Ranking the Top 25 Men's Pro Golfers After Scottie Scheffler's British Open Win

Another major season is in the books.

Now that the fourth and final event on the grand slam calendar is complete and Scottie Scheffler has hoisted the Claret Jug for the first time, it's high time for a resetting of the pecking order among the world's elite.

The B/R golf team was happy to start the discussion to re-rank the top 25 based largely on recent results as we head toward the homestretch of the 2025 schedule.

Notably, you will find both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf's best included.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.

Nos. 25-21

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

25. Justin Rose: The 44-year-old South African-born Rose woke up the echoes with a second-place finish at the Masters in April but had just one top-10 finish in seven subsequent events before a tie for 16th at Royal Portrush.

24. Robert MacIntyre: The flip side of Rose, MacIntyre missed the cut at Augusta but has been consistent since, making the weekend at the PGA and taking second at the U.S. Open. He was tied for fifth at the Open after 36 holes and ended up tied for seventh.

23. Shane Lowry: The popular Irishman was hoping a return to Royal Portrush would rekindle the magic of his Open win there in 2019. Instead, he was an also-ran in a tie for 40th place, but he does have four top 10s while seeking a first win since 2022.

22. Tyrrell Hatton: The first on our list with a victory in 2025, Hatton took the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January and has three top 10s in 10 events on the LIV tour. Rounds of 68 and 69 got him to the weekend at the Open and he finished tied for 16th.

21. Corey Conners: Another whose consistency has been a calling card, Conners got to the weekend at Royal Portrush on the cutline at 1-over and has made 17 cuts in 18 events this season, including an eighth at Augusta among five top-10 finishes.

Nos. 20-16

Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

20. Sam Burns: A soon-to-be 29-year-old—his birthday is this week—Burns climbed to ninth in the world in 2022 while winning twice. He's won just once since but was second at the Canadian Open and tied for seventh at the U.S. Open.

19. Patrick Cantlay: Cantlay was 11th in the world to end 2024 and got to 10th early this year but he's skidded since with three top-10 placements in 16 events. His rounds of 73 and 72 weren't enough to make the weekend at the Open.

18. Maverick McNealy: The biggest climber on the list so far, McNealy started the year at 30th in the world rankings and got as high as 10th in April. He has a second, a third and three other top 10s in 19 events before a tie for 23rd at Royal Portrush.

17. Hideki Matsuyama: The 33-year-old got 2025 started with a three-shot win at The Sentry in Hawaii but hasn't racked up another top 10. He does have major pedigree, though, with a win at the 2021 Masters and top 10s at the other three events.

16. Harris English: English picked up the sixth win of his career at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and shot a final-round 65 to tie for second at the U.S. Open. He shared the lead at Royal Portrush after 18 holes and finished second.

Nos. 15-11

Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

15. Viktor Hovland: A recent fixture on lists of the best active players without a major, Hovland was ranked third in the world for a bit in 2022. He won 10 times from 2020 to 2023 and was a one-shot winner at the Valspar Championship in March.

14. Ludvig Aberg: Aberg was a one-shot winner over McNealy at the Genesis Invitational in February and took seventh at the Masters two months later. His second-round 67 got him to the weekend at Royal Portrush and he finished tied for 23rd.

13. Ben Griffin: The 29-year-old product of the University of North Carolina ended a drought with a win at the Charles Schwab Challenge and he took second at the Memorial. His 74-70 at the Open wasn't good enough for the weekend, though.

12. J.J. Spaun: The 34-year-old Spaun was the redemption story of the spring after his two-shot win at the U.S. Open. That event was one of five top-10 finishes in his first 19 events this season and he tied for 23rd at the Open in his initial appearance.

11. Tommy Fleetwood: The U.K. favorite has taken a long, winding road to the world's elite, winning at least once in seven different years. His tie for second at the Travelers Championship is his highlight for 2025 and he was tied for 16th at the Open.

Nos. 10-6

Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

10. Collin Morikawa: A 75-74 wasn't good enough for Morikawa at the Open but he's won at least one event in five of the last six seasons and is the first multi-major winner on our list after trophy hoists at the 2020 PGA and the 2021 British.

9. Keegan Bradley: Bradley is all of a sudden a mainstay among the elite, having won a major at the PGA in 2011 and at least one event in six years since, including a one-shot triumph over Fleetwood at the Travelers Championship in June.

8. Sepp Straka: The native Austrian is another who's emerged from the shadows into the spotlight in 2025 on the strength of two wins and six top 10s. He took the American Express in January and the Truist Championship in May by two shots each.

7. Russell Henley: The University of Georgia alum was in contention more often than not in 2025 with eight top-10 finishes in his first 14 events, including a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He made the weekend and tied for 10th at the Open.

6. Xander Schauffele: Schauffele crept into the world's top 10 in 2019 and has remained ever since thanks to top-three finishes at the Masters and U.S. Open in 2019 and wins at the British and the PGA in 2024. He tied for seventh at Royal Portrush.

5. Justin Thomas

David Cannon/Getty Images

The second player on our list—ironically, both named Justin—to have reached No. 1 in the world rankings, Thomas won a pair of majors before his 30th birthday.

He grabbed the Wanamaker Trophy at the PGA in both 2017 and 2022 and returned to the winner's circle this season for the first time since the second of those two majors, capturing the RBC Heritage in a playoff against Andrew Novak.

His second-round 69 got him to the weekend at Royal Portrush and provided his 15th made cut in 17 events in 2025. He posted rounds of 69 and 71 on Saturday and Sunday to tie for 34th overall.

4. Bryson DeChambeau

Pedro Salado/Getty Images

One of the earliest and highest-profile players to take his talents to the LIV Golf tour, DeChambeau was a two-time winner in his first full season there in 2023 and picked up another victory when he went 19-under par in Korea in May.

But he's been a fixture on the major stage, too, taking the U.S. Open in both 2020 and 2024 and earning top-fives at both the Masters and PGA this year. A first-round 78 at Royal Portrush snuffed any real chance for an Open victory, but the 65-68-64 he strung together in rounds 2-3-4 ultimately got him into a tie for 10th.

"(He is) the most charismatic, fun player to watch in the game today," said LIV colleague Phil Mickelson. "He’s exciting because he hits it so far, but he’s also exciting because he connects with the fans and has this great energy.”

3. Jon Rahm

Alex Slitz/Getty Images

The Spanish-born star won multiple tournaments in seven straight years from 2017 through 2023 before heading to the LIV side of the aisle in early 2024.

He won at the tour's events in England and Chicago in that first season and already has nine top-10 results in 10 LIV outings this season, along with a tie for 14th at the Masters, a tie for eighth at the PGA and a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open.

He's also a two-time major winner after the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters, and made the cut at the Open for the eighth time in nine tries on the way to an eventual tie for 34th.

2. Rory McIlroy

Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

The most decorated player on our list, McIlroy has already won three times in 2025, including a stirring triumph at Augusta in April that allowed him to earn his fifth major and complete his career grand slam.

It's the 11th season in which he's won multiple events.

Eight top 10s in his first 13 events this season included other wins at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players Championship, and his second-round 69 at the Open got him to the weekend in a tie for 12th on the way to a tie for seventh.

1. Scottie Scheffler

Warren Little/Getty Images

That one was for all the non-believers—or any non-believers—still out there.

Though he may not be on a major-winning trajectory that compares to one-name legends like Jack and Tiger, there seems to be little credence remaining for anyone suggesting that Scheffler isn't miles ahead of his 2025 contemporaries.

His four-shot win at Royal Portrush wasn't just a first Open title and fourth major, it was the sort of virtuoso performance that, barring injury or other calamity, ensures he'll be a favorite at any tournament he enters for the foreseeable future.

Just like Woods was in his prime when he didn't just beat rivals. He mauled them.

A shot off the pace after a first-round 68, Scheffler began draining the resolve of wannabe winners with a Friday 64 that stood alone as the tournament's best round until DeChambeau climbed from also-ran status to match it on Sunday.

Then, just in case anyone had maintained even a flicker as the final round began, he quickly extended what had been a four-shot lead to seven with birdies on holes 1, 4 and 5.

Game. Set. Spectacular.