What made the PGA Tour’s 2025 such a milestone year?
Rory McIlroy becoming the sixth player to win the Career Grand Slam? Nope.
Scottie Scheffler piling up two more major championships and utterly dominating (with utterly being pretty much the only way you can dominate)? Not even close.
Happy Gilmore returning in a movie sequel despite popular demand? No, but you’re getting warmer. (Not really.)
We will mark 2025 as the year Tiger Woods achieved a career first. He earned the Bob Uecker Memorial Trophy for going 0-for-2025. That’s right, Tiger did not play a single round of PGA Tour golf due to a torn Achilles tendon. His 2025 highlight list is shorter than Ben An’s name.
However, Tiger wasn’t completely idle. He suffered what he termed “one of the most embarrassing moments of my career” in TGL, the new simulator golf league, when he misheard the yardage for a 199-yard approach shot as “99 yards” and came up 100 yards short, causing teammates Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner to double over in laughter.
Six weeks later, Tiger announced his rehab was ahead of schedule and he intended to play the Masters. Wha-aat? Nah, just kidding, Tiger tweeted. This April Fool’s Day prank fell flat, just like most of them except for NASA staging those men-walking-on-the-moon shows. Those were hilarious.
Here are some more Major Awards from this historic year in golf.
The Capture the Flag Champion Golfer of the Year
If you didn’t score a souvenir Masters flag at Augusta National last April, you’re out of luck. On his way out, new Masters champion Rory McIlroy learned there were 1,100 flags left over so he bought them all. “I’ve waited 17 years to sign that flag in the middle,” McIlroy said. “I’ll never get sick of signing them.”
(Second shot: Guess whose Christmas shopping is already done?)
The Punt, Pass & Kick Awards
Bronze Medal winner: Canadian golfer Adam Hadwin slammed a club into the ground near the 10th green during the Valspar Championship, hit a sprinkler and set off an Old Faithful-sized geyser of water.
Received this via DM: Adam Hadwin learning the consequences of his actions on Friday at the Valspar Championship. pic.twitter.com/ZiitjOdao3
— Alex Gelman (@agsnetworks) March 22, 2025
Silver medal: Patton Kizzire, also at the Valspar, missed a five-foot putt on the opening round’s 15th hole. Frustrated at missing six straight missed cuts, Kizzire punted his putter impressively high into the air, then holed out using his sand wedge and later withdrew with a back injury.
Gold medal: Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, understandably frustrated by missing the U.S. Open cut at Oakmont, kicked in a locker door in the classic old clubhouse. The club announced a month later that Clark was banned from the grounds until he pays for damages and makes a significant contribution to a local charity.
(Second shot: Golf really has turned into a game for big hitters.)
The Arrested Development Trophy
Lightning does strike twice, at least in movies. Scottie Scheffler, famously arrested by Louisville police for veering around stopped traffic en route to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla, salvaged a silly scene in Happy Gilmore 2 when—spoiler alert!—he got arrested again.
(Second shot: This guy wears more orange than Rickie Fowler.)
Best Quote by Someone Wearing a Green Jacket
Rory McIlroy in the Butler Cabin after winning the Masters 11 years after his previous major championship and finally achieving the elusive Career Grand Slam: “What are we going to talk about next year?”
(Second shot: “Rory, how do you feel about the Cracker Barrel redesign?”)
MDP Award: Most Dangerous Pasta
The winner is ravioli, weaponized at Christmas last year by Scottie Scheffler when he decided to make ravioli from scratch. The dough had to be rolled and cut but Scheffler was at a rental house and didn’t have the proper utensils so he MacGyvered a method using a wine glass. While his hand was on top of the glass, it broke and the stem sliced his hand. He had surgery the next day and missed the season’s first month. “Since that happened, I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about wine glasses,” Scheffler said.
(Second shot: It could’ve been worse. The rental house also had a tomahawk, steamroller and a train robber.)
Best Masters Dinner Inside Joke
Masters champ Scottie Scheffler created the menu for the annual Champions Dinner at Augusta National. The appetizers included cheeseerburger sliders served “Scottie style,” firecracker shrimp and “Papa Scheff’s meatball and ravioli bites.”
(Second shot: Attention, Masters champs. For your protection, all wine glasses will be removed before the ravioli bites are served.)
The What a Piece of Shirt Award
When Australia’s Karl Vilips shot a closing 64 to win the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour victory, the Associated Press managed to work a Tiger Woods reference into the news story’s second sentence. How? “The new ‘Sun Day Red’ brand of Tiger Woods adorned the apparel of a PGA Tour winners, and it was Vilips, a Stanford alum…” In the next paragraph, oh by the way, the victory gets Vilips into The Players Championship and PGA Championship and a two-year Tour exemption.
(Second shot: “Well, Kenny, I think the key to his victory was not wearing Munsingwear or Robert Bruce. Those lighter colors and gaudier patterns can cost you shots on a bright sunny day.”)
Player of the Year
Are we really doing this? Fine, it is Scottie Scheffler even though he failed to win in 14 of his 19 starts and finished outside the top 10 three times.
(Second shot: Also, he didn’t win two of the four majors, OR The Players Championship. C’mon, y’all.)
Non-Scottie Player of the Year (or B Flight)
Let’s see, you win at Pebble Beach, The Players and the Masters—that’s one major, two-thirds of a major and a victory at a classic venue. Rory McIlroy had the most satisfying year of his career and yet, he had to settle for being No. 2. Tough league.
(Second shot: To save time, just put him into the Hall of Fame now.)
The Where Have You Gone Milli Vanilli Trophy
It has become customary for the winning team at the Zurich Classic to perform karaoke at the Sunday night volunteer party after the tournament’s conclusion. Well, it beats jumping in a lake as celebrations go. Last year, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry teamed up to do Don’t Stop Believin and this year, it was Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak. They chose Queen’s We Are the Champions and then gave an encore performance for Kool & The Gang’s Get Down On It. Novak admitted he can’t sing at all. Griffin wasn’t bad, actually. “I give myself an A-minus,” he said.
(Second shot: A-minus? You were supposed to be singing A-flat, kid.)
The Most Enterprising Golf Player Trophy
While Scottie Scheffler chatted with reporters after his round at the Memorial Tournament, a television monitor nearby began showing a taped recording of him being interviewed elsewhere. Scheffler noticed the weirdness of the moment and smiled. “I can transport,” he joked.
(Second shot: “Scotty, this is Scottie—beam me up!”)
Best Mongolian Reversal
It was shocking when 21-year-old Nick Dunlap opened the Masters with an 18-over-par 90 that featured a triple bogey and four doubles. The next day, after pounding some used golf balls into the woods behind his rental house, Dunlap was 4-under through 15 holes but into trouble on the closing holes and settled for 1-under 71. By shooting 19 strokes better, he tied for most improved second round in a major in the last 50 years. “I love this game,” he said. “Right now, it doesn’t love me back.”
(Second shot: Tina Turner wants to know what’s love got to do with it?)
The Best Repayment With Interest Plaque
Ben Griffin was struggling in golf’s minor leagues during COVID so he quit the game and landed gainful employment as a mortgage loan officer. He quickly changed his mind and returned to golf. Fast-forward to this year and Griffin went from loan officer to two-time PGA Tour winner with victories at the Zurich Classic and Charles Schwab Challenge. Heading into the Tour Championship, Griffin had more than $9 million in earnings this year.
(Second shot: You know you’ve made it when you need your own tax accountant.)
MVH Award: Most Valuable Hair
Tommy Fleetwood strengthened his grip on this annual award with his long hair that isn’t quite a mullet but is good enough to earn him the Fairway Jesus nickname. Also increased his net value with the $10 million Tour Championship first prize that ended his Nearly Man drought.
(Second shot: Serious new contender next year is rookie Neal Shipley. In case of a tie, playoff will be held at SuperCuts.)
The Media Relations 101 Trophy
Collin Morikawa, questioned about why he didn’t talk to reporters after he was beaten by Russell Henley at Bay Hill: “I don’t owe anyone anything.”
(Second shot: Uh, about your most recent mortgage payment …)
The Media Relations 202 Trophy
Former PGA Tour player Rocco Mediate reacted negatively to Morikawa’s comments, saying on SiriusXM Radio, “That is the dumbest, most selfish garbage you could ever say. Mister (Arnold) Palmer would’ve hunted him down.” Golf Channel sage Brandel Chamblee called Morikawa’s move “a dangerous precedent” and an affront to sponsors, fans and media and fellow analyst Paul McGinley was also critical.
Morikawa later called out Chamblee, McGinley and Media and doubled down on his original comments, saying he didn’t regret anything he said. “It might have been a little bit harsh to say that I don’t owe anyone, but I don’t owe anyone. I respect the fans, I’m grateful.” He also called out the other media because he signed autographs for 15 minutes after the round but no one pointed that out.
(Second shot: Once you accidentally step into you-know-what, don’t jump in with your other foot, too.)
Comeback Player of the Year
Hunter Mahan last played a PGA Tour event in 2021 but he was back in action in Happy Gilmore 2. The former Ryder Cupper now coaches high school golf but took six weeks off to be Adam Sandler’s stand-in. So yes, when you see Happy take his famous walk-up swing in the movie, that’s actually Mahan.
(Second shot: Brandel Chamblee was too short to play Sandler’s stunt double, unfortunately.)
Best Revisionist History
It was supposedly a landmark event when Cameron Young won the Wyndham Championship. According to the PGA Tour, Young became the 1,000th player to win on the Tour, dating to Willie Park Sr. in the 1860 Open Championship. The modern PGA Tour was founded 108 years later in 1968.
(Second shot: Using the same accounting system, we’re hereby naming Old Tom Morris the PGA Tour’s 1860 Rookie of the Year and Allan Robertson as the Payne Stewart Award winner.)
Walk-off Putt of the Year
When J.J. Spaun holed a dramatic 65-foot birdie putt on the final green to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont, even Robert MacIntyre applauded. MacIntyre, who finished second, watched the putt on a monitor in the scoring area. That’s the definition of sportsmanship. Later, MacIntyre admitted, “I’m just really pissed off right now. I want to go and smash up my golf clubs, to be honest with you.”
(Second shot: Raise your hand if you never wanted to break some of your golf clubs after a round. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)
The Best Reason to Sit Near the Augusta National Clubhouse Men’s Room
Danny Willett at the Masters Champions Dinner reacting to the super-spicy Texas-style chili host Scottie Scheffler put on the menu: “I ate it, but I did look over at Scottie and ask if he was trying to kill us.”
(Second shot: Shut up, Danny, and keep rolling that ravioli dough with the wine glass like Scottie showed you.)
Most Gracious Fans
Nobody beats the patrons at the Masters Tournament. They even applauded U.S. Amateur champ Jose Luis Ballester after he finished taking relief (of the bathroom kind) in Rae’s Creek during the first round.
(Second shot: He did what? Gee whiz, kid.)
Most Important Putt of the Year Runner-up
This one belongs to Viktor Hovland, whose approach on the U.S. Open’s 72nd green stopped near J.J. Spaun’s ball, giving Spaun a preview of the speed and line and a big reason he sank that amazing 65-footer for the win. It was the longest putt made at Oakmont during the Open and the longest Spaun made in 2025. “I’ve got to give him (Hovland) a nice bottle of wine or something,” Spaun said on The Dan Patrick Show.
(Second shot: Bottle of wine, yes. Wine glasses, no. Those things are lethal.)
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Here Are Our Awards (Wink, Wink) From the PGA Tour's Milestone 2025 Season.
