The debate over who enjoyed the better 2025 season—Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler—was fierce as the PGA Tour wrapped up in late August.
With Scheffler adding both The Open and the PGA Championship to his résumé, posting 17 top-10 finishes in 20 starts, and earning an eye-watering $27,659,550 in prize money, the World No.1 appeared untouchable.
But as golf fans who regularly check sites like Betdaq and every major betting exchange discussed the season’s narrative, one thing became abundantly clear: McIlroy wasn’t about to be overshadowed. Not this year. Not with history on the line.
Becoming only the sixth player ever to complete the career Grand Slam, McIlroy reignited the debate—and with what followed in the Ryder Cup and the Race to Dubai, the Northern Irishman has arguably nudged ahead of his American rival by year’s end.
At 36, there’s very little left for McIlroy to accomplish in golf aside from perhaps that elusive Olympic Gold in Los Angeles in three years’ time. Until then, here’s a look back at one of the most remarkable seasons of his illustrious career.
Early-season warning signs
McIlroy has always been known for fast starts, building form through the early months before the spotlight turns to Augusta.
But 2025 felt different from the outset. His two-stroke win over close friend Shane Lowry at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February was impressive, but it was the dramatic playoff victory over J.J. Spaun at The Players that suggested this might be an extraordinary year.
Momentum was building. Hope was rising. And as the azaleas began to bloom at Augusta National, the sense of destiny grew stronger.
Career Grand Slam
There could be no more poetic place for McIlroy to end his long major drought than the Masters—his white whale, the lone gap on an otherwise glittering career record.
But the road to the Green Jacket was far from smooth. At several points during the weekend, especially in the tension-filled final round, it looked like the ghosts of past Augusta collapses were circling once more.
Yet this time, McIlroy stood firm.
In a gripping playoff against Justin Rose, he finally exorcised those demons, completing the career Grand Slam and etching his name into golf’s most exclusive club. It was emotional, cathartic, historic—perhaps the defining moment of McIlroy’s career.
Irish Open success
The Open at Royal Portrush didn’t bring the fairy-tale home victory many hoped for, though a tied-seventh finish was still a far cry from the heartbreaking missed cut on the same course in 2019. But any lingering disappointment was wiped away weeks later.
At the K Club in September, McIlroy delivered once again for the Irish faithful. A monstrous eagle putt on the 18th forced a playoff with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, and extra holes were all he needed to seal another unforgettable Irish Open victory.
It was vintage Rory—flair, courage, and a touch of magic.
Away Ryder Cup victory
Back in January, McIlroy laid out his three remaining career goals: win the Masters, win Olympic Gold, and win another away Ryder Cup. Many assumed those might take years—especially the latter, as away wins are notoriously rare.
And yet, in one of the most dramatic Ryder Cups of the modern era, Europe stunned the USA with a 15–13 triumph at the hostile Bethpage Black.
McIlroy was central to the charge. Despite losing his singles match to Scheffler, he collected three-and-a-half points from four in the pairs sessions, once again leading from the front. It was redemption, vindication, and a monumental achievement rolled into one.
Seventh Race to Dubai title
The final jewel in McIlroy’s 2025 crown came on the DP World Tour. Entering the final tournament of the season, only two players had a mathematical chance of catching him in the Race to Dubai standings.
Even though he lost a playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick at the DP World Tour Championship, McIlroy had already done more than enough.
A seventh Order of Merit title—his fourth in a row—sealed his place in history. Surpassing the legendary Seve Ballesteros and moving to within one of Colin Montgomerie’s record was an achievement that spoke not only to McIlroy’s brilliance but also to his longevity.
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