Major Grades: Scheffler Takes Over, Rahm Can’t Contend, Smith Disappears

And just like that, the major season is over.

(For the record, I like when the major season ended in August. It’s over too soon now.)

I would call this a moderately entertaining major season. Rory McIlroy’s historic victory at the Masters was the clear headliner but J.J. Spaun’s frenzied comeback on the back nine of the U.S. Open took second place in terms of theatrics.

As for the PGA Championship and The Open, Scottie Scheffler’s Tiger-like brilliance drained the drama out of those Sundays.

Regardless, it’s time to assess how the game’s best performed in the majors.

The short answer is that very few star players are going to be happy with their report cards.

Scottie Scheffler (A+)

Any time you win two majors in the same season, it’s an automatic A+ grade.

Scheffler has reached four major wins—all by margins of three strokes or more—and shows no signs of stopping any time soon.

About 11 months from now, he will have the chance to complete the career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday when the U.S. Open goes to Shinnecock.

Rory McIlory (A)

You could consider giving McIlroy an A+ here, but I will settle on just an A.

McIlroy has desperately wanted to win the Masters to capture all four majors, and now he has accomplished that. It took everything he had and it meant being exhausted for the last three majors of the year.

He rebounded with a nice week at the Open Championship in his hometown but was never in serious contention with Scheffler doing Scheffler things.

Bryson DeChambeau (B)

I think this was a respectable but ultimately unfulfilling major season for Bryson.

He had a T2 at the PGA (five shots back of Scheffler), a T5 at the Masters and a T10 at the Open Championship. The U.S. Open was a disappointing missed cut. He had a great look to win the Masters but shot 75 on Sunday.

If you were to ask him, he would probably tell you that there were some positives but his goals are loftier than just getting into contention.

Xander Schauffele (B-)

I’ll cut Schauffele a little bit of slack here because it’s clear his injury was bothering him. It’s also a little easier to forgive his season after he won two majors last year.

Schauffele was T8 at the Masters, T7 at the Open and T12 at the U.S. Open but it just didn’t quite come together this year. The concern meter is low, though. I expect him to be back in contention next season.

Viktor Hovland (B-)

I’ll give Hovland some points for having a great look to win the U.S. Open (all the way down to the 72nd hole). He couldn’t quite squeeze that one, shooting a 73 in the final round.

He made the cut in all four majors, which also earns some credit.

But outside of the U.S. Open (and winning the Valspar Championship), Hovland continues to wander. He’s probably the best active player (among those in their prime) who hasn’t won a major.

Jon Rahm (C+)

This was a second consecutive yawner of a major season for Rahm, whom I still believe is one of the most talented players in the world (Data Golf has him at No. 3 overall).

The last time he had a serious chance to win a major was when he won the 2023 Masters. That’s not acceptable for a player of his ability.

I’ll give him a C+ based on a pair of top-10 finishes in majors this year but he never even scratched the surface with contention. We need to see more from Rahm in 2026.

Ludvig Aberg (C)

Aberg hasn’t turned 26 yet so there is some grace period for him. However, his ceiling is very high and it has been a disappointment that he hasn’t played particularly well in 2025 outside of winning a signature event at the Genesis.

Aberg did have a solo seventh at the Masters but he missed the cut at the PGA and U.S. Open.

Maybe it’s time to adjust the expectations for him. I view him as a potential No. 1 in the world but perhaps that isn’t fair.

Collin Morikawa (C-)

This wasn’t a good major season for Morikawa.

He did make the cut in three of the four majors but Morikawa couldn’t find any top-10 finishes. After contending twice in 2024, this was a letdown.

We’re coming up on five years since he won a major. Perhaps the early portion of his career will be a peak instead of a baseline.

Jordan Spieth (C-)

In his last 11 major starts, Spieth has no top-10 finishes and has not sniffed contention.

He’s played better golf in 2025 but is still firmly in the category of “good player who is well outside the game’s elite” (although that doesn’t stop tournaments from treating him differently).

Tommy Fleetwood (D+)

Fleetwood is an analytics darling, rising to No. 5 in Data Golf on the strength of consistently strong Jplay (despite the lack of wins).

That hasn’t carried over to recent majors. Fleetwood had no top-15 finishes this year and was a total non-factor. He hasn’t contended in a major since the 2024 Masters.

Brooks Koepka (D)

We are officially in the era of Koepka taking the LIV money and sailing off into the sunset with no real desire to contend in majors anymore.

He has 10 major starts in a row without a top-10 finish. He also missed three of four major cuts this season. This is a guy who used to live on the first page of major leaderboards.

Koepka is barely functional on LIV. Data Golf has him cratering to No. 87 in the world and that includes results from all tours.

Justin Thomas (D-)

Yikes.

Thomas has been reinvigorated the last 12 months or so, rising to No. 7 in Data Golf. He won at the RBC Heritage and had a few other chances on Tour this season. There are some positives here.

But he must be very dejected with his major season: T36-CUT-CUT-T34.

Since winning the 2022 PGA, Thomas has 13 major starts. He’s finished in the top 30 only one time.

Patrick Cantlay (D-)

I actually forgot about the eight-time PGA Tour winner this season. He’s been decent enough, given his history, to make the Ryder Cup team. Outside of that, he’s been forgettable.

Cantlay missed three of four major cuts, reinforcing his pedestrian career major record.

I wish he showed some of that Ryder Cup fire in majors.

Cameron Smith (F)

Woof. Cam Smith continues to fall further and further out of view.

Smith was the only player to miss the cut in every major this season.

He’s not even playing well on LIV so who knows what the Aussie’s mental state is at the moment.

Of all the LIV stars who have faded away into obscurity, Smith hurts the most. He’s just about to turn 32 and could still have so many quality years ahead of him.

Hopefully, we see him rebound next year.

So those are the major grades for 2025. Agree? Disagree?

Let me know below in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Jon Rahm hasn’t lived up to his potential since switching to LIV. (GETTY IMAGES/Patrick Smith)

The post Major Grades: Scheffler Takes Over, Rahm Can’t Contend, Smith Disappears appeared first on MyGolfSpy.