Golf Monthly November 2025

neil.tappin@futurenet.com During the acrimonious split between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, one phrase that consistently reappeared was ‘growing the game’. In this instance, it was being used to explain how the concept and shortened format behind LIV was going to open golf up to a new army of sports fans. I’m not going to write about the validity, or otherwise, of that argument, but instead I want to comment on why growing the game is vital for all of us. Here, I’m referring to how we increase the number of juniors playing golf. To my mind, this is becoming more important, not just because I’d like to see golf thrive, but because playing golf offers a sustained break from the virtual world. Quite simply, the combination of smartphones and…

A sorry state of affairs As an octogenarian and keen golfer, I did not expect to witness the behaviour seen at Bethpage Black. The requirement to employ armed police/state troopers to maintain a semblance of crowd control says it all. Sorry, I’ve forgotten the name of the comedienne (not so funny) announcing on the 1st tee on Friday, but Rory, the main butt of the abuse, was magnanimous post-match. Golf teaches you good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette, it teaches you to play by the rules and, above all, it teaches you respect. But it is not fair to wholly condemn the masses over the appalling behaviour of the significant few. Tom Watson was gracious in his apology. The request of the US players to be paid performance money…

You’ve joined Tony Jacklin as the only European Ryder Cup captains to win home and away. What does this victory mean to you? It’s been the most stressful 12 hours in my life. Shout out to the Americans, Keegan and his captaincy. I knew it would be tough; I didn’t think they would be this tough on Sunday. They fought so hard and all the respect to them. But this means a lot, obviously, to me and the team. We came here knowing the task was very difficult. Europe lost the last Ryder Cup in the US by a record margin. You said you adopted a completely new style for this one. What changes did you make? Well, having a repeat captain for one. I was just fortunate to have…

20 Best finish for two-time 2025 PGA Tour winner Brian Campbell outside of his two play-off victories 3 Players to have three eagles in a round on the 2025 PGA Tour: Philip Knowles, Chandler Phillips & Davis Thompson 26 Different winners in 26 LPGA Tour events this year, including one pairs event, with Nelly Korda winless MULTIPLE WINNERS ON THE 2025 DP WORLD TOUR SCHEDULE UP TO THE SPANISH OPEN STROKES GAINED LEADERS ON THE DP WORLD TOUR UP TO THE DUNHILL LINKS 2,210 Anthony Kim’s world ranking in mid-October, 17 years after he reached a career high of 6th MOST WEEKS AT MEN’S OWGR WORLD NO.1 IN THE 2020s 1 Number of singles matches Team Europe won at Bethpage, the lowest number since 1959 100% Tommy Fleetwood’s win record…

“I THINK WE’VE TAKEN WHAT I SAID A LITTLE OUT OF CONTEXT. I THINK RYDER CUPS ARE MEANT TO HAVE A LOT OF ENERGY, RIGHT?”Collin Morikawa defends his comments encouraging the New York crowd to bring ‘chaos’ to the event “I DON’T KNOW HOW I’M GOING TO CELEBRATE AFTER THE CELEBRATIONS WE HAD LAST SUNDAY!”Robert MacIntyre has had a lot to shout about recently, with his Dunhill Links triumph coming the week after the Ryder Cup “I’M GOING TO AMERICA WITH MY WIFE TO FIND A PLACE FOR WHEN WE MOVE IN JANUARY. I’M PLAYING THE PGA TOUR NEXT YEAR”Marco Penge responds to rumours he was set to join LIV Golf for the start of next season “MY RYDER CUP INVOLVEMENT IS OVER. I’M HAPPY BEING A SPECTATOR AND ROOTING…

Tiger Woods underwent disc-replacement surgery in his back last month, scuppering any hopes of a return to action in the near future. The 49-year-old shared the news via his social media channels, stating he had been feeling “pain” and a “lack of mobility” in his back before tests showed he was suffering from “a collapsed disc” and “a compromised spinal canal”. Woods’ latest visit to the surgeon’s table was his third inside the past 13 months, following a microdecompression operation on a disc in his back in September 2024 and surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon earlier this year. 4 Four men have won four or more Ryder Cups as a player and two or more as captain: Walter Hagen, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer and Luke Donald. WHO AM I?…