A look back at 2025 in golf: emotional turning points, personal stories, and dramatic scenes on and off the course.
2025 was a year full of stories. Great careers came to an end, and new paths were forged. Between farewells and fresh starts, crises and clarity, emotion and spectacle, golf delivered it all this year. Sometimes, a single putt is enough to define an entire season. Here’s the year in review.
Bernhard Langer’s Quiet Farewell at Augusta
Few images in golf speak louder than words. But when Bernhard Langer stood on the 18th green at Augusta in April, the crowd rising to their feet as the two-time Masters champion swung his putter one last time, it was one of those rare moments. After 41 starts, it was time to say goodbye. He missed the cut, but that hardly mattered. It was the decades Langer spent on this course that earned him global respect. Langer himself remained composed—grateful, clear, and hopeful to return as a non-competing champion. A quiet exit for a giant who never sought the spotlight but was impossible to ignore.
From Wildfires to Weddings: Stories Beyond the Fairways
While Augusta echoed with memories, another historic course in California faced a different kind of uncertainty. 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, including Olympic events and Major victories, the club found itself in the evacuation zone. As thousands fled their homes, emergency crews fought to protect one of golf’s most iconic venues.
Elsewhere, on the Ladies European Tour, a heartwarming moment unfolded. 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 settings,” she joked, showing how closely personal life and professional golf intertwine today.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods made headlines off the course. Reports linked him romantically with Vanessa Trump, ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr. Both live in Florida and were seen together multiple times—golf, as always, brings people together. With Woods dealing with injury and the loss of his mother, his private life once again drew public attention.
Emotions, Sacrifices, and Spectacle
At LIV Golf Adelaide, emotions ran high in a different way. Patrick Reed’s hole-in-one on the 12th hole,