It’s been another stellar year of golf from Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour in 2025 and he’ll go into 2026 cemented as the number two golfer in the world right now.
McIlroy finally added the Masters to his already impressive CV in ’25 and he will be looking to add a sixth major next year.
With McIlroy now done until January after wrapping things up in Australia, all eyes will be on just what he can achieve in 2026.
Do you think Rory McIlroy will win two or more majors before he retires?
Can he go one better and win two majors in a year again? Can he somehow usurp Scottie Scheffler at the top of the rankings? Time will tell, but for now, we’ve looked back at 2025 and picked out FIVE of McIlroy’s best moments.
Starting the season in style
Nothing sets the tone for the PGA Tour season like winning your first event and Rory did just that when he rocked up to Pebble Beach in February.
McIlroy was on fine form all week and took a comfortable enough win in the end to win the AT&T Pro Am and very much set the scene for the season.
He finished top 20 in his next two events, before winning The Players in March to complete a fine opening to 2025.
The ‘shot of his life’ at Augusta National
It was never going to take much to get to the Masters but here we are.
With McIlroy knowing his tournament was in the balance on 15 at Augusta National, he was faced with a shot from under the trees which needed drawing round, over water, and onto the green.
In a moment of McIlroy magic, he smashed the ball to around 12 feet and two putted for birdie to reignite his charge.
In terms of crucial shots, this was as big as things get.
Irish Open glory
Ok, so this one isn’t strictly a PGA Tour but in terms of huge moments in McIlroy’s career, this one was right up there.
September saw McIlroy head to the K Club and delight the Irish fans in attendance as he was faced with yet another playoff, this time against Joakim Lagergren.
McIlroy, much like he had done with his win over JJ Spaun in a playoff earlier in the year, simply relished the pressure and he saw off the Swedish star to win again and seal a 20th DP World Tour win in the process.
Ryder Cup leader
There was so much riding on McIlroy going into Bethpage Black.
The Ryder Cup for 2025 had so much build up that it felt like anything other than drama would have been a disappointment.
In the end, some unruly crowd scenes saw things overshadowed a touch but for McIlroy, the win for he and team Europe was all the sweeter.
After enduring countless taunts from American fans, McIlroy played his heart out, winning three and a half points for Luke Donald’s men and very much showing he is now the alpha of that group.
Masters and Grand Slam glory
Was number five really going to be anything else?
McIlroy’s win at Augusta in April was one of the most heart-warming and yet gut-wrenching watches in sport for the whole year.
Years and years of pressure had built on McIlroy and when he looked to have it won, in swooped Justin Rose to pile the pressure on and force yet another playoff for McIlroy.
Nevertheless, McIlroy’s class shone through as he plopped his wedge shot onto the green perfectly and holed the biggest putt of his life to send the golfing world into a frenzy.
The scenes afterwards were incredible and in terms of 2025, this is right up there across any sport, never mind just golf.
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