2025 has been a memorable year for golf in general but with 2026 around the corner, there is a realistic chance we see something even better.
Both the men’s and women’s games have delivered in 2025. Dramatic moments like Rory McIlroy winning the Masters, Lottie Woad’s triumph at the Scottish Open, and Scottie Scheffler’s continued dominance are just a few highlights from a brilliant year.
Add those to the fact we had a great Ryder Cup and a number of young stars emerged in the game, and we are going to look back on ’25 with fondness.
However, right at the top of the PGA and LPGA Tours, there is something shaping up that could mean what we get in 2026 is even better.
The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour are on the brink of a memorable 2026 season
Right now, the men’s side of things is winding down, with the players right at the bottom of the top 100 battling it out to keep their tour cards.
On the LPGA side of things, we have the CME Group Tour Championship taking place, where Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul will go out together as the final pairing.
Indeed, it is Thitikul and Korda who could help lead the way for a memorable 2026 for golf.
The world’s number one and two players on the LPGA Tour could potentially be in for a mouth-watering year of head to heads. Korda hasn’t won at all in 2025, but Thitikul is on course to win the Tour Championship and with that, we could see a rivalry kick off.
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Likewise, we have two giants of the game in Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour side of things who, like their female counterparts, are the world’s top two players.
We didn’t get to see much of Scheffler v McIlroy in 2025 apart from the Ryder Cup but there is a big hope among fans and the TOUR that 2026 will see them clash more often.
We saw the excitement at the Masters when McIlroy went out alongside Bryson DeChambeau. If that is Scheffler next year, then the excitement levels will reach new heights.
With McIlroy, Scheffler, Korda and Thitikul all setting the benchmarks on their relative tours, there is a genuine chance we see a 2026 that somehow exceeds what we’ve been treated to in 2025.
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Golf is proving it’s a worldwide sport once again
For a long time, America has been seen as the place to be for not only the best golfers, but also as the place to make the biggest name for yourself.
Some of that is still true and in the main, golfers long to get on the PGA Tour and take on America.
However, with the four players mentioned here in Korda, Scheffler, McIlroy and Thitikul, we get a clear example of just how global the game of golf is.
| Rory McIlroy | Scottie Scheffler | |
| Events played | 16 | 20 |
| Cuts made | 15 | 20 |
| Wins | 3 | 6 |
| Top tens | 8 | 17 |
| Top 25s | 14 | 20 |
| Money earned | $16,992,418 | $27,659,550 |
Just there we have representation from the USA, Northern Ireland and Thailand. Add in players like Charley Hull (UK), Jason Day (Australia) and Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and you get a true picture of where the game is right now.
With Korda and Scheffler potentially leading the way and battles with McIlroy and Thitikul to come, golf is truly in a fine place and 2026 could well be its biggest year yet.
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