The past 12 months had a little of everything – a career Grand Slam, Ryder cup chaos and so much more. With 2026 on the horizon,our writers look back at the most memorable moments from 2025 and explain why they mattered. Here are our top 15 stories of the year that was.

No. 15 – The zero-torque putter movement

After J.J. Spaun‘s 64-foot bomb sealed his U.S. Open victory and catapulted him into the international golf spotlight, he tossed his L.A.B.Golf DF3 putter in the air. Somewhat fittingly, the putter seemed to stay square the whole time.

Spaun’s breakthrough victory at Oakmont highlighted the major shift both at golf’s highest levels and in the recreational game toward “zero-torque” putters, as the win was the first major title for a player using a “zero-torque” model.

More and more low-torque putters are sold every day and odyssey’s VP of Product Strategy, Jacob Davidson, told GOLF we may be seeing the creation of a “game-improvement” putter category, like there is for other club categories.

“Maybe, just maybe, for the first time, we’re starting to see the bifurcation of putting styles emerge for everyday golfers, and the best players in the world,” Davidson said.- Jack Hirsh

No. 14 – ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ takes golf world by storm

The budget was eye-popping, the star power blinding, and the entertainment value … debatable.

But enough about Capital One’s The Match.

The real golf-themed pop-culture extravaganza of the year – one that actually drew a ample audience-was a cinematic sequel that proudly leaned into its own inanity while pulling every lever in the modern era’s multi-platform marketing machine.

Admit it. you watched “Happy Gilmore 2”.- Josh Sens

No. 13 – Joaquin Niemann’s big 2025 (and crucial 2026)

Golf’s Year in Review: Top 10 Stories of 2023

defined golf’s current entanglement with the internet begins with Lu Ko Kitin, former PGA Tour pro and current YouTube golf star.

Kwon is one of many main characters in arguably the story of the year in golf: YouTube. And, in undoubtedly the story of the year on YouTube – the Internet Invitational – Kwon played an even more important role: the heel.

Every good story needs a villain,and evidently,so does every good made-for-the-internet,half-reality-TV-show,half-influencer golf tournament. In failing to make his tee time for the opening session of the Internet Invitational, Kwon was the spark that lit the internet wildfire that became the Internet Invitational. – James Colgan

no. 10 – Joan a Are nites who has been a sining and 3.

At the season-ending CME Globe Tour Championship, Thitikul asserted herself as the latest queen of the LPGA Tour, cruising to a four-stroke victory to win the $4 million prize for the second year in a row. Her three wins weren’t the only thing that set her apart from her peers. She was named the Rolex Player of the Year and won the Vare Trophy for the second time. Thitikul’s consistency also earned her some impressive entries in the history books, including a new record scoring average of 68.68 (which beat Annika’s Sorenstam’s 2002 record by 0.02) and a new single-season earnings record,with $7,578,330. Thitikul finished the season with 14 top-10 finishes in 20 starts, and plenty of perspective.

“I remember the day that I came to Dallas after the Kroger,” she said.”I have the ice pack put in my eyes because I cried so bad. That’s I remember. And then I willingly took a picture holding like this. It’s weird. But I just want to reminding myself that the day that you reach to there or the day that you like, you know, the happiness in your life, this day will come definitely. like the sadness days will come.

“so just, you know, kind of like whatever you had in your career doesn’t define who you are and doesn’t define like who I am as a Jeeno, too.” – Jess Marksbury

No. 9 – Tiger Woods’ next role

One of the oddities – and, from a scenery and lodging perspective, one of of the real joys – of covering professional golf is that the sport’s most iconic figure reliably speaks once per year, at a relatively chill, limited-field golf tournament in a quiet corner of the Bahamas.

and so the week after Thanksgiving I flew to Nassauwhere (with all due respect to Hideki Matsuyama) the main event of the Hero World Cha

The Biggest golf Stories of 2025

No. 1 – Jon Rahm joins LIV Golf

The biggest story of 2025, by a mile, was Jon Rahm’s shocking move to LIV Golf. Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion and then-ranked No. 3 in the world, stunned the golf world in december by accepting a reported $300 million offer to become the face of the Saudi-backed league. The move came just months after Rahm publicly expressed his loyalty to the PGA Tour and criticized the motivations behind LIV Golf.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s a great financial prospect,” Rahm said at a press conference announcing his decision.”but it’s not the only reason. I beleive LIV golf is offering a different and exciting product, and I want to be a part of it.” – Dylan Dethier

No. 2 – Keegan Bradley’s Ryder cup snub

Keegan Bradley was playing the best golf of his career in 2025, with a win at the PGA Championship and several other top-10 finishes. He was a lock to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team, or so it seemed. But when U.S. captain Zach Johnson announced his six captain’s picks, Bradley’s name was not among them.

The decision sparked outrage among fans and analysts, who questioned Johnson’s reasoning for leaving off a player who had been so consistent all year. Bradley himself was visibly disappointed, but he handled the situation with grace and professionalism. “I was chosen to be a captain.”

But Bradley’s decision not to play wasn’t the end of the story. It was just the beginning. – Josh Schrock

No. 5 – Europe wins another Ryder Cup

The winning Ryder Cup team’s Sunday-evening press conference is always a lively affair – especially so when the Europeans prevail, as they have now in 11 of the last 15 editions, including at the 2025 matches at Bethpage Blackwhere they were led for a second time by captain Luke Donald.

Thing is, though, the Europeans’ winning formula – both for captain and team – isn’t a secret, at least not anymore. They have cohesion. They have continuity. And they have buy-in that brings the guys together in a way that the Americans have been unable to replicate.

“The badge and the boys,” is how Justin Rose summed up his team’s brotherhood in the wake of Europe’s 15-13 victory. “That’s all that matters, honestly.” -Alan Bastable

No. 4 – Bethpage chaos

I’d spent six years counting down the days to the Ryder Cup at Bethpage. The biggest show in golf was coming to my home course, not far from my hometown, at a venue I thought represented everything good and decent about the sport. It was supposed to be one of the highlights of my career, and it’d taken all of six hours on Saturday afternoon for a group of chuds who couldn’t tell the Red Course from a stop sign to tarnish the place’s reputation for good.

The truth is that the Bethpage Ryder Cup wasn’t a bug in the system. It was a feature of pro golf that has been allowed to fester for too long. The exact shape of the problem varies by location, but its general dimensions never change: A heavily oversaturated hospitality environment; an overpriced ticketing system; a “tournament experience” encouraging chaos and consumption; a security strategy overwhelmed by the logistical challenges of golf; a crowd addicted to social media and a small group of bad actors stoked by the uniquely antisocial instincts of achieving viral fame. – James Colgan

**No. 3 – Scottie Scheffler dominated (again)

We by no means want to diminish Scottie Scheffler’s 2025 accomplishments, of which there were several. Rather

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