Alabama Golfers Turn In Mostly Disappointing Major Championship Season: Extra Point

Scottie Scheffler claimed another major, Rory McIlroy completed his Slam, but Alabama players largely disappeared from the majors in 2025.

Davis Riley tees off on the third hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow. | Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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The 2025 men’s major championship season came to a close last Sunday, with Scottie Scheffler claiming his second major title of the year at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. His win capped a dominant campaign that also included a runaway victory at the PGA Championship and reaffirmed his place as the most dominant player in the world

The season also saw Rory McIlroy complete the career Grand Slam with a win at the Masters and J.J. Spaun pull off a surprise U.S. Open victory in rainy conditions at Oakmont.

For Alabama alumni on the PGA Tour, however, the year’s four majors offered little success.

Justin Thomas, despite entering the season in strong form and winning at the RBC Heritage in April, failed to crack the top 30 in any major. He missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open and finished T-36 at Augusta and T-34 at Portrush. According to DataGolf, those two missed cuts were the only events this season where he lost strokes tee to green. He remains fourth in the FedEx Cup standings and is expected to represent the United States at the Ryder Cup.

21-year-old Nick Dunlap also struggled on golf’s biggest stages. He missed the cut at the Masters, PGA, and U.S. Open, and did not compete at The Open. He made history at Augusta by rebounding from a first-round 90 with a 71 on Friday, the largest single-round improvement in tournament history. Dunlap has already won twice on Tour but has yet to make a statement at the majors.

Bud Cauley, who has climbed into the top 70 of DataGolf’s rankings, played in the final three majors of the season but failed to make a cut at the PGA or U.S. Open and finished T-72 at The Open Championship.

Lee Hodges qualified for only one major, missing the cut at the PGA.

The lone bright spot among Alabama alumni was Davis Riley, who turned in the best major season of his career. Riley finished T-2 at the PGA Championship, shooting six-under and sharing the runner-up spot with Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English. He also posted a T-21 at the Masters, finishing two-under alongside Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood. While he missed the cut at both the U.S. Open and Open Championship, Riley’s strong showings at Augusta and Valhalla were a clear step forward for the two-time PGA Tour winner.

With the FedEx Cup Playoffs approaching and the Ryder Cup on deck in September, Alabama’s pros still have time to rebound from a disappointing major championship slate.