Top Scottish golfers pick out 2025 highlights - including Ryder Cup and family affair

The BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland gets the new campaign up and running before seven-time Race to Dubai winner Rory McIlroy spearheads the field for next week’s Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

Taking place at the same time as the latter, the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player at Sun City is also part of the Opening Swing, as are the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Royal Johannesburg and the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at Heritage La Reserve Golf Links.

Before the new season gets underway, The Scotsman asked the five Scots who made it to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to share their highlight of the 2025 calendar campaign.

Bob MacIntyre on ‘career high’

“Look, the Dunhill (which he won at St Andrews in October) was special while winning the Genesis Scottish Open (in 2024) is probably the highlight I’ve had so far as an individual. But winning the Ryder Cup in New York has been the highlight of my career so far. The only thing that is going to top that is, hopefully, when I win a major. Yeah, Ryder Cup!”

Calum Hill’s Joburg joy overtaken

“You’ve got to say Joburg, don’t you, just because it was a win (in the Joburg Open at Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg in March). But actually I’ve really enjoyed the last five or six weeks. My summer was really poor, so to come out the other side and feel I am progressing well into next season is very pleasing. It just feels like my game is going in the right direction at the moment after seeing lots of progress. Joburg also feels like a long time ago.”

Ewen Ferguson feels ‘very motivated’

“I didn’t think I really got fully going this year. But you always need to be working on things to get better and better, both physically and mentally, and I feel I am very motivated for next year. I played with Kris Reitan in the final round in Dubai and he’s turned his game up a notch or two this year. I’ll be hoping to do the same in 2026.”

Grant Forrest on family affair

“Yeah, it’s a no-brainer (winning the Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire). To be fair, there weren’t many other highlights, to be honest, other than that week. I didn’t have a top ten other than then, so it is a pretty obvious one. Doing it in Scotland and having (wife) Christy and the wee man (son Spencer) there. That’s a moment that you only dream of. It was a really special week.”

Connor Syme’s Dutch delight

“Obviously the win (his maiden victory in the KLM Open at The International in Amsterdam in June) was just so memorable and that’s why I took a moment to try and reflect on it as I played the last hole in the DP World Tour Championship. It was such a big moment for me and it’s a season I’ll look back on fondly, for sure. I’ll take so much from that going forward. Just the manner I did it. I played well and was up there the whole week, which was very satisfying.”