It is going to be a blockbuster year in 2025 on the golf course, and at the current state of things, we have more questions than answers. The Americans have become the dominant team and last year all four major championships were won by Stateside players, the first time that has occurred in 46 years. Indeed, the last seven majors have been won by the Americans, the longest winning streak by the Americans since the 1970s when Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and others teamed up to win 15 in a row.
They thought they would carry on in the same style this year and with the Ryder Cup bringing the curtain down on the year in late September or early October they have the opportunity of adding the cherry to an already fantastic cake. However, which particular players will assert a major in 2025? And who, if anyone, beyond the USA can bring the battle to the present day top dogs?
Scottie Scheffler
The man who is leading the Stateside charge is Scottie Scheffler. He was supposed to run the show in the tour after his first Masters victory in 2022, when he donned the green jacket for the first time in his career, after putting off a championship Sunday charge by Rory McIlroy to claim the top spot. Two more years and a couple of runner-up finishes would however elapse before he could finally win another major to add to his collection.
That was 12 months ago and at Augusta as well and now the online betting providers anticipate that he will continue to make progress. Online betting sites in Canada now make him a mightily short -110 shot to win one of the four majors in 2025, the only player in the tour who is odds-on. ‘
The bookmakers are placing a lot of chips on his game all round to perform on the big stages and specifically on the courses where control and precision are the key factors. Even though he has been very consistent, his critics will always cite instances when his putter has frozen during important rounds. But one thing that 2024 taught us is that Scheffler has learned how to exist in such moments without collapsing. Is this the year he wins several majors? Bettors do at odds like that.
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy has always been viewed as the man in the sport and at +170 to win a major, the bookies obviously still think he has much to give. But the reality that he is yet to win one of the big four in more than a decade cannot be overlooked. The win was the fourth major victory in only three years by the Northern Irishman and the last major win by the golfer was at the 2014 PGA Championship.
That victory saw him soar to the world rankings top, a spot that he has accumulated over 100 weeks in his career. But even though he is highly ranked in the game, it is the right time that he breaks his drought after 11 years. And according to recent form, McIlroy is most definitely narrowing the gap on being back at the top.
In the past three years, he has ended up on the podium four times, with successive place finishes at the US Open. But the latest of those two silver medals was a heartbreaker as McIlroy choked under pressure and boegied three of the last four holes to give away victory. The pressure will just keep mounting in case the drought extends to a 12 th year.
Xander Schauffele
The 2024 season was the one when Xander Schauffele came out of the shadow of his friend Scheffler and became a superstar. He won two of the biggest championships in the last term, ending his unparalleled consistency into trophies.
An opening day nine under par blistering start saw him create an unsurpassable lead at the PGA Championship, a lead which even the surging Bryson DeChambeau could not overcome. Two months later, he returned the favor by coming back to defeat a six stroke lead after two days to claim The Open. He is now in pursuit of further glory, and the bookies offer him as a +185 candidate to win another crown in 2025.
The challenge? There are still doubts regarding whether he can produce when it matters most in the stretch drives. In his first victory, he almost choked and gave the trophy to his fellow American DeChambeau. Some of those questions, he did answer with his victory at The Open, but whether he can regularly maintain his cool under pressure, particularly with a player like the aforementioned McIlroy backing him up will have to be seen.
Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau +300 completes the list of top favorites, yet his way to regaining supremacy has been not exactly smooth. A controversial figure in the game due to his experimentations with speed training and single-length clubs, DeChambeau is also one of the most fascinating. He already has proven that he has the ability to win majors, which he did at the 2020 U.S. Open, where his game based on power overpowered the course.
Injuries and erratic performances had however made some people question whether Bryson would ever recover the form that had made him a sensation. Well, he silenced those critics last year at the US Open where he beat Rory McIlroy to the post to scoop the award for the second time in four years. This time, he will have something to look forward to, in terms of proving the doubters wrong.
This is Bookies hedging their bets. The odds of +300 indicate that he is somewhat of a dark horse, yet a dark horse that could very well upset the field should he find the right groove. The fact that he has dominated tracks where power is a successful formula makes him a potential threat at such courses as Augusta, where risk-reward tends to decide the fate on Sundays.