The Scotsman's 2025 golf awards as 7 Scots are prize guys in bumper season

Having returned this year, the Scottish Golf Awards are being held again in March and will officially mark various achievements, but, in the meantime, here are my selections.

Player of the Year

For the second year in a row, this is really a no-brainer because Bob MacIntyre not only solidified his position as one of the world’s best players at the moment but improved his standing from 12 months ago by breaking into the top ten in the global standings for the first time. He came close to landing a maiden major win in the US Open, helped Europe retain the Ryder Cup in New York and, a week later, claimed victory at St Andrews in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. His one disappointment was letting a big lead slip in the final round of the BMW PGA Championship, one of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Play-Off events, but it was Scottie Scheffler, of course, who pipped him in that and the Oban man can once again feel very proud of his overall performance this year.

Team of the Year

This one simply has to go to Europe’s Ryder Cup team because retaining the trophy on US soil in a shocking atmosphere at Bethpage Black was a fantastic achievement. Luke Donald once again excelled as the captain and fair play to Ryder Cup Europe for giving him and his trusty vice captains full support in their quest to land a first away win since the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012. Leading 11.5-4.5 at the end of the second day, it looked as though the Europeans were set for a victory procession in the singles but, as we’d learned on more than one occasion in the past, nothing is straightforward on the final day of a Ryder Cup. Thankfully for the visitors, Shane Lowry dug deep to come up with something special over the closing stretch and deserves every single pint of Guinness coming his way for an awfully long time.

Shot of the Year

Holding a two-shot lead as he headed out in the final round of the KLM Open bidding to land his maiden DP World Tour win, Connor Syme’s opening drive at The International in Amsterdam was a mighty impressive blow under the circumstances. “A nice, crisp strike and excellent opener,” declared former Ryder Cup player David Howell in his commentary for Sky Sports Golf as the Scot split the fairway while co-commentator Mark Roe added: “That’s exactly what you want to do to settle the nerves - just smash it right down the middle!” Syme went on to round off a polished performance from start to finish as he made the breakthrough by becoming the seventh Scot to land this title.

Captain of the Year

I know I might be clutching at straws a bit here but Luke Donald has a Scottish connection through his father Colin, who was born in Stranraer, and that seems good enough for me in this instance. Dean Robertson led Great Britain & Ireland to victory in the St Andrews Trophy before seeing his side suffer a last-session collapse in the Walker Cup, leaving Donald as the clear winner after joining Tony Jacklin as a triumphant team leader both home and away in the Ryder Cup. As was the case in Rome in 2023, the former world No 1 did an absolutely brilliant job in New York and all that now remains to be determined is whether or not he wants to go for an unprecedented hat-trick in the event’s centenary edition at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027. And I think he will!

Coach of the Year

Having seen him recognised already this year by the Golf Foundation as the recipient of the charity’s prestigious Sir Henry Cotton Award for outstanding service to junior golf, I reckon it is only right that I should give this one to James Eskine. The Dumfries & County Golf Club PGA professional, Erskine’s passion for growing golf really shines though. Over two decades, he has coached more than 10,000 children in the south-west of Scotland and was the driving force behind a new academy facility at Dumfries & County with a four-bay range and a four-hole short course. “It’s not about the tour players - it’s about giving kids the gift of golf,” said Erskine in his acceptance speech at a ceremony at Wentworth. “If we don’t grow the game, we don’t have golf’s future.”

Amateur of the Year

There’s a good reason why some people believe that Connor Graham has a chance of being world amateur No 1 and winning majors one day. That’s because the Blairgowrie player is very talented indeed and, on the evidence of a standout debut season at Texas Tech and some strong performances as a sophomore, it hopefully won’t be long before he lands a breakthrough individual win on the ultra-competitive US college circuit. In 2025, he led qualifying for The Amateur Championship for a second time, qualified for the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and finished 11th in the individual standings in the World Amateur Team Championship as part of a Scotland side that claimed a respectable seventh spot in the team tussle. Graham looks a certainty for a third straight Walker Cup appearance in next year’s match at Lahinch and will be hoping to be a winner against the Americans on this occasion.

Outstanding Achievement

I’m giving this one to Euan Walker because, after the agony he’d suffered on three previous visits to Club de Golf Alcanada for the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A, it truly was a brilliant effort to end up among the HotelPlanner Tour graduates on this occasion. The Ayrshireman has a lovely swing and goes out his business in a very placid manner. It took courage, though, for him to finally make the step up to the DP World Tour along with two of his compatriots in David Law and Daniel Young. It won’t be the same without Walker or his parents Rona and Eric in Mallorca in early November, but, boy, does he deserve a new challenge in 2026.

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