The 2025 golf season was one of the most competitive and exciting ones. From Scottie Scheffler’s continued dominance and Rory McIlroy‘s career Grand Slam to the first away Ryder Cup victory for the Europeans since 2012, there was ample competition, intensity, and fun. There were many exceptional performances from various golfers, and to honor that, we have the ES Golf 2025 Men’s Awards.

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Player of the Year – Scottie Scheffler

When we think of dominating a golf season, Tiger Woods‘s name and, sure, Vijay Singh and Nick Price come to mind. But it was in the early 2000s when these golfers took home many trophies, winning every third or fourth start. There’s actually no one who has won more than five titles on a single Tour since 2010 except Scottie Scheffler.

It was not easy for us to decide. There was this one particular Northern Irishman who made it really challenging. Rory McIlroy has had a dream 2025, winning the 2025 Masters, but despite that, Ryder Cup heroics, and 7th Race to Dubai title, we had to go with Scottie Scheffler because of the two major wins and how excellence became a routine for him.

The World No. 1’s 2025 season felt relentless in the best possible way; six wins, including two major wins at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, in particular, made the decision a little easier for us. That’s probably why even the PGA Tour handed Scheffler the Player of the Year award.

It was not just wins, though, that we considered. While his name hovered at the top of leaderboards every few weeks, we also factored in his scoring average of 68.131 (highest on the PGA Tour) and his lead in all four rounds individually. With scoring averages of 67.45, 68.00, 68.40, and 68.10 in Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, we believe that he certainly had an edge over others.

Most Innovative Shot of the Year – Billy Horschel left-handed

Some shots sound crazy until a golfer executes them. Something like that happened at the 2025 Valspar Championship, when fans, fellow pros, and broadcasters watched Billy Horschel take a stance for a left-handed stroke from the fairways. The 8x PGA Tour pro himself didn’t have much confidence in it.

“Listen, it was a hit-and-hope shot, and I pulled it off and to make the putt … I mean, funny things happen like that,” Horschel said in the post-match conference.

It all started when he hit a 3-iron, and the ball landed right next to a pine tree. There was no room for him to make a right-handed shot from there, so Horschel decided to go with the only option he had. He grabbed a 9-iron with the sole aim of hitting it straight in the air. And he also required some gallery control for that. His young son was sitting just 50 yards from the ball. Since Horschel had no idea of the outcome of the shot, he yelled at his son to get out of the way.

The outcome was sweet, though. Who would have known that the left-handed shot would go straight and land on the green? To add the cherry on top, Billy Horschel made a 40-foot birdie putt to finish T4. The bright, wide smile on Horschel’s face after making the putt said everything about the shot he had just pulled off.

Best Moment of the Year – Rory McIlroy’s Grand Slam Win

Although Scottie Scheffler had beaten Rory McIlroy for the ES Player of the Year award, there was no one close to the Northern Irishman when it came to having the best moment on the course. The 29-time PGA Tour winner has had many close finishes at the Masters since 2014. But after 11 long years of close finishes, the World No. 2 won the Masters 2025 by beating Justin Rose in a playoff.

Even more so than McIlroy’s strokes on the course, his raw emotions on the 18th green became the talk of the town. McIlroy was on his knees with his head down on the ground, crying out and letting the emotions flow. His face reflected a wide array of emotions—happiness, pride, and fulfillment. Mixed with the happy tears rolling down his face, it felt as if Rory McIlroy had once again fallen in love with golf. And he feels the same strong and complex emotions months after the win.

He had finally completed his career Grand Slam and became the first European to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. As he stood up, he hugged his caddie, his wife, and his daughter. And then came the moment where Scottie Scheffler was putting the iconic green jacket on Rory McIlroy.

The 2025 golf season witnessed many great moments, be it Aaron Rai’s hug to his father after winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship or the European Team’s first away win in a Ryder Cup event since 2012. However, none of them came even closer to Rory McIlroy’s Grand Slam win.

Comeback Player of the Year: Justin Thomas

“I still fully believe that I can have a year like Scottie (Scheffler) just had… I think I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t think I could at least do that.” That’s what Justin Thomas had to say at the end of the Travelers Championship.

Although JT didn’t come any closer to Scheffler in 2025, he did make a return to the winner’s circle. A close to three-year drought hung over his career. But Harbour Town changed everything.

A playoff birdie at the RBC Heritage sealed Thomas’ 16th PGA Tour title and his first since the 2022 PGA Championship. That win followed a painful near-miss at the Valspar Championship. JT’s 2025 showed signs of his comeback from the very start. After missing six cuts in 2022-2023 and four in 2024, he missed the cut in only two events in 2025. Moreover, he was in the top 25 in 9 of the 21 starts he had.

Justin Rose was also in contention for winning the ES Comeback Player of the Year award. After his last win at the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he went winless in 2024 before claiming the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship. But it wasn’t a tough decision, actually. Despite Rose’s win, Justin Thomas’ winless drought was longer, and his comeback was stronger. Rose had 18 starts and made the cut in only 12, with 7 top-25 finishes. So it was clear that Justin Thomas deserved this award.

Viral Moment of the Year—Scottie Scheffler’s fart at The Open

Considering Scottie Scheffler’s straightforward, down-to-earth nature, it sounds almost impossible to see him as part of the most viral moment of 2025. But trust us, this one’s worth the win. And it had us laughing for several minutes straight. It’s a viral moment, and many of you might already know about it. But for those who don’t, the microphone captured Scheffler’s fart on the par-4, seventeenth hole at The Open Championship 2025.

The noise was loud and clear, and the broadcasters started laughing on live television. What made the moment even more hilarious was one of the broadcaster’s comments. “Just a little bit of wind from behind,” he said, and there was no controlling our laughter after that.

It became an internet sensation quickly. Considering the fame and dominance Scottie Scheffler has had on golf courses, it was bound to happen. Clips started spreading everywhere, spawning memes and millions of views across social media platforms. NUCLR GOLF’s post of the incident alone got 2.1 million views and 1,100 reposts on X.

For a brief moment, people thought that it would be one of the fans who had let out the fart. But later, Scheffler admitted to letting out the flatulence during an interview on the Pardon My Take podcast. And it is not his first time as well. This has happened at the Masters 2022 and then in 2023 during a discussion with his caddie, Ted Scott.

Fan of the Year – Irish Open fans – dad and son

There was strong competition for this award, and it was not easy for us to decide the winner. McIlroy with a young fan wearing the green jacket, the USA team’s moment with a birthday boy at the Ryder Cup, Billy Horschel signing a fan’s leg after the ball hit him, and more came very close to winning. But the moment that stole the show was a father and son’s reaction to Rory McIlroy’s eagle putt on the 72nd hole to seal the Irish Open 2025.

Len Hall and his son didn’t plan on going viral. But the cameras captured their priceless reactions at just the right moment. The video also shows Len Hall with his fingers crossed as the duo follows the shot’s arc in slow motion. And as the ball went into the hall, both started shouting and celebrating, as if it were their own victory.

The father also revealed that he’d positioned them earlier in the day so his son could see the 18th hole clearly. The video of the reaction showed how true golf fans are and the pure joy they experience when their favorite stars win. And EssentiallySports, true to its “fan’s perspective” tagline, couldn’t keep itself from honoring the father-son duo with the ES Fan of the Year award.

Breakout Pro of the Year: Chris Gotterup

Chris Gotterup didn’t knock on the door in 2025; he kicked it open.

When an underdog not just holds his nerve against an opponent like Rory McIlroy but actually defeats him, the pro is certain to make a mark. The Genesis Scottish Open became the statement event for Gotterup. He went all in and came out with a course record of 61, followed by a closing round of 66. The final round under 66 helped Gotterup power past McIlroy to get a two-stroke victory. This marked his second PGA Tour win after the 2024 Myrtle Beach triumph.

While his win against the 2025 Masters champion was nothing short of excellent, what made him stand out for us is how he carried that momentum. He had already shown that he has exceptional golfing skills with a T23 at the US Open. But after his Genesis Scottish Open win, he followed with a solo 3rd at The Open Championship to walk away with $1.128 million. Then came his T10 at the 3M Open and the same spot at his TOUR Championship debut, which saw him climb 55 spots in the FedExCup standings.

What’s more is that he rose from the 230th spot in world rankings at the start of the season to 28th by the end of it. The growth alone reflects why he deserves to get the ES Breakout Pro of the Year award.

Wholesome Moment of the Year

Born in September 2017, Tommy Fleetwood’s son, Frankie Fleetwood, is eight years old. But never in these eight years had he had the chance to run on the 18th green after his father’s win. It’s not like Fleetwood didn’t win in these eight years. After Frankie’s birth, Fleetwood won the 2018 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2019 and 2022, and the Dubai Invitational in 2024. In fact, he even won his maiden title on the PGA Tour with the TOUR Championship in August 2025. But Frankie never ran on the 18th green after his win.

Just before heading for the final round of the DP World India Championship, Frankie told Tommy Fleetwood about his wish to run on the 18th green. And as if fate had planned it, Fleetwood defeated Keita Nakajima with a comfortable two-stroke lead to win the event in India. The DP World Tour captured the beautiful moment where Frankie is running on the green and shares a hug with his father.

The video beautifully captures the moment and Frankie Fleetwood’s smile. Son shares his dream, and father goes on to win the very next event to fulfill it; a truly wholesome moment in our eyes.

The ES Golf 2025 Men’s Awards captures and reflects on a golf season rich in contrasts. From history-making wins to split-second creativity and heartfelt celebrations, this year had everything to offer. Through these awards, we aim to relive these emotional, funny, proud, and wholesome moments once again.