It’s been a blockbuster year for the game of golf. Rory McIlroy has a history. Excellent quality by Scottie Scheffler. Tommy Fleetwood’s breakthrough in America. European Ryder Cup glory.
There are three rising stars in the women’s competition, England’s Lottie Ward and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita, as well as men’s player Marco Penge.
But how do they rank? Let’s take a look.
1. Rory McIlroy
All wins are good, but some are better, and McIlroy’s victory at the Masters was exactly that.
Not only was it his first victory at Augusta, it was also his first major championship victory in 11 years, and also completed a career Grand Slam (he was only the sixth player to win all four majors).
That victory alone would be impressive, but earlier this year he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Players Championship, later won the Irish Open, led Team Europe to the Ryder Cup and won the Dubai tournament for the seventh time.
Have a great year. A career-defining year. 2025 will be the best year for any golfer.
2. Scotty Scheffler
In any normal year, the New York-born, Texas-raised world No. 1 would easily be considered the best return. He just had bad luck and McIlroy beat him in 2025.
Scheffler actually started slow, not firing until late March after he injured his hand during the 2024 Christmas celebrations. But starting in late March, he played 15 events, never finishing in the top 10, and winning six times, including the PGA Championship and the Open.
The only blemish on his year was his performance at the Ryder Cup, a mediocre second straight game in which he lost to the U.S. team.
3. Tommy Fleetwood
The Briton, who had 13 top-three finishes on the PGA Tour before this year’s Tour Championship, was heading towards Colin Montgomery territory, which is to say the American was complaining about his inability to win in his home country.
He was leading the Travelers Championship in June but struggled. The same thing happened at the St. Jude Championship in early August. But late that month, at the Tour Championship, it was third time lucky.
He then won the Indian Championship in October, shortly after his European Ryder Cup heroics at Bethpage Black Stadium in New York. He’s always been a fan favorite, but now he’s the star.
4. Luke Donald
The Englishman shot a first-round 67 to move into the top five after 18 holes at the PGA Championship, but it was the highlight of the year when the clubs were in his hands – and for the most part, he struggled to make the cut.
However, it doesn’t matter. He is one of the stars of 2025 because of his continued performance as Ryder Cup captain, because while he did a great job leading Team Europe to victory in Rome two years ago, he was even better when he orchestrated a victory at Bethpage Black in New York and defended the Ryder Cup.
European fans may recall the time Donald replaced Henrik Stenson as captain – perhaps the biggest surprise substitution in the competition’s history.
5. Lottie Ward
The golf world has always known the 21-year-old England player had a potential star because when she won the 2024 National Women’s Amateur in Augusta, she did so with birdies of 15, 17 and 18 in the final round.
But her July 2025 was almost a blast. In week one, when she was still an amateur, she won the Women’s European Tour’s Irish Open by six (yes, six) strokes. A week later, she missed out by one stroke in the playoffs at the Evian Championship, the year’s fourth major.
Two weeks later, turning pro, she won the LPGA/LET co-sanctioned Scottish Open and ended the month as the preliminary favorite for the Women’s British Open (she finished eighth).
6. Marco Penge
In the Englishman’s final event of the 2024 season, the Genesis Championship in South Korea, he needed a birdie on the final hole to retain his right to play in 2025, which he did. However, a month later he was suspended for two months (and suspended for another month) for breaching betting regulations. His performance has improved heading into the final weeks of April but has yet to produce his best golf at the highest level.
Then the dam burst in spectacular fashion. He won the Hainan Classic, was runner-up at the Scottish Open in July, won the Danish Championship in August, and won the Spanish Open in October.
He started the year outside the top 400 in the world rankings and was suspended, but he eventually finished second in the 2025 Dubai tournament, entering the top 50 in the world rankings, and is looking to play in all majors in 2026.
7. Miyu Yamashita
The depth of the LPGA has been a key theme in 2025, with only two players with multiple wins – world No. 1 Gino Titicul and Japan’s Yamashita.
The 24-year-old had won 13 times on home soil before this year, and boy has she taken her quality to the highest level. She won the AIG Women’s British Open in August and the Maybank Championship in November.
Currently ranked third in the world, she is expected to challenge Thitikul at the top of the list in 2026.
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