What was the best tournament of 2025?

Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.

Rory McIlroy didn’t win the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday, but his second-place finish was enough to secure him his seventh Race to Dubai title, putting him one ahead of Seve Ballesteros and one behind leader Colin Montgomerie. With all the noise generated by majors, Ryder Cups and even regular PGA Tour events, we sometimes forget that Rory has been the most successful European golfer for the past dozen years. What’s your take on McIlroy’s latest achievement?

Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): Just more bona fides for his growing status as one of the all-time greats.  Hard to believe Rory’s been a superstar for nearly 15 years (his first major victory was in 2011).  He still seems young to me.  I’d love to see him achieve at least five more majors to truly carve his name on golf’s Mt. Rushmore.

Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): Rory’s run is impressive. He will no doubt surpass Monty. He truly is a talent. But I wonder, will we all look back at the accomplishments by the end of his career, which will be impressive, and say “but we expected more”?

Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: Rory plays the DP Tour in his time off. On the PGA Tour, he finished 3rd in earnings behind Scheffler and Fleetwood but still found time to win the Race to Dubai. The best players understood that to be a true champion, they had to win on a global scale. Hogan won in Scotland, Nicklaus won The Open and the Australian Open, and Palmer revitalized The Open. Scheffler is the US PGA money winner, but Rory is the World Champion of 2025.

TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): It’s more than impressive given he doesn’t play a full schedule on the DP World Tour.  I know the Majors and other big events contribute to both Tours, but he’s still playing many fewer tournaments than the full timers on Tour.  There’s no reason he can’t win a couple more and become the all-time leader, especially with the Tour’s sharing more tournaments than ever before.

Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine (@FairwaysMag): Rory’s had a remarkable year with three wins including the Masters, the Grand Slam and the Ryder Cup, not to mention all the noise that goes along with it. He’s particularly focused now on records and his legacy, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he catches Monty next year and eventually passes him. A second Grand Slam isn’t out of the question either now that he has that long major drought behind him.

Last week, the LPGA tournament called The Annika featured a couple of non-LPGA players: WNBA star Caitlin Clark in the pro-am and 18-year-old K ai Trump as a sponsor’s exemption in the tournament itself. Clark was a huge draw when she played the Pro-Am last year and has a massive following outside of golf, while Kai is the granddaughter of President Trump and has eight million social media followers. The LPGA is always trying to grow its base. Is this the right way to do it?

Deeks: I don’t see why not.  People may sniff that Kai Trump didn’t “deserve” to be there, but hey, she’s a good young golfer and there’s no question her name would bring many new eyeballs to the event.  Ditto Caitlin Clark, who’s as big a name in women’s pro sports as anyone.  No problem with this at all.

Loughry: It brought eyeballs to their event and Tour, which is great. At the end of the day its about entertainment and showcasing fun, in the sport, there is lots of room for people to just enjoy themselves playing this great game, but I doubt the golf purists think this is good.

Schurman: I understand promotion. I am aware of using certain personalities for one’s own benefit, but I dislike nepotism, favouritism, graft, kickbacks, and the like. If the person in question has the necessary qualifications to have their entry accepted, that’s fine. I’ll leave it there, as the editor has limited space to a maximum of 500 pages per question.

Rule: Sadly, social media is what’s going to bring the younger crowd to the game, so I get what they are doing.  And if it brings more young girls to the game of golf, then keep it going I say.  Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump cover both ends of the spectrum, one being a legit star athlete, and the other a young star that has yet to prove herself but obviously has connections galore.  Clark is a better role model at this point in her career, but if she’s only playing pro ams, how many eyes are actually seeing her?  I guess that’s up to the Tour’s marketing team to chase the likes on social media.

Mumford: Anybody that knows anything about marketing knows that creating awareness is the first step in acquiring a customer. Both invitees certainly generated lots of views and hats off to the sponsors for nabbing two hot commodities. The real test for the LPGA is how they get those viewers who came to see outside celebrities to then engage with the regular players, watch more of the product and eventually become lifetime fans. Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump have done their job. Now it’s up to the full-time players and the marketing department to capitalize on the intro.

This past year we saw plenty of exciting tournaments on the professional tours, some defined by great outcomes, others distinguished for their pure entertainment value. In your opinion, what was the best tournament in 2025? 

Deeks: The Masters.  A roller-coaster back nine in which several guys could’ve won, ending up with two of the most popular players of the last generation in a sudden-death playoff… McIlroy and Justin Rose… and an ending that finally clinched a Masters victory and the Career Grand Slam for Rory.  How can you possibly top that for drama, emotion, and golf history?

Loughry: The best tournament for me was the US Open, it had everything on that back nine and all week: weather issues, tough setup, struggles, lead changes. And it ends dramatically. The US Open had it all.

Schurman: It has to be the Masters. Rory’s win is second to all other 2025 accomplishments due to the historic importance of it. Event pressure, media pressure, demon pressure. You name it, Rory overcame them all.

Rule: It’s hard not to say the Masters, given the champion and how it finished.  It was as excited as it gets, and Rory closing out the Career Grand Slam was the icing on the cake.  But I will also remember the Open Championship fondly in 2025, mostly as I was there to witness it, and loved every minute walking around iconic Royal Portrush. Standing on the tee at Calamity for hours on Saturday was a golfing highlight for me in 2025.

Mumford: Tough question. I find that most times Scottie Scheffler wins, there’s little to no drama, so that eliminates two of the four men’s majors. JJ Spaun’s win at the U.S. Open had everything you’d want in a major including a Cinderella finish; The Ryder Cup was all drama on Sunday and even the RBC Canadian Open went to an exciting playoff. But the Masters had plenty of drama too, including heroes and villains, a storied golf course and finally a playoff between two of the game’s most popular players. Ultimately, it was Rory finally breaking his long major drought and capturing the Grand Slam that made this one so special and the best tournament of the year.