McIlroy Wins Masters... 'Best Moment of the Year'

Career Grand Slam Achieved with Victories in All Four Majors
Scheffler and Thitikul Usher in a New Era of Dominance
Lee Seungtaek and Yumin Hwang Earn Their Place on the U.S. Stage
Japanese Golf Legend "Jumbo" Ozaki Passes Away

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland enjoyed the best moment of his year.

In April, he won the Masters, achieving a career Grand Slam by capturing all four major championships. This remarkable feat makes him only the sixth player in history to do so. Ranked second in the world, he secured three wins on the PGA Tour this year, including the Masters. He also claimed victory at The Players Championship, often referred to as the "fifth major." These are among the top five golf news stories of 2025, as selected by The Asia Business Daily.

Rory McIlroy cheers after making the winning birdie on the first hole of the Masters playoff, the 18th hole. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Scottie Scheffler of the United States and Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand emerged as the dominant players on the men's and women's tours, respectively. World No. 1 Scheffler played in 20 PGA Tour events this year and amassed an impressive six victories. Although he started his season late due to a palm injury, he still managed to win two major championships: the PGA Championship and The Open. Over the past 40 years, Scheffler is only the second player, after "golf emperor" Tiger Woods, to record six or more PGA Tour victories in consecutive years.

Thitikul surpassed Nelly Korda of the United States to become the top-ranked female golfer in the world. Last month, she won the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA Tour for the second consecutive year, earning her third win of the season and seventh career title. This season, she ranked first in Player of the Year, prize money, scoring average, and CME Group points. She also broke the all-time lowest season scoring average record set by Annika Sorenstam of Sweden in 2002, as well as the record for most prize money in a single LPGA Tour season.

“Bear” Lee Seungtaek and “Captain” Yumin Hwang also produced memorable moments. Lee Seungtaek, a long hitter on the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA) Tour, earned the right to compete on the PGA Tour. After finishing fifth in last year’s Genesis Points, he advanced directly to the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School and finished tied for 14th in the Q-School Final, securing a Korn Ferry Tour card awarded to the top 40 players. This year, Lee recorded one runner-up finish and six top-10 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour. He ranked third in Korn Ferry Tour points and will debut on the PGA Tour next year.

Yumin Hwang is smiling brightly while holding the trophy right after winning the LPGA Tour Lotte Championship. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Yumin Hwang, who has three career wins on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, competed as an invited player at the LPGA Tour Lotte Championship in October and claimed victory. She also earned a tour card for the United States next year. Last month, she capped off her season by winning the final event of the KLPGA Tour, the Daebo HausD Championship. This year, she demonstrated her strength by winning tournaments in the United States, Taiwan, and South Korea.

A legend has passed away. Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki of Japan, who holds the record for most wins on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) with 94 victories, died at the age of 78. Born in 1947, Ozaki had been battling colon cancer since being diagnosed a year ago. He claimed his first victory at the Japan PGA Championship in 1971, and on the JGTO, he notched 94 wins from the 1973 Kanto Pro Championship to the 2002 ANA Open. His victory at the 2002 ANA Open, achieved at the age of 55 years and 7 months, remains the oldest win in JGTO history. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.