A look back at the best moments in college and amateur golf in 2025

Another year of college and amateur golf is planned.

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to look back at some of the best moments of the year in college and amateur football. From teenagers making their mark on the national stage to established players making history on their own journey, it’s been an exciting year for fans following golf’s rising stars.

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Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest stories of the year, starting with perhaps the biggest breakthrough of all.

The arrival of Mason Howell

First, Howell earned medalist honors in a US Open qualifying match to earn his first major championship start. He then earned medalist honors at the US Junior Amateur. It wasn’t enough. He entered the U.S. amateur match-play bracket via playoffs and proceeded to win the biggest amateur championship in the world and represented the United States on the Walker Cup team, going 2-1. Mason Howell is here.

Northwestern upsets Stanford for NCAA title

Over time we will be able to look at this result and truly measure its importance in sport, but Northwestern beats No. 1 Stanford in championship match of the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship is arguably the biggest upset in the history of women’s college golf. Anything can happen in match play, and Northwestern pulled off a miraculous victory for its first championship in school history.

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Walker Cup at Cypress Point

It is difficult to describe what a incredible week it was at the Walker Cup. Cypress Point is one of the world’s cathedrals of golf, Ranked #1 on Golfweek’s list of Best Classic Courses in the United Statesand it was an ideal venue for many of the best amateurs from the United States, Great Britain and Ireland to compete. The crowds were spectacular, the views breathtaking and Cypress Point got to show off in prime time. It’s hard to understand why this week wasn’t unforgettable for players and fans.

Megha Ganne’s coronation

From one Pacific Coast beauty to another, Bandon Dunes has been a spectacular stage for the 2025 US Women’s Amateur, but perhaps it’s fitting that Megha Ganne found a way to establish herself. She has long been a golf star, but her triumph at Bandon Dunes was her crowning achievement on one of golf’s biggest stages. She was spectacular all week in Oregon and managed to lift the trophy after a dominant week.

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Luke Clanton’s stellar journey

Luke Clanton was professional for more than half the year, but the first five months of 2025 belonged to Clanton in the amateur game. The former n°1earned his PGA Tour card thanks to his play in these eventsand he also dominated at the collegiate level, winning the Ben Hogan Award and almost also the Fred Haskins Award. Now it looks like he is set to get his first PGA Tour victory in 2026.

The remarkable consistency of Lottie Woad

From an elder State of Florida The No. 1 amateur among others, Woad was a constant presence at the top of the leaderboards all year. So much so that she won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur then finished third in the Amundi Evian Championship, lock your LPGA card and turn professional next week. And then guess what? She went and won the Scottish Women’s Open. She won the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur to put her on the map, but she was destined to be a star long before that.

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LPGA LEAP makes its debut

And how did Woad get his card? LEAP, that’s how. The program, which is similar to PGA Tour University in that college players earn points based on their results in top college and amateur events to provide a direct path to the Tour, got off to a remarkable start with Woad winning his card after third place at the Amundi Evian. Don’t be surprised to see Kiara Romero win her LPGA card by the same route in 2026.

History of Division II

There’s a college golfer who made Division II history this fall. Lee University senior Drew Zielinski won the Golfweek Fripp Island to Bermuda Invitational, becoming the first player to win a D-II event offering an exemption into a PGA Tour event. He later played in the Bermuda Butterfield Championshipwhere he finished T-15 in the field in made birdies but just missed the cut.

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College golfers save man from drowning

Two golfers at Purdue Fort Wayne jumped into an icy pond to save a man from drowning. What an incredible story of heroism.

Two aces, same hole, same day

Niel Phillips had a day he will never forget in October. He succeeded in same hole not once, but twice in the same day. Phillips started the first round Monday on the 182-yard hole, and he hit a 6-iron and made his first shot of the day. He shot even par 72 in the first round before returning to the eighth hole in the afternoon for the second tee of the day. This time he hit a 7 iron. Another club, same result. His second ace in about 6 hours at the same place where he made the first.

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Carla Bernat Escuder joins Augusta legends

Sap. Jose Maria. Sérgio. Jon. Carla. Carla Bernat Escuder has added her name to the list of Spanish legends who have won at Augusta National, becoming the first Spanish woman to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

A 59 (in a practice round)

It happens. A 59 in a college golf event will happen soon, perhaps in the spring. It happened at the beginning of the year during a training session.with Sergio Jimenez of Utah accomplishing the feat. But how long before this happens in competition?

This article was originally published on Golfweek: A look back at the best moments in college and amateur golf in 2025