The 2024 golfing season is over and, it's safe to say, there have been plenty of dramatic moments, incredible tournaments and plenty of upsets.
In total, we have seen hundreds of events and now, heading into 2025, we are set to do it all over again. However, what can we expect to see? Well, with four men's and five women's Majors, a Ryder Cup and a possible PGA Tour/PIF deal to look forward to, 2025 is set to be another bumper year.
Obviously, with so much golf available, there's going to be a lot of action to keep up with and, in this piece, five of Golf Monthly's writers have provided their predictions for 2025...
Whether it's new-time winners, the current guard continuing to dominate, or some bumper surprises, we have given two predictions each for what could transpire over the next 12 months.
Check them out below...
Jordan Spieth to make a strong return
The three-time Major winner has been somewhat forgotten about this year, but he should be well and truly back in 2025 after undergoing wrist surgery at the end of August.
He had been playing through the pain for months and it clearly has had an impact on his play, so a healthy Spieth should be able to get back to the top of the game. Certainly, for the American in 2025, I’m predicting multiple PGA Tour victories, a return to the world’s top 10 and even a spot on the USA's Ryder Cup Team.
Charley Hull to win a Major
Hull is up there as the best golfer, male or female, to have not yet won a Major. The Englishwoman has had a brilliant season in 2024, with one win and three runners-up finishes, as well as that incredible 6&5 singles victory over World No.1 Nelly Korda at the Solheim Cup.
What's more, she has three Major runners-up finishes in her career so surely it’s now time for her to move to the next level. She’s far too good not to be a Major champion.
Europe to win the Ryder Cup in USA
It’s been a long time since any team won a Ryder Cup away from home – 13 years to be precise by the time Bethpage comes around – but I have a good feeling about Europe’s prospects in New York.
Firstly, the team will be jam-packed with experienced players who have good course knowledge, whilst there are also several exciting youngsters/rookies who have a chance to make the side, such as the likes of Matthieu Pavon, Rasmus Hojgaard and his compatriot Rasmus Noorgaard-Petersen.
Finally, Luke Donald staying on as captain provides excellent continuity, whilst the top end of the team looks absolutely stacked, too - McIlroy, Rahm, Hovland, Aberg, Fleetwood, Hatton, Fitzpatrick, Lowry and MacIntyre. It promises to be quite a contest and I’m hoping it’ll go down as one of the great Ryder Cups.
Patrick Cantlay to win a Major
For me, Cantlay is the best active golfer to never have won a Major. He’s an absolute flusher and he’ll be determined to get into the Major winners’ circle after watching his great friend Xander Schauffele do it twice in 2024.
Surprisingly, Cantlay hasn’t won a tournament since the BMW Championship in August 2022 and I think he’ll come out absolutely firing next year. I’m circling the US Open at Oakmont Country Club.
Korda to win another Major
Given where Korda stands at the moment in the women’s game, this is a very easy prediction to make but, as we all know, a sudden loss of form can come from nowhere.
Expectations will be high; however, I believe that Korda will remain strong, as she has the game and, most importantly, the mindset to deliver another record-breaking year that will include at least one more Major victory.
Maiden LPGA Winner
Out of 24 starts in 2024 Germany’s Esther Henseleit made 19 cuts, including 4 top-10 finishes, two of which were in Majors - The Chevron Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship.
She collected the silver medal at the Olympics and second place at the Women’s Scottish Open, which was her best finish of the season. Now a Solheim Cup player and with five years of LPGA Tour experience under her belt, I believe an LPGA Tour win is on the cards for the 25-year-old in 2025.
Tyrrell Hatton or Joaquin Niemann to be the next first time Major winner
Although I agree with Nick that Cantlay is likely to win a Major at some point in his career, I feel that Tyrrell Hatton or Joaquin Niemann are the likely players to become the next first time Major winners.
In my opinion, right now, Hatton is one of the best players on the planet. You just have to look at his last six tournament results, where he hasn't finished outside the top 10, to see the type of quality he possesses. It's a similar story for Niemann who, at the age of 26, already has 15 wins worldwide, including the recent PIF Saudi International. Admittedly, his Major form isn't great, but I feel 2025 is the year the Chilean turns it around.
A LIV Golfer will play a PGA Tour event
Now, I know this is a big claim but, you just never know! It's no secret that the ongoing saga of the PGA Tour and PIF has been rolling on for some time but, as the months pass, it seems we're inching closer and closer to a potential deal.
Certainly, it seems that the relevant bodies are talking, as seen at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship where PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan played a few rounds with PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan. What's more, we've seen several LIV stars tee it up on DP World Tour events so, come 2025, why couldn't that happen on the PGA Tour?
Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young to make PGA Tour breakthrough
Fleetwood and Young are two of the best players in the world yet to win on the PGA Tour, with Young's frustration at failing to lift any trophy possibly growing with each passing event. They have 12 runner-up finishes between them and seven more third-place results in a shade over 200 PGA Tour starts, but I have a feeling that both will score W No.1 in 2025.
Ahead of a Ryder Cup, both will want to triumph in order to make their respective teams and a debut success on the PGA Tour will allow them to do it in some style, too.
Team Europe To Retain The Ryder Cup (Via A Tie)
The 2025 Ryder Cup could well have all of the ingredients to be one of the best ever, with players from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf League all likely to be included on a impossibly-difficult course in the middle of what is expected to be an intensely raucous atmosphere. Add in the reported layer about players being paid on the US side, but not on the European side, and that narrative will only add to the delicious mix of stories.
Given the quality of each team and all the reasons I've laid out, I wouldn't be surprised to see this famous contest go right down to the wire and end in heartbreaking style for one nation as a final putt on the 18th green on Sunday evening tilts the match back to 14 apiece. The Ryder Cup has only ever finished in a tie twice before (1969 - Royal Birkdale and 1989 - The Belfry), but I reckon it will happen for a third time in 2025.
