A look back at 2025’s emotional turning points, personal stories, and dramatic moments on and off the golf course.
The year 2025 was filled with stories. Legendary careers came to an end, and new paths were forged. Between farewells and fresh starts, crises and clarity, emotion and spectacle, golf had it all. Sometimes, a single putt is enough to define an entire year. 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 its feet as the two-time Masters champion took his final putt, it was one of those moments. After 41 starts, it was time to say goodbye. He missed the cut, but no one seemed to care. It was the decades Langer spent on this course that earned him global respect. And Langer himself? Calm, grateful, and hopeful to return as a non-playing champion. A quiet exit for a giant who never sought the spotlight but was impossible to ignore.
From Wildfires to Weddings: A Year of Contrasts
While Augusta was filled with memories, another historic course faced a different kind of drama. Wildfires in California, driven by strong winds, forced tens of thousands to evacuate and came dangerously close to the Riviera Country Club. A nearly century-old venue known for hosting Olympic events, Majors, and Hollywood elites, Riviera found itself in the path of destruction. Firefighters battled to protect one of golf’s most iconic courses.
Meanwhile, on the Ladies European Tour, German golfer Laura Fünfstück brought warmth to the season by marrying fellow pro Rosie Davies. Just days later, she was back on the course. “Nice to think about my swing again instead of tablecloths,” she joked, highlighting how closely personal life and professional golf intertwine today.
Elsewhere, Tiger Woods made headlines not for his game, but for his rumored relationship with 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 a year marked by injury and the loss of his mother, Woods’ private life once again drew public attention.
LIV Roars, Straka Steps Back, Hull Collapses
At LIV Golf Adelaide, emotion turned to euphoria. Patrick Reed’s hole-in-one on the 12th hole