Even as the golf community continues to celebrate Rory McIlroy`s remarkable Masters win from almost three weeks prior, it`s surprising that the 2025 FedEx Cup season on the PGA Tour has already reached its midpoint.
The tour begins its second half this week with the CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament, starting Thursday at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.
Although injuries impacted two of the world`s top golfers, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, the first half of the season featured numerous surprises and maiden victories, including two at the recent Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The good news is that the remaining 17 tournaments include three major championships, culminating in what promises to be a memorable Ryder Cup event at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York, from September 26-28.
Here`s a retrospective on the initial segment of the 2025 season:
Midseason Player of the Year
Could anyone else be considered? Rory not only became the sixth player in the Masters era to complete the career Grand Slam by winning at Augusta National Golf Club but also secured victories against strong competitors at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on February 2nd and The Players on April 13th.
McIlroy leads the tour with a scoring average of 69.2 and holds a significant advantage in strokes gained: total (2.319), almost half a stroke better than the next player. His 2,463 points give him a lead of nearly 800 points in the FedEx Cup standings.
The five-time major winner could be just hitting his stride, especially considering his history at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, the venue for the PGA Championship from May 15-18. He has claimed victory in the Wells Fargo Championship there four times and holds course records with rounds of 61 and 62. Later, he will return to Northern Ireland for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush between July 17-20.
Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Champion at Royal Portrush, commented, “Returning to Portrush will be amazing. With Rory heading back as the Masters champion, it will take some pressure off me, which I`m happy about. It promises to be a fantastic tournament.”
Other contenders: Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Russell Henley, Ludvig Åberg
Midseason Rookie of the Year
Karl Vilips, who relocated to the U.S. when he was 11, secured a three-stroke victory at the Puerto Rico Open on March 9th in just his fourth start on the PGA Tour. The ex-Stanford standout established a new 72-hole scoring record at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, finishing at 26-under 262. He began the tournament with a 6-under 66 and concluded with an 8-under 64.
Due to a bulging disc issue in his back, Vilips`s season started later, but he quickly found success. Following three consecutive missed cuts and a 54th-place tie at the RBC Heritage, Vilips partnered with Michael Thorbjornsen to achieve a tie for fourth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last week.
Vilips, aged 23, was named the first ambassador for Tiger Woods` Sun Day Red clothing line in February. Having grown up in Australia, the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year looked up to Woods throughout his youth.
Vilips stated, “He`s the reason I got into golf and what inspired me to become the person I am now. His approach and mindset in everything he did was remarkable.”
Other contenders: Aldrich Potgieter, Rasmus Højgaard, Isaiah Salinda, Danny Walker
Midseason Comeback Player of the Year
Bud Cauley made his return to the PGA Tour in February 2024, having been out of action for over three years following severe injuries from a car accident. In the 2018 single-car crash in Dublin, Ohio, where he was a passenger during the Memorial Tournament, Cauley sustained six broken ribs, a collapsed right lung, and a fractured left leg.
After the accident, Cauley initially came back to the tour for two years, but he struggled with pain in his ribs due to a plate inserted in his chest. Subsequent surgeries and infections kept him off the tour for another three seasons.
This season, Cauley has shown a resurgence, achieving four top-25 finishes and three top-10s in nine starts. He finished tied for sixth at The Players; his close friend and former Alabama teammate, Justin Thomas, even joked he would do `really, really weird things` for Bud to win that day. This performance was crucial in helping Cauley retain his PGA Tour card.
Cauley currently ranks 37th in the FedEx Cup standings with 553 points. He also secured a tie for fourth at the Valspar Championship and a tie for fifth at the Valero Texas Open.
Speaking at the Valspar Championship, Cauley commented, “When I`m on the course, I don`t dwell on past events; I just focus on playing my best. It feels like nothing ever happened when I`m out there.”
Other contenders: Michael Kim, Daniel Berger, Viktor Hovland
Midseason Breakout Player of the Year
Andrew Novak`s progress on the PGA Tour has been consistent yet challenging. After finishing 156th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2021-22, he had to return to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship to regain his tour card. He improved to 105th in the standings the following year and reached 86th in 2024.
This season marks the 30-year-old`s best performance yet. He finished outright third at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and tied for 13th at two signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
After a quieter period during the Florida tournaments, Novak tied for third at the Valero Texas Open and was defeated by Justin Thomas in a playoff at the RBC Heritage. Last week, Novak and Ben Griffin earned their first PGA Tour wins as a team at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. This marked Novak`s 100th start on the tour.
Novak is currently sixth in the FedEx Cup standings with 1,380 points and ranks ninth in the U.S. Ryder Cup team standings with 5,587.6 points.
Novak reflected, “I believe I`ve managed well in not getting too frustrated by narrowly missing out on wins. My focus has been on finding the positives from each situation, aiming to put myself in contention as often as possible. My goal is to improve each time I`m in that position, become more at ease, and identify areas for refinement. While it can be frustrating, it`s also encouraging to head into a tournament knowing you`re playing well.”
Other contenders: Michael Kim, Ben Griffin, Joe Highsmith, Jacob Bridgeman, Brian Campbell, Ryan Gerard
Most Surprising Stat
Zero. This is the surprising number of victories in eight starts this season for Scottie Scheffler, who dominated with nine wins globally in 2024.
It`s not to say Scheffler has performed poorly since his return in early February, having recovered from a right hand injury sustained while cooking on Christmas Day. He has consistently finished within the top 25 in all his starts, including a tie for third at the Genesis Invitational and a tie for second at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He also finished fourth alone at the Masters, where he aimed for consecutive green jackets.
However, even Scheffler acknowledges his game hasn`t been quite at its peak, particularly his putting, which was key to his frequent wins in 2024. Despite this, he still ranks second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: total (1.911) and tee to green (1.627), and fourth in approach (.942). These are still remarkably strong statistics.
Best Victory
The Masters, the season`s inaugural major championship, delivered everything golf enthusiasts could hope for: a final-round showdown between Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. The back nine at Augusta National on Sunday produced intense drama, marked by McIlroy`s shaky moments and Justin Rose`s remarkable charge.
Rose, who posted a 6-under 66 in the final round, holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole, increasing the pressure on McIlroy, who had seen his four-stroke lead dwindle. McIlroy then missed a crucial 5-foot par putt on the 18th, leading to a playoff with Rose.
On the first playoff hole, playing the 18th again, Rose`s approach landed about 15 feet from the pin, while McIlroy`s second shot finished just 4 feet away. Rose missed his birdie attempt, and McIlroy successfully converted his putt to finally win his first green jacket after 11 attempts.
McIlroy commented, “This was my 17th appearance here, and I began to doubt if my time would ever come. For the past decade, arriving here with the pressure of completing the Grand Slam, I was starting to wonder what topics we would discuss leading up to next year`s Masters.”
Best Round
Jake Knapp achieved the 15th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history, shooting a bogey-free 59 that included 12 birdies and six pars during the first round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches.
Best Shot
Following a double-bogey on the 14th hole during the Masters` final round, McIlroy produced what was called the `shot of a lifetime` on the 15th, leading to a crucial birdie.
Best Putt
Two-time major champion Justin Thomas completed a long journey back to victory, ending a winless streak of almost three years by sinking a 20-foot birdie putt to secure a playoff win at the RBC Heritage on April 20th.
Best Drive
Rookie Aldrich Potgieter leads the tour in driving distance with an average of 324.1 yards, highlighted by a notable 374-yard drive at the Mexico Open.
Worst Drive
During the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the 20-year-old South African, Aldrich Potgieter, demonstrated that even top players can hit an uncharacteristic tee shot.
Best Attitude
Joel Dahmen displayed remarkable composure after concluding his round with three consecutive bogeys and missing a short 2-foot putt on the 17th hole, which resulted in a one-stroke loss to Garrick Higgo at the Corales Puntacana Championship in Puerto Rico on April 20th.
Best Punt
Patton Kizzire showed his frustration after missing a 5-foot par putt during the opening round of the Valspar Championship.
Best Save
Chandler Phillips came close to entering alligator-filled water to execute what was considered one of the season`s most impressive recovery shots in New Orleans.
