2025 PGA Tour top storylines: From Scottie to Rory to the Ryder Cup

After just a 39-day offseason, the PGA Tour's 2025 schedule tees off Thursday at the Sentry at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii, one of eight signature events with limited fields and $20 million purses.

Fans will have to wait a few more weeks to watch Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy compete on tour. The wait might be even longer to see 15-time major champion Tiger Woods back on the course.

But defending Sentry champion Chris Kirk is back in Hawaii, along with two-time major champ Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Ludvig Åberg and others.

Here are the top storylines and golfers to watch on the PGA Tour in 2025:

Scheffler's dominance (and injury)

Scottie Scheffler will miss this week's season opener, The Sentry, after cutting his right hand on a broken glass while cooking dinner on Christmas Day. The world's No. 1 golfer had surgery to remove small glass particles from his right palm, his agent, Blake Smith, said in a statement.

Scheffler is expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks, and he hopes to return for The American Express in La Quinta, California, on Jan. 16-19.

If nothing else, Scheffler's absence in the first two tournaments in Hawaii will give someone else a chance to win. The reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year won seven times on tour last season and captured a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. He also finished first in his most recent start at the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event in the Bahamas.

Tiger on the mend

At last month's Hero World Challenge, Woods told reporters that he's not close to being physically ready to compete on tour. The 15-time major champion announced in mid-September that he had undergone what is believed to be his sixth back surgery. He said his back injury caused pain down his leg, which became progressively worse during the 2024 season.

Woods made just five starts on tour in 2024, missing three cuts and withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational because of illness. At the Masters, he finished 60th, last among golfers who made the cut.

Woods and his son, Charlie, competed in last month's PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida, losing in a playoff to Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason. It was Tiger's first competition since he missed the cut at The Open in July. He was allowed to use a cart at the PNC.

Tiger is scheduled to make five appearances in TGL, the new tech-infused golf league, on Jan. 14, Jan. 27, Feb. 18, Feb. 25 and March 4. If he's physically ready, his first appearance on the PGA Tour might come at the Genesis Invitational, a tournament he hosts at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles. If not, we might not see him until the Masters, the first major of the season in April.

Schauffele's rise

Until last year, Xander Schauffele was considered among the best golfers in the world who hadn't won a major championship. He picked up the PGA Championship and The Open last season, and now he's halfway to completing the career Grand Slam.

Schauffele seemingly doesn't have a weakness in his game. Last season, he ranked second in strokes gained: total (1.941) and tee to green (1.431), sixth in approach (.678), 10th off the tee (.557) and 12th in putting (.510).

With the can't-win-a-major monkey off his back, Schauffele might be Scheffler's biggest threat at the big four.

McIlroy's major drought

Rory McIlroy's victory at the DP World Tour Championship on Nov. 17 put a bow on what would have been a great season for most golfers. McIlroy won twice on the PGA Tour, at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with teammate Shane Lowry) and the Wells Fargo Championship, and on the DP World Tour (he also captured the Dubai Desert Classic for the fourth time in January 2024).

But the 35-year-old golfer faces higher expectations than most, so his 2024 season will be remembered most for his collapse in the final round of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. He had a two-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau with five holes to play and lost by one. It was McIlroy's best chance to end a 10-year drought without a major championship victory.

He'll be among the favorites again at the Masters, which he needs to win to complete the career Grand Slam, and at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he has won four times in his career.

Spieth's comeback

Jordan Spieth had surgery on his left wrist in late August to repair an ulnar nerve condition that dated back to the spring of 2023. The three-time major championship winner recorded a career-low three top-10s and career-high seven missed cuts in 22 starts last season.

Spieth didn't compete in any of the PGA Tour fall events and hasn't yet announced when he'll compete in 2025. He didn't qualify for the Sentry, but his caddie, Michael Greller, is filling in for Max Homa's caddie in Hawaii this week.

Top FedEx Cup contenders

Scottie Scheffler: Rinse and repeat. With an improved putting stroke, sublime ballstriking and soft hands around the greens, Scheffler is again the golfer to beat in 2025.

Xander Schauffele: It wasn't just the majors for Schauffele in 2023. He nearly won three more times, finishing runner-up at the Players, Wells Fargo Championship and the FedEx. St. Jude Championship. He had 20 top-25s and didn't miss a cut in 22 starts.

Rory McIlroy: McIlroy is kicking off his season in the Middle East again. He'll compete in the Dubai Desert Classic on Jan. 16-19. He probably won't compete on the PGA Tour until the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

Ludvig Aberg: Aberg, the No. 5 golfer in the world, played much of last season with pain in his left knee. He underwent surgery in September to repair a torn medial meniscus. Aberg said he was 100% healthy when he tied for 17th at the RSM Classic in November.

Collin Morikawa: Morikawa didn't win during the 2024 season, but he finished in the top 16 in each of the four majors, including a tie for third at the Masters and for fourth at the PGA Championship. He also was runner-up at the Memorial Tournament and Tour Championship. If Morikawa's iron play is better in 2025, he might be difficult to beat with his improved putting and work around the greens.

Patrick Cantlay: Cantlay didn't win in 2023 or 2024, around the time he became heavily involved in reshaping the PGA Tour. He tied for third at the U.S. Open and had 12 top-25s in 19 starts on tour.

Sahith Theegala: The 27-year-old seems close to becoming a regular contender on tour after amassing nine top-10s in 26 starts in 2024. He was runner-up at the Sentry in January 2024 and was third at the Tour Championship.

Sam Burns: He closed the 2024 season with a bang by finishing in the top 12 in each of the three FedEx Cup playoffs events, including a tie for second at the BMW Championship. Burns has become one of the better putters on tour, and if his iron plays are more dialed in, he could return to the winner's circle in 2025.

Hideki Matsuyama: The 2021 Masters champion captured victories at the Genesis Invitational and FedEx St. Jude Championship last season, along with a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. Matsuyama's history of back and neck injuries is a concern, but he's difficult to beat when he's healthy.

Russell Henley: Few golfers were playing better than Henley at the end of the 2024 FedEx Cup season. He finished fifth at The Open and tied for fourth at the Tour Championship. He has a great all-around game and ranked in the top 40 in strokes gained: approach, putting and around the green.

The majors

Here are the dates, locations and defending champions of the four major championships:

Masters
When: April 10-13
Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler

PGA Championship
When: May 15-18
Where: Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
Defending champion: Xander Schauffele

U.S. Open
When: June 12-15
Where: Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
Defending champion: Bryson DeChambeau

The Open
When: July 17-20
Where: Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush, Northern Ireland
Defending champion: Xander Schauffele

Signature events

Here are the dates and locations of the eight signature events in 2025 that have limited fields, increased prize money ($20 million) and FedExCup points (700 points to the winner).

The Sentry
When: Jan. 2-5
Where: Kapalua Resort, Kapalua, Hawaii
Defending champion: Chris Kirk

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
When: Jan. 30-Feb. 2
Where: Spyglass Hills Golf Club/Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California
Defending champion: Wyndham Clark

Genesis Invitational
When: Feb. 13-16
Where: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California
Defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama

Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
When: March 6-9
Where: Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler

RBC Heritage
When: April 17-20
Where: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler

Truist Championship
When: May 8-11
Where: The Philadelphia Cricket Club, Philadelphia
Defending champion: Rory McIlroy

The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday
When: May 29-June 1
Where: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler

Travelers Championship
When: June 19-22
Where: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler

The Ryder Cup

The 45th Ryder Cup will be played at the Bethpage Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York, on Sept. 26-28. The home team has captured each of the past five matches; the European team last won on foreign soil in 2012. The Europeans routed the U.S. team 16½-11½ at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside Rome in 2023.

The top six finishers in the Ryder Cup standings will qualify for each team. U.S. team captain Keegan Bradley and European captain Luke Donald will then make six captain's picks.

Schauffele (9,580.96), Scheffler (9,145.56), DeChambeau (6993), Morikawa (2478.13), Brian Harman (2,250.56) and Billy Horschel (2,037.22) lead the U.S. points standings heading into 2025, followed by Clark (1,936.21), Cantlay (1,613.26), Russell Henley (1,600.43) and Tony Finau (1,575.88). Ryder Cup veterans like Thomas (20th, 611.64), Brooks Koepka (33rd, 381.64) and Spieth (41st, 245.89) have work to do.

On the European side, McIlroy (792.07) leads the points standings, followed by Rasmus Højgaard (706.53), Tyrrell Hatton (587.84), Matt Wallace (505.42), Paul Waring (465.13) and Niklas Norgaard (419.73). Tommy Fleetwood is 16th in points (268.73), Jon Rahm is 17th (257.8), Shane Lowry is 18th (229.73), Nicolai Højgaard is 47th (105.41) and Justin Rose is 77th (50.91).

Rookies to know

Michael Thorbjornsen: The former Stanford star joined the tour in June 2024 but is still considered a rookie. At 17, he won the U.S. Junior Amateur and made the cut in the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He was runner-up in the John Deere Classic and tied for eighth in two other events in 2024.

Rasmus Højgaard: Højgaard will join his twin brother, Nicolai, on the PGA Tour after finishing second in the DP World Tour's season-long points race (behind only McIlroy). The 23-year-old was a seven-time winner around the world, and he was the youngest player to collect five DP World Tour victories since José María Olazábal in 1989.

Matt McCarty: The left-handed golfer picked up his first PGA Tour victory at the Black Desert Championship in Utah on Oct. 13 in just his third start on tour. He won three times in a six-week span on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024 to earn his PGA Tour card.

Thriston Lawrence: A four-time winner on the DP World Tour, the South African golfer qualified for the 2025 Masters and The Open by finishing solo fourth at Royal Troon Golf Club in July.

Aldrich Potgieter: Potgieter, another golfer from South Africa, became the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history, at 19 years and 133 days, when he finished first at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January 2024. He led the KFT in driving distance (336.5 yards) and posted a 59 in the second round of the Astara Golf Championship in February.

Karl Vilips: Another former Stanford golfer, Vilips is a long hitter off the tee (326.6 yards) and led the Korn Ferry Tour in birdie average (4.97). Vilips was born in Indonesia, raised in Australia and moved to the U.S. when he was 11.

Luke Clanton: Clanton is expected to join the PGA Tour after his senior season at Florida State, but he has already made quite an impression as an amateur. Clanton made eight starts on tour last season, making the cut in all but one, and tying for second at the John Deere Classic and RSM Classic.