Every Tuesday, SI Golf will rank nine newsmakers from the golf world. Sometimes, we’ll cast a wide net. Tell us what you think on the SI Golf X account.
1. Don Rea: Before last week, you probably had never heard of him—and maybe that’s still the case. If not, he’s the volunteer president of the PGA of America, representing club professionals across the country. Why is he first? Well, he got himself in hot water last week. After the Ryder Cup, he gave an interview to the BBC, downplaying the vulgarity of the deplorable fan behavior at Bethpage, generating backlash. Then, he doubled down in a bizarre LinkedIn post. Finally, days later, he issued an apology in an email. Adding insult to injury, however, Rea reportedly sang karaoke to “Lose Yourself” by Eminem at the team hotel Saturday night, hours after the raucous atmosphere reached its peak.
2. Steven Fisk: The rookie claimed his maiden PGA Tour title at the Sanderson Farms Championship with birdies on his final two holes. Despite entering the week 145th in the FedEx Cup standings with the top 100 claiming Tour cards at the end of the fall series, he’s now exempt through 2027. The win, though, was bigger than golf. His father passed away earlier this year and Fisk’s caddie, Jay Green, formerly looped for Grayson Murray, who died last year.
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3. Robert MacIntyre: Seven days after being part of Europe’s Ryder Cup win, the Scot added another trophy to his case, this time in his home country at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The final round was played on the Old Course at St. Andrews, which boasts the historic “Road Hole,” a hole that MacIntyre said last year he wants to blow up. Although he bogeyed it, perhaps he’s changed his tune?
4. Greg Norman: The former CEO of LIV Golf gave his first interview since leaving the league to Australian Golf Digest, revealing his position was “draining” on him and adding that he thinks PGA Tour players benefited from LIV because of inflated purses, but they’ll never acknowledge LIV for inflating their wallets. You know what, he might actually have a point.
5. Tommy Gainey: One of the best victory stories of the year on the PGA Tour Champions. Tommy Two Gloves became the first qualifier to win on the over-50 circuit since 2021, overcoming a four-shot deficit with a final-round 66 that included a long eagle putt on the par-5 13th. Afterward, he was in tears.
Tommy Gainey was a popular and rare winner on the PGA Tour’s 50-and-over circuit. / Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
6. Garrick Higgo: The two-time Tour winner finished runner-up at the Sanderson Farms. And after sinking a birdie putt on the 16th hole Sunday to tie the lead, the last of four straight birdies, he looked at the crowd and shushed them, with his index finger over his lips. However, he ended up losing, causing people to mock him on social media. But had the South African finished the job, people would likely be lauding his boldness.
7. Youmin Hwang: The 22-year-old South Korean became the LPGA’s 26th unique winner of the season at the Lotte Championship (there have been no repeat champions). Making matters even more impressive, she was a sponsor’s invite and birdied five of her final six holes to win. Now, she can take up immediate LPGA membership or wait until the start of 2026.
8. Nelly Korda: Still winless in 2025, after seven victories in ‘24, the world No. 2 finished three back at Lotte and then revealed she has “some injuries I’ve had in the past that kind of linger that are never really fully resolved.” A day later, she withdrew from the International Crown, being played in three weeks, due to injury. It’s assumed she’ll tee it up next month for the final two events of the season in Florida. Will she return to the winner’s circle there?
9. Stewart Cink: The five-time Ryder Cupper reiterated his interest in being a U.S. Ryder Cup captain one day and gave some interesting quotes to Golfweek about how he interviewed for the position last year, but was ghosted by the PGA of America. On top of that, Cink added, “I thought the PGA [of America] got themselves into a mess this year because Keegan was one of our top 12 players and because he was captain, they kind of prevented him from playing.” The 2009 British Open champion did not mince words.
Also considered: Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Michael La Sasso, Paul Azinger, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Tom Kim, Max Homa
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