In the End, it Truly was The Year of Rory McIlroy

Pebble Beach, one of the cathedrals of our sport, is where Rory McIlroy made his PGA TOUR debut in 2025. It was impossible to know then what was in store for the Northern Irishman, but as we’ve entered the downtime of golf’s schedule, you’d have a hard time making an argument against what’s become clear over the last nine months: Rory is the greatest European to ever touch a golf club.

But let’s rewind.

Rory showed up on the Monterey Peninsula a few weeks removed from a T-4 finish at the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic, so it was clear he had his game in a nice spot after the offseason. And following a 66 at Spyglass Hill on Thursday, Rors shot 15 under across three rounds at Pebble Beach—he was 13 under over the weekend—to win the signature event.

“There's a few what I would call ‘cathedrals of golf,’” McIlroy said after his victory. “Here, Augusta, St. Andrews, obviously. Maybe a few more you could add in there. And I had a big fat zero on all of those going in here. So to knock one off of Pebble is very cool.”

Two weeks later, he tied for 17th with his C-game at The Genesis Invitational, which was played at Torrey Pines due to the wildfires that ripped through California and made it impossible to stage the event at its normal home, Riviera Country Club. Then, at Arnie’s Place, Rory didn’t have his best stuff once again and tied for 15th at Bay Hill.

But the next stop of the Florida Swing treated him a little better.

Rory’s final-round 68 around TPC Sawgrass was enough to force a playoff against J.J. Spaun, who left the winning putt Sunday afternoon right in the jaws. And after Rory’s 336-yard bomb to start the playoff on Monday morning, it quickly became obvious that he was about to become a two-time PLAYERS champion—Spaun’s water ball on 17 helped to solidify it, though.

The only other guys who won multiple majors and THE PLAYERS twice? Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Scottie Scheffler. Decent company, to say the least.

After the week in Ponte Vedra, golf’s attention turned towards the Masters. Sure, there were a few tournaments left to go before players made their way down Magnolia Lane—Rory even played in one, tying for fifth in Houston—but all that mattered now was who was going to slip their arms through the Green Jacket at Augusta National.

Rory had been chasing the Career Grand Slam for a decade, and shockingly, that’s all anyone wants to talk about every time the Masters rolls around. His press conferences are annually filled with “is this the year?” and “what’s different this time around?”

Come Sunday, Rory answered “yes” to both those questions—but it was anything but easy.

Throughout the afternoon, I thought he lost and won the golf tournament five different times. He doubled the first hole and immediately lost his two-shot advantage. Then he birdied three and four to get back to 12 under. After birdies on nine and 10, he was 14 under and well clear of anyone else.

But then he gave it all back.

Bogey on 11, double on 13 after one of the worst wedge shots we’ve ever seen from a professional golfer, and another dropped shot at the 14th. But when he needed it most, he delivered. I still go back to watch this shot every once in a while. It’s just that gross.

After that birdie, he produced another highlight at the 17th.

Needing a par to close it out in regulation, trouble with his wedges crept up again, and he flared one into the right greenside bunker. Despite a great effort from the sand, he couldn’t convert on the short par attempt. So, it was a playoff against Justin Rose. And when Rory found the fairway down 18 once again and faced almost the same wedge shot, he stuffed it.

After a Rose miss, Rory became the sixth golfer to ever accomplish the Career Grand Slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

I cried when it happened, and I nearly cried again looking for that tweet. Something about people realizing life-long dreams, man. It doesn’t get better than that.

In the months following the Masters, Rory went through a lull. He wasn’t sure what he was playing for anymore, and couldn’t produce a new source of motivation. Many believed, including myself, that a win at Augusta would unlock him. It just didn’t turn out that way.

But he played some good golf after the U.S. Open, including a tie for seventh at Royal Portrush. He brought the Green Jacket back to the folks who raised him, and I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like.

A few weeks after the TOUR Championship in Atlanta, Rory headed across the pond to play in the DP World Tour’s Irish Open at The K Club, the very course he won at in 2016.

On the last hole of regulation, Rory buried an eagle putt to force a playoff as the hometown crowd went nuts.

And on the third playoff hole, a birdie on the par-5 was good enough to get it done for the Northern Irishman.

But the cherry on top of everything he accomplished this year was last week at Bethpage Black. Through homophobic slurs, through getting beer thrown at him and his wife, through a Sunday rally from the Americans, Rory delivered on a promise he made two years ago in Rome: Team Europe won a Ryder Cup on foreign soil.

The best part? His best friend, Shane Lowry, sank the winning putt.

Pebble Beach, THE PLAYERS, the Green Jacket and Career Grand Slam, the Irish Open, and the Ryder Cup. Yes, Scottie Scheffler remains the best player in the world after six more wins, including two major championships, but 2025 was undoubtedly The Year of Rory McIlroy.