Big moments call for big shots, and 2025 delivered plenty as Scottie Scheffler dominated, Rory McIlroy finally captured the major he’d been chasing, and unexpected champions emerged when nobody saw them coming.
Here’s a look at golf’s most memorable shots from 2025 — not necessarily the greatest ones, but those that told the year’s most compelling stories, one club at a time.
Driver
J.J. Spaun stood tied for the lead in the final round of the U.S. Open when he stepped up to Oakmont’s 314-yard 17th hole. His drive hit the front of the green and rolled like a putt to about 18 feet behind the pin. That two-putt birdie gave him a one-shot lead heading to 18. But his best was still to come.
3-wood
Scottie Scheffler hit a 3-wood at Quail Hollow’s par-5 and thought the wind might leave him short as gusts fought against his fade. It was nearly perfect, settling 3 feet away for eagle in the third round. That shot put him atop the PGA Championship leaderboard for good as he captured his third major.
3-iron
Auburn junior Jackson Koivun went from leading the Americans to Walker Cup victory at Cypress Point to competing against Ryder Cup players at the Procore Championship. At Silverado, he showed his game with a 3-iron to 30 inches on the par-5 12th for eagle. Koivun ended up playing in Sunday’s final group and tied for fourth before heading back to school.
4-iron
Four shots behind entering Sunday at The Players Championship, Rory McIlroy hit 4-iron from 225 yards to within 10 feet on the par-5 second hole, jumpstarting a birdie-eagle opening that brought him back into contention. He eventually beat Spaun in a Monday playoff. McIlroy called it his best swing of the week: “That was pretty much perfect.”
5-iron
Russell Henley prefers a draw, but Bay Hill’s tough par-3 14th demanded a cut, especially with Henley trailing Collin Morikawa by three shots late in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He hit 5-iron to 4 feet for birdie to launch an unlikely comeback. The victory sparked one of Henley’s best seasons as he climbed to No. 4 in the world and earned his first Ryder Cup spot.
6-iron
Winless in more than two years, Justin Rose stood three shots behind when he hit 6-iron to 8 feet for birdie on the par-3 14th, the toughest hole on TPC Southwind’s back nine. That started a run of four straight birdies, and Rose won the FedEx St. Jude Championship in a playoff. At 45, he cracked the top 10 in the world again and qualified for another Ryder Cup team.
7-iron
Viktor Hovland had missed three straight cuts and was questioning whether to even play the Valspar Championship. Two shots behind in the final round from rough on Innisbrook’s hardest hole, Hovland hit 7-iron through trees and over a bunker to 6 feet for a birdie that sparked a late comeback win. Never count him out.
Note: The greatest 7-iron might’ve been McIlroy’s on Augusta’s par-5 15th, when he hit it to 4 feet from 172 yards. It could’ve been the shot of the year, but he missed the eagle putt.
8-iron
Scheffler erased a four-shot deficit in five holes during the BMW Championship’s final round, finding himself in a tight battle on the back nine. From a fairway bunker, with Robert MacIntyre perfectly positioned in the fairway, Scheffler hit 8-iron to 12 feet and made the birdie for a two-shot lead. That propelled him to his fifth win in ten starts.
9-iron
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley heard “USA” chants down the 18th fairway at the Travelers Championship when he hit 9-iron to 3 feet for a closing birdie, securing a New England win after Tommy Fleetwood made bogey. Bradley’s second victory in 10 months fueled two months of debate about whether he should pick himself as a playing captain. He ultimately decided against it for Bethpage Black.
Pitching wedge
While Koivun led college players, high school senior Mason Howell was equally impressive. After winning the U.S. Amateur Championship, he closed out a foursomes match on Cypress Point’s 17th hole with a pitching wedge from 147 yards to 5 feet in a 2-and-1 victory. Howell went 2-0-1 in another American Walker Cup win.
Gap wedge
McIlroy twice lost the lead on Augusta National’s back nine and found himself in a playoff against Rose with the Masters green jacket and career Grand Slam on the line. He hit gap wedge to 4 feet on the 18th in the first extra hole, and after Rose missed from 15 feet, McIlroy tapped in the short birdie to finally capture the Masters.
Sand wedge
Scores keep dropping in golf, and Hideki Matsuyama took that trend to new heights at The Sentry. He holed a sand wedge from 121 yards for eagle on Kapalua’s par-4 third hole and never looked back. The Japanese star set a PGA Tour record by finishing at 35-under to win by three.
Lob wedge
The year’s wildest major finish should have ended on the first playoff hole. Grace Kim put her approach to the Evian Championship’s par-5 18th into a creek. She took a drop and hit lob wedge to 6 feet to save par and extend the playoff. Kim, who had made eagle in regulation to force overtime with Jeeno Thitikul, made eagle again on the second playoff hole to win her first major. Thitikul was the LPGA’s best player but finished the year without a major.
Putter
Spaun took a one-shot lead to Oakmont’s 18th hole, no sure thing in a U.S. Open. He found the rain-soaked fairway and hit the green, but was 65 feet away needing two putts to avoid a playoff with MacIntyre. Spaun drained the massive putt for birdie, creating a championship moment for the ages. MacIntyre couldn’t help but applaud.
