Justin Rose, of England [AP Photo]
Big moments call for big shots, and there were plenty of them in 2025 when Scottie Scheffler dominated, Rory McIlroy got the major that mattered to him and new major champions arrived when they least expected it.
What follows is a review of golf in 2025 based on memorable shots — not necessarily the greatest ones — struck with every club in the bag. They all told a story.
J.J. Spaun was tied for the lead in the final round of the U.S. Open when he reached the 314-yard 17th hole at Oakmont. He used his driver for a low fade that hit the front of the green and rolled like a putt to about 18 feet behind the pin. That set up a two-putt birdie and a one-shot lead going to the final hole. And his best was yet to come.
3-wood
Scottie Scheffler hit 3-wood on the 304-yard 14th hole at Quail Hollow and thought it might come up a little short with the wind gusting right-to-left against his fade. It was nearly perfect, settling 3 feet away for eagle in the third round that put him atop the leaderboard for good at the PGA Championship as he captured his third major.
Auburn junior Jackson Koivun went from leading the Americans to a Walker Cup victory at Cypress Point to competing against all but two members of the Ryder Cup team in the Procore Championship. In the second round at Silverado, he showed his game with a 3-iron to 30 inches on the par-5 12th for eagle. Koivun wound up playing in the final group and tied for fourth before heading back to college.
Four shots behind going into the final round of The Players Championship, Rory McIlroy hit 4-iron from 225 yards into 10 feet on the par-5 second hole for a birdie-eagle start that got him back into the game. He wound up winning a playoff over J.J. Spaun on Monday. But that 4-iron is what McIlroy called his best swing of the week. “That was pretty much perfect,” he said.
Russell Henley prefers a draw. The tough par-3 14th at Bay Hill required a cut, especially with Henley trailing Collin Morikawa by three shots and running out of holes in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He hit a cut with his 5-iron to 10 feet for birdie to start an unlikely comeback. The victory led to one of Henley’s best seasons, rising to No. 4 in the world and landing a spot on his first Ryder Cup team.
Winless in more than two years, Justin Rose was three shots behind when he hit 6-iron over the water to 15 feet on the par-3 14th, the toughest hole on the back nine of the TPC Southwind. That was the start of four straight birdies, and Rose won a playoff in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. At age 45, he again cracked the top 10 in the world and qualified for the Ryder Cup.
Viktor Hovland missed three straight cuts, had little confidence in what he was doing and debated whether to play the Valspar Championship. DOUG FERGUSON, Golf Writer, MDT/AP
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