A look back at 2025’s emotional turning points, personal stories, and unforgettable scenes on and off the course.
2025 was a year full of stories. Legendary careers came to a close, new paths were forged, and 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.
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 took his final putt, it was one of those moments. After 41 starts, it was time to say goodbye. The putt didn’t make the cut, but that hardly mattered. It was the decades Langer spent on that course that earned global respect. Langer himself remained composed—grateful, clear-minded, and hopeful to return often as a non-playing champion. A quiet exit from a giant who never sought the spotlight, yet was impossible to overlook.
Golf in Flames: Riviera Threatened by Wildfires
While Augusta was steeped in memory, another historic course in California faced a different kind of drama. Wildfires, driven by high winds, forced tens of thousands to evacuate and came dangerously close to the Riviera Country Club. With nearly a century of history, Riviera has hosted Olympic events, Major wins, and countless celebrities. Now, it sat within the evacuation zone of a devastating blaze. As thousands fled their homes, firefighters battled to protect one of golf’s most iconic venues.
Love, Life, and the Tour: Laura Fünfstück’s Year
It wasn’t just courses but people who shaped the year. On the Ladies European Tour, Laura Fünfstück added a personal highlight—her wedding to fellow tour pro Rosie Davies. Just days later, she was back on the course, ready to compete. “Nice to think about my swing again instead of tablecloths,” she joked, showing how closely personal life and professional golf intertwine. Sometimes, only a travel day separates deep emotion from fierce competition.
Elsewhere, Tiger Woods made headlines for reasons beyond golf. Rumors swirled about a relationship with Vanessa Trump, ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr. Both living in Florida and active in junior golf circles, they were spotted together multiple times. In a year marked by injury and the loss of his mother, Woods’ private life took center stage once again.