A look back at 2025 in golf—emotional turning points, personal stories, and unforgettable scenes on and off the course.
The year 2025 was rich with stories. Legendary careers came to a close, new paths were forged, and the sport of golf delivered everything from farewells to fresh starts, crises to clarity, emotion to spectacle. Sometimes, a single putt is enough to define an entire year. Here’s the year in review.
Augusta Farewell – Bernhard Langer’s Quiet Goodbye
Few images in golf speak louder than words. But when Bernhard Langer stood on the 18th green at Augusta in April, the crowd rose to its feet as the two-time Masters champion took his final putt. After 41 starts, it was time to say goodbye. The putt didn’t make the cut, but that didn’t matter. What mattered were the decades Langer spent at Augusta—earning global respect. Langer himself remained composed—grateful, clear-minded, and hopeful to return often as a “non-playing champion.” A quiet exit from a great who never sought the spotlight but was impossible to miss.
From Fire to Festivities – Golf’s Emotional Spectrum
While Augusta was filled with memories, another historic course in California faced a very different challenge. Wildfires, fueled by strong winds, forced tens of thousands to evacuate and came dangerously close to the Riviera Country Club. With nearly a century of history, the club—host to Olympic events, Majors, and celebrity tournaments—was in the evacuation zone. As thousands left their homes, emergency crews fought to save one of golf’s most iconic venues.
Meanwhile, on the Ladies European Tour, a heartwarming moment emerged. German golfer Laura Fünfstück married fellow tour player Rosie Davies and returned to competition just days later. “Nice to think about my swing again instead of table linens,” she joked—highlighting how closely personal life and professional golf intertwine.
Elsewhere, Tiger Woods made headlines not for his play, but his personal life. Rumors linked him to Vanessa Trump, ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr. Both live in Florida and were seen together multiple times. With their children active in junior golf, their paths naturally crossed. Amid injury recovery and the loss of his mother, Woods’ private life once again drew public attention.
At LIV Golf Adelaide, the mood was anything but quiet. Patrick Reed electrified the crowd with a hole-in-one on the infamous 12th hole, the