After only a 39-day offseason, the PGA Tour’s 2025 schedule tees off Thursday on the Sentry at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii, certainly one of eight signature occasions with restricted fields and $20 million purses.
Followers must wait a couple of extra weeks to look at Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy compete on tour. The wait may be even longer to see 15-time main champion Tiger Woods again on the course.
However defending Sentry champion Chris Kirk is again in Hawaii, together with two-time main champ Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Ludvig Åberg and others.
Listed here are the highest storylines and golfers to look at on the PGA Tour in 2025:
Scheffler’s dominance (and damage)
Scottie Scheffler will miss this week’s season opener, The Sentry, after reducing his proper hand on a damaged glass whereas cooking dinner on Christmas Day. The world’s No. 1 golfer had surgical procedure to take away small glass particles from his proper palm, his agent, Blake Smith, mentioned in a press release.
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Scheffler is predicted to be sidelined for 3 to 4 weeks, and he hopes to return for The American Specific in La Quinta, California, on Jan. 16-19.
If nothing else, Scheffler’s absence within the first two tournaments in Hawaii will give another person an opportunity to win. The reigning PGA Tour Participant of the Yr gained seven occasions on tour final season and captured a gold medal on the Paris Olympics. He additionally completed first in his most up-to-date begin on the Hero World Problem, an unofficial occasion within the Bahamas.
Tiger on the mend
Ultimately month’s Hero World Problem, Woods advised reporters that he is not near being bodily able to compete on tour. The 15-time main champion introduced in mid-September that he had undergone what’s believed to be his sixth again surgical procedure. He mentioned his again damage brought about ache down his leg, which turned progressively worse throughout the 2024 season.
Woods made simply 5 begins on tour in 2024, lacking three cuts and withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational due to sickness. On the Masters, he completed sixtieth, final amongst golfers who made the reduce.
Woods and his son, Charlie, competed in final month’s PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida, shedding in a playoff to Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason. It was Tiger’s first competitors since he missed the reduce at The Open in July. He was allowed to make use of a cart on the PNC.
Tiger is scheduled to make 5 appearances in TGL, the brand new tech-infused golf league, on Jan. 14, Jan. 27, Feb. 18, Feb. 25 and March 4. If he is bodily prepared, his first look on the PGA Tour may come on the Genesis Invitational, a match he hosts at Riviera Nation Membership close to Los Angeles. If not, we would not see him till the Masters, the primary main of the season in April.
Schauffele’s rise
Till final 12 months, Xander Schauffele was thought-about among the many finest golfers on the earth who hadn’t gained a serious championship. He picked up the PGA Championship and The Open final season, and now he is midway to finishing the profession Grand Slam.
Schauffele seemingly does not have a weak spot in his sport. Final season, he ranked second in strokes gained: complete (1.941) and tee to inexperienced (1.431), sixth in strategy (.678), tenth off the tee (.557) and twelfth in placing (.510).
With the can’t-win-a-major monkey off his again, Schauffele may be Scheffler’s largest risk on the massive 4.
McIlroy’s main drought
Rory McIlroy’s victory on the DP World Tour Championship on Nov. 17 put a bow on what would have been an incredible season for many golfers. McIlroy gained twice on the PGA Tour, on the Zurich Traditional of New Orleans (with teammate Shane Lowry) and the Wells Fargo Championship, and on the DP World Tour (he additionally captured the Dubai Desert Traditional for the fourth time in January 2024).
However the 35-year-old golfer faces larger expectations than most, so his 2024 season can be remembered most for his collapse within the ultimate spherical of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. He had a two-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau with 5 holes to play and misplaced by one. It was McIlroy’s finest probability to finish a 10-year drought and not using a main championship victory.
He’ll be among the many favorites once more on the Masters, which he must win to finish the profession Grand Slam, and on the PGA Championship at Quail Hole Membership in Charlotte, North Carolina, the place he has gained 4 occasions in his profession.
Spieth’s comeback
Jordan Spieth had surgical procedure on his left wrist in late August to restore an ulnar nerve situation that dated again to the spring of 2023. The three-time main championship winner recorded a career-low three top-10s and career-high seven missed cuts in 22 begins final season.
Spieth did not compete in any of the PGA Tour fall occasions and hasn’t but introduced when he’ll compete in 2025. He did not qualify for the Sentry, however his caddie, Michael Greller, is filling in for Max Homa’s caddie in Hawaii this week.
High FedEx Cup contenders
Scottie Scheffler: Rinse and repeat. With an improved placing stroke, elegant ballstriking and gentle fingers across the greens, Scheffler is once more the golfer to beat in 2025.
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Xander Schauffele: It wasn’t simply the majors for Schauffele in 2023. He almost gained three extra occasions, ending runner-up on the Gamers, Wells Fargo Championship and the FedEx. St. Jude Championship. He had 20 top-25s and did not miss a reduce in 22 begins.
Rory McIlroy: McIlroy is kicking off his season within the Center East once more. He’ll compete within the Dubai Desert Traditional on Jan. 16-19. He most likely will not compete on the PGA Tour till the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am on Jan. 30-Feb. 2.
Ludvig Aberg: Aberg, the No. 5 golfer on the earth, performed a lot of final season with ache in his left knee. He underwent surgical procedure in September to restore a torn medial meniscus. Aberg mentioned he was 100% wholesome when he tied for seventeenth on the RSM Traditional in November.
Collin Morikawa: Morikawa did not win throughout the 2024 season, however he completed within the prime 16 in every of the 4 majors, together with a tie for third on the Masters and for fourth on the PGA Championship. He additionally was runner-up on the Memorial Event and Tour Championship. If Morikawa’s iron play is healthier in 2025, he may be troublesome to beat along with his improved placing and work across the greens.
Patrick Cantlay: Cantlay did not win in 2023 or 2024, across the time he turned closely concerned in reshaping the PGA Tour. He tied for third on the U.S. Open and had 12 top-25s in 19 begins on tour.
Sahith Theegala: The 27-year-old appears near changing into a daily contender on tour after amassing 9 top-10s in 26 begins in 2024. He was runner-up on the Sentry in January 2024 and was third on the Tour Championship.
Sam Burns: He closed the 2024 season with a bang by ending within the prime 12 in every of the three FedEx Cup playoffs occasions, together with a tie for second on the BMW Championship. Burns has turn out to be one of many higher putters on tour, and if his iron performs are extra dialed in, he might return to the winner’s circle in 2025.
Hideki Matsuyama: The 2021 Masters champion captured victories on the Genesis Invitational and FedEx St. Jude Championship final season, together with a bronze medal on the Paris Olympics. Matsuyama’s historical past of again and neck accidents is a priority, however he is troublesome to beat when he is wholesome.
Russell Henley: Few golfers have been enjoying higher than Henley on the finish of the 2024 FedEx Cup season. He completed fifth at The Open and tied for fourth on the Tour Championship. He has an incredible all-around sport and ranked within the prime 40 in strokes gained: strategy, placing and across the inexperienced.
The majors
Listed here are the dates, areas and defending champions of the 4 main championships:
MastersWhen: April 10-13Where: Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership, Augusta, GeorgiaDefending champion: Scottie Scheffler
PGA ChampionshipWhen: Might 15-18Where: Quail Hole Membership, Charlotte, North Carolina
Defending champion: Xander Schauffele
U.S. OpenWhen: June 12-15Where: Oakmont Nation Membership, Oakmont, PennsylvaniaDefending champion: Bryson DeChambeau
The OpenWhen: July 17-20Where: Royal Portrush Golf Membership, Portrush, Northern IrelandDefending champion: Xander Schauffele
Signature occasions
Listed here are the dates and areas of the eight signature occasions in 2025 which have restricted fields, elevated prize cash ($20 million) and FedExCup factors (700 factors to the winner).
The SentryWhen: Jan. 2-5Where: Kapalua Resort, Kapalua, HawaiiDefending champion: Chris Kirk
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AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-AmWhen: Jan. 30-Feb. 2Where: Spyglass Hills Golf Membership/Pebble Seashore Golf Hyperlinks, Pebble Seashore, CaliforniaDefending champion: Wyndham Clark
Genesis InvitationalWhen: Feb. 13-16Where: Riviera Nation Membership, Pacific Palisades, CaliforniaDefending champion: Hideki Matsuyama
Arnold Palmer Invitational introduced by MastercardWhen: March 6-9Where: Bay Hill Membership & Lodge, Orlando, FloridaDefending champion: Scottie Scheffler
RBC HeritageWhen: April 17-20Where: Harbour City Golf Hyperlinks, Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaDefending champion: Scottie Scheffler
Truist ChampionshipWhen: Might 8-11Where: The Philadelphia Cricket Membership, PhiladelphiaDefending champion: Rory McIlroy
The Memorial Event introduced by WorkdayWhen: Might 29-June 1Where: Muirfield Village Golf Membership, Dublin, OhioDefending champion: Scottie Scheffler
Vacationers ChampionshipWhen: June 19-22Where: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, ConnecticutDefending champion: Scottie Scheffler
The Ryder Cup
The forty fifth Ryder Cup can be performed on the Bethpage Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York, on Sept. 26-28. The house staff has captured every of the previous 5 matches; the European staff final gained on overseas soil in 2012. The Europeans routed the U.S. staff 16½-11½ at Marco Simone Golf & Nation Membership outdoors Rome in 2023.
The highest six finishers within the Ryder Cup standings will qualify for every staff. U.S. staff captain Keegan Bradley and European captain Luke Donald will then make six captain’s picks.
Schauffele (9,580.96), Scheffler (9,145.56), DeChambeau (6993), Morikawa (2478.13), Brian Harman (2,250.56) and Billy Horschel (2,037.22) lead the U.S. factors standings heading into 2025, adopted by Clark (1,936.21), Cantlay (1,613.26), Russell Henley (1,600.43) and Tony Finau (1,575.88). Ryder Cup veterans like Thomas (twentieth, 611.64), Brooks Koepka (thirty third, 381.64) and Spieth (forty first, 245.89) have work to do.
On the European aspect, McIlroy (792.07) leads the factors standings, adopted by Rasmus Højgaard (706.53), Tyrrell Hatton (587.84), Matt Wallace (505.42), Paul Waring (465.13) and Niklas Norgaard (419.73). Tommy Fleetwood is sixteenth in factors (268.73), Jon Rahm is seventeenth (257.8), Shane Lowry is 18th (229.73), Nicolai Højgaard is forty seventh (105.41) and Justin Rose is 77th (50.91).
Rookies to know
Michael Thorbjornsen: The previous Stanford star joined the tour in June 2024 however remains to be thought-about a rookie. At 17, he gained the U.S. Junior Novice and made the reduce within the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Seashore. He was runner-up within the John Deere Traditional and tied for eighth in two different occasions in 2024.
Rasmus Højgaard: Højgaard will be a part of his twin brother, Nicolai, on the PGA Tour after ending second within the DP World Tour’s season-long factors race (behind solely McIlroy). The 23-year-old was a seven-time winner around the globe, and he was the youngest participant to gather 5 DP World Tour victories since José María Olazábal in 1989.
Matt McCarty: The left-handed golfer picked up his first PGA Tour victory on the Black Desert Championship in Utah on Oct. 13 in simply his third begin on tour. He gained 3 times in a six-week span on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024 to earn his PGA Tour card.
Thriston Lawrence: A four-time winner on the DP World Tour, the South African golfer certified for the 2025 Masters and The Open by ending solo fourth at Royal Troon Golf Membership in July.
Aldrich Potgieter: Potgieter, one other golfer from South Africa, turned the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour historical past, at 19 years and 133 days, when he completed first on the Bahamas Nice Abaco Traditional in January 2024. He led the KFT in driving distance (336.5 yards) and posted a 59 within the second spherical of the Astara Golf Championship in February.
Karl Vilips: One other former Stanford golfer, Vilips is an extended hitter off the tee (326.6 yards) and led the Korn Ferry Tour in birdie common (4.97). Vilips was born in Indonesia, raised in Australia and moved to the U.S. when he was 11.
Luke Clanton: Clanton is predicted to affix the PGA Tour after his senior season at Florida State, however he has already made fairly an impression as an newbie. Clanton made eight begins on tour final season, making the reduce in all however one, and tying for second on the John Deere Traditional and RSM Traditional.
