Driving from Indiana to South Carolina for my extended family Thanksgiving, I’m always thankful. Sure, there’s the food and the family … but the golf weather also changes considerably for the better in the span of 700 southbound miles in late November.
“Is that all you think about?” asks my wife and two daughters.
O.K., guilty. But you have also stopped by for a minute to SI Golf in the middle of the holiday, so you’ve got the bug too. And I’m sure you’re thankful for another year of our game, however you consume it.
At our Thanksgiving table we go around and share our thanks, and rather than risk side-eye from the aforementioned family, I’ll just share here what I’m thankful for in golf in 2025.
How about some fresh perspectives? In the first half of the year, the PGA Tour, LPGA and LIV Golf all welcomed new bosses. We’re starting to hear what some of their plans might be and how their schedules may change, and while we may have to wait years to see how those all shake out, it’s nice to hear different ways of thinking.
All leagues will continue to lean on their stars, and what more could you ask for from Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in 2025? The world’s top two players claimed three of the four majors and nine PGA Tour titles, and Grand Slam champion McIlroy added an emotional Ryder Cup road win and a seventh Race to Dubai crown. There were some best supporting actors through the year such as Tommy Fleetwood (FedEx Cup champ), Jon Rahm (LIV Golf points champion) and J.J. Spaun (a stunning U.S. Open triumph), but Scheffler and McIlroy were appointment TV.
Golf also can mint the most unlikely winning stories, and Brian Campbell winning not once but twice as one of the shortest hitters in the game defied belief. For my money there wasn’t a better picture this year than when his girlfriend Kelsi McKee greeted him after winning the Mexico Open and years of toil vanished in a twirl of joy.
Another sight I was thankful for was my town showing up en masse for pro golf. The frequency of Chicago, Detroit and Columbus, Ohio, on tournament calendars have left Indianapolis without a regular stop and its fans starved for the pros, so LIV Golf’s visit in August was destined to be a smash. It’s nice to have had a home game.
Speaking of home, I didn’t log as many rounds at my home course as I’d have liked, but Maple Creek Golf and Country Club on the east side of Indy (claim to fame: Pete Dye’s first 18-hole course) always makes me feel welcome even after months away.
My game didn’t get much better in 2025 but I’m thankful for every round and especially the summer getaway with college friends that has gone on for a quarter-century even as life gets busier and everyone gets older. There are 25 rules in the official Rules of Golf but there should be a 26th: Always take the buddies trip.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as There Are Many Reasons to Be Thankful in the World of Golf.
