuchar still has a sharp short game, ranking 29th in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and Putting, which is bound to propel him up a lead board or two once in a while. Kuchar lost strokes in the Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Approach the Green categories, plus, Kuchar is one of the shortest hottest on tour, ranking 174th in Driving Distance last season. Short hitters still win on tour, but you have to be a ball striking machine and firing on all cylinders to overcome the distance issue. Kuchar last won on tour at the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii and with the state of his ball striking paired with a lack of length, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kuchar goes winless the rest of his career.
Cameron Young had a quiet, but consistent season in 2024, with six top 10’s, eight top 25’s and just one missed cut in 21 starts. Young has issues through the bag, ranking outside the top 100 in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and Putting, as well as Driving Accuracy Percentage and Greens in Regulation Percentage. Young is a long ball specialist on tour, ranking inside the top 30 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Driving Distance, which makes up for some of the shortcomings in other areas. Young has made 73 starts on tour, which doesn’t mean we should start panicking about his lack on wins. Many players take 100+ starts before finally getting that first win, so there is still plenty of time. Young is a very talented player, but he still needs to clean up his game in some areas if he wants to be a threat to win each and every week on tour. His time will come, but not in 2025.
2024 was the breakout campaign for Robert Macintyre on the PGA Tour, picking up a pair of wins at the RBC Canadian Open and the Genesis Scottish Open to go along with six top 10’s and nine top 25’s in 25 starts. Macintyre is a solid putter on tour, ranking 35th in Strokes Gained: Putting, but sprays it all over the place all the way to the green, ranking 153rd in Driving Accuracy Percentage and 125th in Greens in Regulation Percentage last season. Macintyre seemingly plays better when there is family on hand, as he won the RBC Canadian Open with his dad caddying for him that week and he won his national Open (Genesis Scottish Open) in front of tons of friends and family. Unless he starts taking his family and friends to every stop on tour, Macintyre’s chances to win seem like they will be few and far between. Between that and the newfound pressures of being a multi-time tour winner, I predict that Macintyre will struggle and go winless in 2025.
Masters Tournament: Collin Morikawa has been playing well at Augusta National of late, with 3 straight top 10’s, including a career-best 3rd place finish last season. Morikawa is accurate from the tee, ranking 7th in Driving Accuracy Percentage last season, and does a solid job from the fairway, ranking 42nd in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green. Like many of the greats, Morikawa struggles at times on the green, ranking 73rd in Strokes Gained: Putting. When Morikawa is rolling it well though, you’ll be hard-pressed to keep up with him. Morikawa is a two-time major winner and for as well as he usually plays, it almost feels like he underachieves at times. I predict he will rise back up from a winless season in 2024 in a big way in 2025 by slipping into the Green Jacket with a victory at the Masters Tournament.
PGA Championship: Arguably the boldest take of any of these predictions, but hear me out. Rory McIlroy has not won a major in 11 years. The 2014 PGA Championship was the last time McIlroy hoisted any major hardware. Feels like a lifetime ago these days. But Quail Hollow Golf Club has been a horses for courses type venue for Rory in his career. McIlroy is a four-time winner of the Truist Championship, which is also held at Quail Hollow. And it’s not like McIlroy has been slouching in majors since then, as he’s had 11 top 5’s and 21 top 10’s in the 38 majors he has played in since the last major victory. Some weeks he has had his best, other weeks he has not. Sometimes, he’s found a way to lose it late, while other times, he was the victim of another player’s heroics. Tiger Woods went 11 years (2008-2019) between majors in his career. Could Rory McIlroy do the same? 2014-2025 is 11 years and if Rory were to break through once again, there is no place where he has more confidence than at Quail Hollow. Place those bets now. Rory McIlroy will be a major winner once again with his third career Wanamaker Trophy!
U. S. Open: The defending winner of this major, Bryson DeChambeau came to play last season. Playing in the four majors only on the PGA Tour, DeChambeau had one win, two top 5’s and three top 10’s. Not too shabby for a LIV sellout, huh? DeChambeau didn’t qualify for the Strokes Gained metrics since he didn’t play enough rounds to qualify, but he did gain strokes across all 6 categories based on the four events he teed it up in. DeChambeau’s game has been firing all cylinders of late (see his hole in one over his house video) and if he can get out of his own head sometimes, he is truly one of the best in the game. Both of his major victories have come at notoriously difficult course (Pinehurst No. 2 last year, Winged Foot in 2020) and Oakmont Country Club most definitely fits into that category, with tight fairways, fast greens and some of the thickest rough found at any major setup. It’s tough to defend a win in consecutive years on tour, even more so in a major, but if DeChambeau does what he does best, there is no doubt that he will claim a third victory in the U. S. Open.
The Open Championship: I know a lot of fans are still mad at Jon Rahm for taking a shit ton of money to join LIV and are adamant that he doesn’t have the skills to compete anymore because pompous assholes love nothing more than to share their dumbass opinion on social media (Me? Passive Aggressive? Never…), but the numbers say differently. In 13 LiV events last season, Rahm had two wins, eight top 5’s and 12 top 10’s, not to mention a T-7 finish at The Open Championship. Sorry, haters. Rahm is an excellent player throughout the bag, but he has battled an iffy putter at times in his career. Links golf relies heavily on great ball striking and creative shot making, both areas in which Rahm excels. Rahm has had three top 10 finishes in his last four Open Championship appearances, including a T-7 finish last year, a T-3 finish in 2021 and a T-2 finish in 2023. Rahm has already won The Masters and the U. S. Open in his young career and I predict that he will add the Claret Jug to his trophy cabinet this season with a victory at Royal Portrush.
Xander Schauffele has been an absolute stud at East Lake in his career. Schauffele walked out with a victory in his rookie appearance in 2017 and has been looking to pick up a second victory ever since. His results since that victory? Pretty darn good. 7-2-2-5-4-2-4. Schauffele is seemingly in the mix at East Lake every damn year, and that is because he is solid all the way through the bag, ranking 2nd in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, 6th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green, 10th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 12th in Strokes Gained: Putting last season. Schauffele is still looking for that first FedEx Cup title and after nabbing two major victories in 2024, he is ready to finally nail down the season-long title. If Schauffele can heat up at the right time this season and start the Tour Championship from within the top 5 on the leaderboard, it may very well be game over for the rest of the competition. I’m predicting a Tour Championship victory, as well as the coveted FedEx Cup, for Xander Schauffele in 2025!
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