A brand new golf season arrived final week when a lot of the PGA Tour’s greatest arrived on the Kapalua Plantation Course, the place Hideki Matsuyama posted a historic 35-under-par rating to take dwelling the title.
With the golf season off and operating, GOLF Subpar hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz felt it was the suitable time to look forward to the upcoming main season and predict who will declare golf’s largest prizes in 2025.
As is all the time the case, the main championship dialog revolved round Rory McIlroy and his quest to snap his 10-year main drought.
Whereas neither Knost nor Stoltz picked McIlroy to win the 2025 Masters, Knost does see McIlroy choosing off not one however two majors in 2025, beginning with the PGA Championship at Quail Hole.
“There’s a person named Rory McIlroy that’s going to be within the subject and he sort of likes Quail Hole slightly bit,” Knost mentioned. “He’s solely gained there 4 occasions. In 13 occasions, he has 10 top-10s. He makes this golf course appear like a pitch-and-putt with a number of the strains he takes.
“I do know the entire world goes to choose Rory to finish his main drought — it has been since 2014 — however I believe Rory will get it accomplished on the PGA right here.”
Knost sees McIlroy lifting the Wanamaker Trophy after which punctuating his return to main championship glory with a win on the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. As you would possibly bear in mind, McIlroy holds the course file at Royal Portrush (61) and famously made a quadruple bogey on the opening gap of the 2019 Open there en path to lacking the minimize.
Knost believes issues will probably be totally different this time for McIlroy with a significant championship in his dwelling nation.
“I simply assume that is going to be an enormous yr for this man,” Knost mentioned. “Final time The Open was right here, he began off with slightly eight on the primary gap. He was all of the speak getting in. He’s from Northern Eire. He’s the hometown favourite. Had the burden of the nation on his again and proceeded to hit two balls out of bounds to start out the event.
“I’ve a sense he’s out for revenge when it comes again to Royal Portrush. I’ve Rory McIlroy choosing up his second main of the yr.”
Whereas Knost believes McIlroy will snap his main drought in an enormous method, Stolz doesn’t see the four-time main winner including to his trophy case in 2025.
He does, nonetheless, see two different European stars successful main titles in 2025, together with a critic-silencing win for Jon Rahm at The Open.
“He didn’t have the perfect main efficiency final yr, proper?” Stoltz mentioned. “Went to LIV. Persons are sort of sleeping on him. I believe his motivation to win main championships is as excessive as ever. He hears the narrative. He is aware of about it. I believe he needs to show everyone incorrect.
“The way in which he drives the golf ball. The home windows he can hit. He can hit it low, excessive, quick sport, all that. I like him at a bunch of main championships however I really feel like an Open is a spot he’s going to get it accomplished. Why not this yr?”
