Keegan Bradley, J.J. Spaun among PGA Tour players who exceeded expectations during 2025 season

A look at eight players who surprised with their play over the last nine months

The 2025 PGA Tour season was largely dominated by the two biggest names in the sport. Scottie Scheffler won five times, including two major championships (plus a bonus win at the FedEx Cup Fall tune-up for the Ryder Cup), continuing to lap the field as the world's best player by a wide margin. Rory McIlroy won three times, including The Players Championship and the Masters, the latter of which completed McIlroy's long-awaited journey to the career grand slam -- the defining moment of the 2025 season. 

However, as the game's brightest stars continued to dominate, there were others players who rose to the occasion in impressive fashion, completing seasons that exceeded the expectations of everyone -- perhaps including themselves. There are eight in particular who finished 2025 in a much different position in the world of golf than when they started it. 

This list does not include the world's No. 1 and No. 2 players, because as spectacularly as Scheffler and McIlroy played, it's hard for them to exceed expectations when they're the two top favorites in every tournament. It also doesn't include first-time winners Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young. For as well as they performed this season - and as cathartic as their victories may have been -- their long runs of underwhelming finishes made these wins more sighs of relief with them finally meeting sky-high expectations as opposed to clearing some sort of significant bar.

Keegan Bradley

No one expected Bradley to play so well this season that not picking himself to the U.S. Ryder Cup team would be a controversial decision. In fact, most expected Bradley to struggle with his game amid the pressure of being captain. Instead, he had one of the best seasons of his career, and calls for Bradley to serve as playing captain peaked after he picked up a signature event win at the Travelers Championship. While he didn't do much after that, his top 10 finish at the Tour Championship seemed like it might be enough to convince himself that he should be part of the 12-man team playing for the United States at Bethpage Black. He ultimately opted not to play in what could be a brilliant motivational ploy, but it doesn't diminish what an incredible season he put together given everything else he had to worry about off the course as the U.S. captain. 

J.J. Spaun

No one improved their position in the world of golf more than Spaun this year. He went from 119th in the world to 7th, transforming himself from a player who was dangerously close to losing his PGA Tour card to a major champion, Ryder Cup lock and constant presence atop leaderboards. His performance at The Players, falling just short in a playoff against McIlroy, raised eyebrows; most expected that to be the high point of the season for Spaun. A few months later, he topped it in spectacular fashion, battling through brutal conditions and a dreadful start on Sunday at Oakmont to win his first major title at the U.S. Open. Spaun would add another runner-up finish in a playoff at the FedEx St. Jude Championship to make it three big money finishes on the year, as he took home nearly $13 million this season and finished second to Scheffler on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list. 

Russell Henley

Did anyone really expect Henley to finish the season ranked No. 4 in the world? He continues to find new peaks in his mid-30s, this year picking up his lone win of the season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which was one of his eight top 10s in big time events in 2025. Henley was T10 at the U.S. Open and Open Championship, T2 at the Tour Championship and registered four other top 10s in signature events, including a T2 at the Travelers Championship. All told, Henley pocketed more than $14 million this season and secured his first ever Ryder Cup spot, finishing fourth in points for the U.S. team. 

Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay among PGA Tour players who fell below expectations during 2025 season

Patrick McDonald

Ben Griffin

Two wins, 10 top 10s (including two at majors), just shy of $10 million earned and a first career Ryder Cup nod for Griffin in 2025 -- that's quite a list of achievements as he went from being a solid pro to a consistent presence on PGA Tour leaderboards. Griffin really turned it on after missing the Masters, winning with Andrew Novak at the Zurich Classic before capturing his first solo win a month later at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He seemed like he might be running out of gas in July, missing the cut in both events he played, but he bounced back with a strong close, finishing T12 or better in each of the final four events of the season to secure his Ryder Cup captain's pick. 

Justin Rose

No one expected the 45-year-old Englishman to be in a playoff with McIlroy at the Masters, but he nearly prevented the story of the year in golf from happening. He eventually got back in the winner's circle at the St. Jude with his win over Spaun in a playoff, adding three more top 10s on the season -- all of which were in events with strong fields. Coming into the 2025 campaign, Rose was one of the few potential questions for the European Ryder Cup team, as they were expected to run it back with most of the squad from Rome, but Rose needed to prove he still had that level in him. He more than rose to the occasion and earned an automatic qualifying spot, ensuring there wasn't any drama about his inclusion. 

Harris English

One of the most consistent players on Tour this season, English picked up his first win since 2021 at Torrey Pines early in the year and kept that form rolling. He finished second to Scheffler at both the PGA Championship and The Open, adding five other top 15 finishes in signature and playoff events. That consistency in performance at the biggest tournaments moved him from 73rd in the world rankings to 10th, locking him into an automatic qualifying spot for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Like fellow Georgia Bulldogs star Henley, English is finding some of his best form in his mid-30s. 

Chris Gotterup

Aside from those dialed into college and amateur golf, Gotterup wasn't on the radar for most golf fans coming into 2025. And then, thanks to two spectacular weeks across the pond, he became a household name in the world of golf. Gotterup's win at the Scottish Open was sensational, as he stared down McIlroy and outlasted him Sunday. A week later at Royal Portrush, he finished third at The Open behind Scheffler and English. He never replicated those performances stateside, but he did add two more top 10s, including a T10 at the Tour Championship, and got himself off the Tour card bubble and into all of the big events in 2026. 

Brian Campbell

Forget the names of the events or the fields against which he competed, Campbell winning twice in a season -- as the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour -- is a remarkable achievement. He didn't do a ton else this year -- those wins at the John Deere and the Mexico Open were his only two top 25s -- but they were enough to finish in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup and secure his spot in every big event on the 2026 calendar. Campbell gives some hope to every short hitter out there that, if they can dial in the rest of their game on the right week, they can get a win. There's certainly a ceiling there, as he struggled to keep up with signature event, major and playoff fields, but to move into the top 60 in the world with his distance is truly incredible.