Welcome to Playing Through, your weekly guide to the world of professional golf. I’m Brendon Elliott, PGA Professional. As we close the books on 2025 and turn our attention to 2026, it’s worth pausing to appreciate what we witnessed this year and what’s coming next. From Scottie Scheffler’s historic dominance to Jeeno Thitikul’s breakthrough season, from the PGA Tour’s structural evolution to the women’s game reaching new commercial heights, professional golf delivered drama, excellence, and plenty of storylines that will carry forward into the new year.

THE YEAR THAT WAS: 2025

Scheffler’s Era Continues

If 2024 was the year Scottie Scheffler announced himself as the game’s dominant force, 2025 was the year he proved it wasn’t a fluke. Six PGA Tour victories. That includes the PGA Championship and The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, giving him his third leg of the career Grand Slam. He became just the second player since Tiger Woods to win six or more tournaments in multiple seasons, and the first since Woods to lead the Tour in scoring average across all four rounds.

The statistics matter, but they miss what actually happened in 2025. This was the year Scheffler started shaping how other players think about the game. Rory McIlroy said in January he wanted to “play better golf and be a little more like Scottie.” Luke Clanton pointed to Scheffler when discussing his own approach: “But golf is not my identity. I learned that one from Scottie.”

What makes Scheffler magnetic isn’t just the ball-striking or the consistency. It’s the separation he maintains between golf and everything else. That philosophy showed up clearly back in 2022 when he won the Masters and famously said: “My identity isn’t a golf score.”

He claimed his fourth consecutive Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year, joining Woods as the only players to accomplish that feat. At 29, Scheffler isn’t just winning. He’s changing what excellence means in the modern game.

McIlroy’s Redemption

Rory McIlroy finally did it. After years of near-misses and mounting pressure, he won the Masters in 2025, completing the career Grand Slam and silencing the doubters who wondered if Augusta National would forever haunt him. The victory mattered for obvious reasons, but it also freed him in ways that will show up in 2026.

McIlroy added two more wins during the year and captured his seventh Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour, despite losing in a playoff at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. His consistency across both tours proved that even at 36, he remains one of the game’s elite players.

The Women’s Game Reaches New Heights

Jeeno Thitikul’s 2025 season was dominant. Three LPGA Tour victories, including back-to-back CME Group Tour Championship wins, propelled her to Rolex Player of the Year honors and the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average. She broke her own single-season earnings record, surpassing the $7.5 million she earned in 2024.

Thitikul wasn’t alone. The LPGA Tour saw 29 non-repeat winners in 2025, a tour record that speaks to the depth and competitiveness of women’s professional golf. Nelly Korda remained a force despite not winning the Player of the Year award. Players like Mao Saigo (Chevron Championship winner), Maja Stark (U.S. Women’s Open), and Miyū Yamashita (AIG Women’s Open) showed that the next generation has arrived and isn’t waiting for permission.

The tour’s commercial momentum continued with a total purse of $131 million across 35 events. The women’s game isn’t just growing. It’s thriving.

The DP World Tour’s Global Footprint

Marco Penge emerged as one of 2025’s breakout stars on the DP World Tour, winning three times and finishing second in the Race to Dubai. His victories at the Hainan Classic, Danish Golf Championship, and Open de España showcased his versatility across different conditions and continents.

Rory McIlroy’s dominance on the DP World Tour continued in 2025 as he captured his seventh Race to Dubai title, his fourth consecutive. This equals Seve Ballesteros for the second-most all-time and moves him within one title of Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight. Despite finishing runner-up in a playoff at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship to Matt Fitzpatrick after forcing the playoff with an eagle on the 72nd hole, McIlroy’s season was exceptional. He won the Amgen Irish Open and led the tour with 4.80 birdies per round, showcasing the aggressive, attacking golf that has defined his career.

The DP World Tour’s Opening Swing through Australia, South Africa, and Mauritius continued to provide compelling early-season golf, while the Rolex Series events maintained their status as the tour’s premier stops. The partnership with the PGA Tour remained intact, with the top 10 Race to Dubai finishers earning PGA Tour cards for 2026.

Rookies and Breakthroughs

Aldrich Potgieter became the ninth-youngest PGA Tour winner since 1983 when he captured the Rocket Classic at just 20 years old. His power (he led the tour in driving distance at 325 yards) came from an unlikely source: a wrestling background that built the core strength and lower-body stability that fuels his swing.

Potgieter was the only rookie to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs and earned the Arnold Palmer Award as PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. On the LPGA side, Miyū Yamashita’s AIG Women’s Open victory and consistent play throughout the season earned her Rookie of the Year honors.

LOOKING AHEAD: 2026

The PGA Tour Gets Tighter

The most significant change coming to the PGA Tour in 2026 is structural: full status effectively narrows to the top 100 FedExCup finishers, down from 125. This creates more week-to-week tension and fewer “safe” careers. Players will openly treat keeping access like a major championship. Players finishing 101-150 will have conditional status broken into three tiers: 101-110, 111-125, and 126-150, with varying levels of tournament access. The change reflects the tour’s commitment to ensuring the most competitive players earn playing opportunities while maintaining pathways for emerging talent.

Field sizes are also being reduced from 156 to 144 players for standard events, and four restricted sponsor exemptions are being eliminated. These adjustments address pace of play concerns identified through the tour’s Fan Forward initiative while raising the competitive bar across the schedule.

The Tour Championship format also changes. Starting strokes are eliminated, with all players beginning at even par in a traditional 72-hole stroke-play event. It’s a return to simplicity that should make the season finale easier to follow.

The Sentry won’t be contested in 2026, shifting the season’s early optics. But the Signature Events remain the centerpiece of the schedule, and bigger changes loom for 2027 as Tiger Woods and the tour’s leadership continue shaping what comes next.

Major Championship Venues

The 2026 major championship rotation brings us to some of golf’s most storied venues. The PGA Championship heads to Aronimink in Pennsylvania (May 14-17), a classic parkland test that rewards precision. The U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills (June 18-21), where firm conditions and strategic demands will identify the year’s best player. The Open Championship visits Royal Birkdale (July 16-19), where coastal winds and traditional links golf will crown a champion.

For the women, the U.S. Women’s Open comes to Riviera (June 4-7), the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship goes to Hazeltine (June 25-28), and the AIG Women’s Open heads to Royal Lytham & St Annes (July 29-August 2).

Team Events Take Center Stage

The Presidents Cup comes to Medinah (September 24-27) with Brandt Snedeker captaining the U.S. side and Geoff Ogilvy leading the International team. The Internationals have their best chance in years, but the American depth remains formidable.

The Solheim Cup heads to Bernardus in the Netherlands (September 7-13) with Anna Nordqvist captaining Europe and Angela Stanford leading the USA. Europe enters as the defending champion, but the American talent pool is too strong to keep leaving points on the table.

The Thitikul vs. Korda Rivalry

The 2026 LPGA season sets up as a rivalry year between Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda. Thitikul enters as the reigning Player of the Year and world No. 1, while Korda remains one of the game’s most talented players. With 33 events and a record $132 million in total purses, the stage is set for a season-long battle.

The LIV Question

LIV Golf’s biggest move for 2026 is structural: switching to 72 holes and expanding to 57 players via new wild cards. But the OWGR question remains unresolved, which means major championship qualification continues to be the pressure point where LIV players are judged.

Expect plenty of “informal talks” between the PGA Tour and LIV, but no clean resolution. Both sides are still trying to win leverage first.

The 2025 season gave us excellence, drama, and storylines that will echo into 2026. Scheffler’s dominance, McIlroy’s redemption, Thitikul’s emergence, and the continued growth of professional golf across all tours remind us why we love this game. The venues, the rivalries, and the structural changes coming in 2026 promise another year of compelling golf.

Then we’ll do it all again next week.