Rory McIlroy’s near-misses, memorable major storylines and the stars to look out for in 2025 all feature in a special end-of-year awards edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast.
DP World Tour stalwart David Howell and Robert Lee join regular host Josh Antmann to dissect another eventful year in the sport, in which Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda enjoyed remarkable runs and Xander Schauffele made major history.
The trio debate what their favourite shot of the year was, with Bryson DeChambeau’s US Open-winning up and down on the 72nd hole at Pinehurst and multiple McIlroy efforts featuring on their shortlist.
McIlroy enjoyed four worldwide wins but also had four runner-up finishes during an eventful 2024, where he claimed the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai for a sixth time, with plenty of discussion about his season and how close he was to a career-changing campaign.
There is a closer look at Korda’s season – she won seven times on the LPGA Tour, including five consecutive victories and a second major title, plus a look at some of the players who enjoyed breakout years on the 2024 DP World Tour.
They review some of the funnier moments of the year, including excitable celebrations at the Presidents Cup and a commentary blunder at another event, with Robert MacIntyre’s success and Scheffler’s dramatic arrest during the PGA Championship also getting a mention.
All four men’s major and five women’s majors are once again exclusively live on Sky Sports in 2025, with McIlroy having another opportunity to end his long drought and claim a first major success since the 2014 PGA Championship.
The panel give their verdict on whether 2025 will be the year McIlroy makes it major No 5 and if Scheffler can continue his dominance to stay top of the world rankings, plus look at what Charley Hull needs to do in the women’s game.
“She [Hull] needs to win more,” Lee told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. “She needs to win regular LPGA Tour events and be knocking some of those off. They’ve got five majors in the women’s game and it’s hard to peak in a given week.
“You tend to win majors because you’re winning other tournaments, unless it’s a rarity, so she needs to concentrate on that. Majors will come along when they come along, but she needs to win more often.”
“There’s no one else like Charley, not even in the men’s game. She is unique and is a lot of fun to watch. As a player, as a competitor, she just needs to find a way that can get her across the line more often.”
The 2025 preview also includes a look ahead to the Ryder Cup, but how do the guests think Luke Donald’s side are going to fare with Bethpage Black and the crowds as they chase a historic away success?
Listen to the latest Sky Sports Golf podcast or watch the vodcast edition on Sky Sports Golf, while it is also available throughout the Christmas period via Sky Sports On Demand. Stream Sky Sports with NOW.