Despite the golf world still buzzing about Rory McIlroy’s historic victory at the Masters a few weeks ago, it`s already hard to believe the PGA Tour has reached the halfway point of its 2025 FedEx Cup season.
The tour officially enters its second half this week with the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which begins Thursday at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.
While top golfers like Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele were slowed by injuries, the first half of the season featured numerous surprises and first-time winners, including two who claimed victories at last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The good news for fans is that three major championships are still to be played among the final 17 tournaments. This will be followed by what is expected to be a memorable Ryder Cup event at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York, scheduled for September 26-28.
Here is a review of the first half of the 2025 season:
Midseason Player of the Year
Could it really be anyone other than Rory McIlroy? Beyond winning the Masters for the first time, becoming the sixth golfer in the Masters era to achieve the career Grand Slam, he also secured victories against strong fields at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on February 2 and the Players Championship on April 13.
McIlroy currently leads the tour in scoring average (69.2) and holds a significant advantage in strokes gained: total (2.319). His 2,463 points give him a nearly 800-point lead in the FedEx Cup standings.
The five-time major champion might just be getting started, especially considering his impressive history at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, which will host the PGA Championship from May 15-18. He has won the Wells Fargo Championship there four times and holds course records with rounds of 61 and 62. He will also return home to Northern Ireland for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush from July 17-20.
Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open champion at Portrush, commented, “Going back to Portrush is going to be incredible. Rory going back as the Masters champion now is going to take a little bit of heat off me again, so I’m pretty happy with that. It’s going to be a great tournament.”
Others considered: Justin Thomas, Scheffler, Russell Henley, Ludvig Åberg
Midseason Rookie of the Year
Karl Vilips, who moved to the U.S. at age 11, won the Puerto Rico Open by three strokes on March 9, achieving this in just his fourth PGA Tour start. The former Stanford star set the 72-hole scoring record at 26-under 262 at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, opening with a 6-under 66 and closing with an 8-under 64.
“Dream come true for me and my dad,” Vilips said. “Going at it for a long time. This is what we dreamed of when I was a kid. It’s pretty surreal.”
A bulging disc in his back caused Vilips to start the season late, but he quickly lifted a trophy. After missing three consecutive cuts and tying for 54th at the RBC Heritage, Vilips teamed up with Michael Thorbjornsen to tie for fourth place at last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Vilips, 23, became the first ambassador for Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red apparel line in February. He idolized Woods while growing up as a young golfer in Australia.
“He’s who got me into this sport, who motivated me to be who I am today,” Vilips said. “The mentality he brought to everything that he does.”
Others considered: Aldrich Potgieter, Rasmus Højgaard, Isaiah Salinda, Danny Walker
Midseason Comeback Player of the Year
Bud Cauley returned to the PGA Tour in February 2024 after being sidelined for over three years due to injuries sustained in a serious car wreck. Cauley suffered six broken ribs, a collapsed right lung, and a fractured left leg in the single-car crash where he was a passenger at the 2018 Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
Cauley did return to the tour for two years following the wreck but struggled with pain in his ribs caused by a plate inserted in his chest. Additional surgeries and infections followed, leading to his absence for three full seasons.
This year, Cauley has regained his form, achieving four top-25 finishes and three top-10 finishes in nine starts. He tied for sixth place at the Players Championship; his former Alabama teammate and close friend, Justin Thomas, had humorously stated he would do “really, really weird things for Bud to win today.” That strong finish helped Cauley retain his PGA Tour card.
Cauley, currently 37th in the FedEx Cup standings with 553 points, also tied for fourth at the Valspar Championship and for fifth at the Valero Texas Open.
“When I’m out there, I’m not thinking about anything that’s happened in my past, just trying to play as well as I can,” Cauley commented at the Valspar Championship. “Yeah, when I’m out there it’s like nothing ever happened.”
Others considered: Michael Kim, Daniel Berger, Viktor Hovland
Midseason Breakout Player of the Year
Andrew Novak has experienced a steady but at times frustrating progression through the PGA Tour. He finished 156th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2021-22, requiring a return to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship to regain his tour card. He improved to 105th in the FedEx Cup standings the following year and 86th in 2024.
This season, the 30-year-old is playing the best golf of his career. He finished solo third at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and tied for 13th in two signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational.
After a quieter period during the Florida swing, Novak tied for third at the Valero Texas Open and then lost in a playoff to Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage. Most recently, last week, Novak and Ben Griffin secured their first PGA Tour victories in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event, marking Novak`s 100th start on tour.
Novak is currently sixth in the FedEx Cup standings with 1,380 points and ninth in the U.S. Ryder Cup team standings with 5,587.6 points.
“I think I’ve done a pretty good job not getting overly frustrated with the close shaves,” Novak stated. “I’ve been trying to take as many positives from each as I can because the idea is I can put myself in that position as many times as I’m able to. I want to get better each time I’m in that position. I want to be more comfortable. I want to have things that I can look back on and improve on.”
“Yeah, it’s frustrating, but it’s also nice going into a tournament knowing you’re playing well.”
Others considered: Michael Kim, Ben Griffin, Joe Highsmith, Jacob Bridgeman, Brian Campbell, Ryan Gerard
Most Surprising Stat
Zero. That is the number of victories Scottie Scheffler has achieved in eight starts on tour this season, a stark contrast to his nine wins globally in 2024.
This isn`t to say Scheffler has played poorly since returning in early February after recovering from a right hand injury sustained while cooking on Christmas Day. He has finished in the top 25 in every start, including a tie for third at the Genesis Invitational and a tie for second at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He also finished solo fourth at the Masters in his attempt to win consecutive green jackets.
However, even Scheffler admits his game has felt slightly off, particularly his putting, which was a key factor in his numerous victories in 2024. Despite this, he remains second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: total (1.911) and tee to green (1.627), and fourth in approach (.942). These are still impressive statistics.
Best Victory
The Masters. The season’s first major championship delivered everything golf fans could hope for: a final-round showdown between Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau and immense drama on the back nine at Augusta National on Sunday, fueled by McIlroy’s near-collapse and Justin Rose’s remarkable comeback.
Rose, who shot a final-round 6-under 66, sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to exert even more pressure on McIlroy, who had let a four-stroke lead slip away. McIlroy then missed a 5-footer for par on the 18th hole, forcing a playoff with Rose.
On the first playoff hole (the 18th), Rose hit his approach to within 15 feet of the hole, while McIlroy placed his second shot just 4 feet away. Rose missed his birdie putt, and McIlroy sank his to finally capture his first green jacket after 11 attempts.
“This is my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said. “I think the last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that, yeah, I’m sort of wondering what we’re all going to talk about going into next year’s Masters.”
Best Round
Jake Knapp’s 59 in the opening round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. This was the 15th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history and was bogey-free with 12 birdies and six pars.
Best Shot
After carding a double-bogey on the 14th hole in the final round of the Masters, Rory McIlroy hit what was described as the “shot of a lifetime” on the 15th hole, leading to a birdie.
Best Putt
Justin Thomas’ 20-foot birdie putt to win a playoff at the RBC Heritage on April 20. This victory marked a significant moment, ending a nearly three-year winless drought for the two-time major champion.
Best Drive
Rookie Aldrich Potgieter leads the tour in driving distance with a 324.1-yard average off the tee, including a notable 374-yard drive at the Mexico Open.
Worst Drive
At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Aldrich Potgieter, the young South African, had a drive where he clearly topped the ball, showing even top pros have relatable moments.
Best Attitude
Joel Dahmen demonstrated a commendable mindset after finishing with three straight bogeys and missing a short putt on the 17th hole, which resulted in him losing to Garrick Higgo by one stroke at the Corales Puntacana Championship in Puerto Rico on April 20.
Best Punt
Patton Kizzire’s reaction after missing a 5-foot par putt in the first round of the Valspar Championship, indicating a moment of clear frustration.
Best Save
Chandler Phillips made one of the best saves of the season in New Orleans, reportedly coming very close to wading into alligator-infested water to play his shot.
