We reached the last week of March. In other words, the opening day is just around the corner. This particular author will be present and explained when the first pitch is thrown Houston Astros Thursday. Some wonder if the members of the PGA Tour Party will do the same at the opening of Texas Children's Houston, which is being held at the same time.
The tour schedule certainly moved to Lone Star State, and Florida's swing was completely over. There were a few incredible moments and big shots, not to mention the player championship victory and legacy changed. It's all very fast and very slow, so I wasn't sure if it was Florida swing or season 2 retirement.
As things rise to master, you need to tie the bow to the important part of the calendar. In that spirit, there are winners and losers of Florida swings here.
Winner: Literally winner!
The question of fact here is congratulations on Joe Hi Smith (Cognitive Classic), Russell Henry (Arnold Palmer Invitational), Rory McIlroy (Player), and Victor Hofland (Balpal) were all literal winners of Florida Swing.
Russell's victory in the API was a serious shot in the arms for his career, and may have catapulted him into the spot of this year's Ryder Cup team. Earn signature events can have an impact.
Rory's victory soon arrives, but by winning the groundbreaking event on the tour and doing so in the playoffs, he finally clutches the clutch for a while…it was a big deal.
Finally, there's no downplaying Joe Highsmith here. Victor Hofland was a turn where no one came to break through after raw some serious sludge. When I saw him in the winner's circle, I thought he was pretty good at this. Stupid, stupid game.
Winner: Rory McIlroy in particular
The players are clearly not majors, but it goes without saying that there is a huge connection and infamy that comes with it. After Rory McIlroy won and had to sleep in the night's playoff idea, he showed that he did it.
I've seen Rory get so close to recent memories many times, so it was fair to wonder if he'll win a big tournament again (though it's not actually true, you can get points). McIlroy is fair to ask him for this, especially in the majors, and although he hasn't gotten there yet this season, do you feel like it's more possible now?
The idea that Rory will win the majors this year and will likely win the final year. That one It feels like something you can confidently and legally say out loud. He raised the game.
Winner: Masters Storyline
I feel that the idea that Rory McIlroy won the Masters is within reach in real life. If he pulls it off, I don't know what will happen on the internet.
But Rory is far from the only good story taking place in the march to Augusta. Scottie Scheffler hasn't won this season yet, but he won't win any of that, but he still has an air of inevitability. The Signature Event has already created several major storylines this season, including Ludvig Aberg, who will be the first major championship in his career.
Xander Schauffele's return from injury reduced that a bit, but Justin Thomas is playing really well now. Tommy Fleetwood is hiding, and even Shane Lowry has made some close calls recently.
The Masters always provided incredible stories, and now the characters set themselves up to be part of it all.
Loser: Jordan Spieth
One of Augusta's most famous characters in recent history has, if you're honest, made a bit harsh progress in the sunlight. Jordan Spieth may have finished in the top 10 at the start with Cognizant (T9), but he finished 59th in the player and T-28 in Valspar. These are not the results worthy of his reputation.
Moreover, these are not the right outcomes for those who should include sponsor exemptions in a signature event. Spieth was crying publicly about not getting it because of the API, but this didn't look great for him. Think of it less than a month since the third anniversary of his recent victory (2022 RBC Heritage).
It's time for Jordan to make it a notch. It took some time. It's past time.
Losers: Morikawa Charcoal, Colin
This is a bit of an interpretation, but as Jordan Spieth did… Morikawa made a negative headline as he walked through Florida.
Feeling like he was feeling forever ahead, Colin approached Russell Henry with his API. He was commanding down the stretch and left the door open, so before he knew it, he ended up solo. Emotions were revealed for Colin as they could run high in sports and did not do the media after the event.
Interestingly, Morikawa doubled it by ducking the media. He doesn't want to talk after losing, and he certainly has the right to make his own decisions about this kind of thing, but the reality is that history is written by the winner and Colin has not held the pen for quite some time. These things will be overlooked when you lift the trophy, otherwise they will look different.
From a golf perspective, Morikawa has been really close lately. He has not finished in 2025 except for T17.
But is that enough to change your mind? You will know when April arrives.
Loser: Scottie Scheffler, relatively speaking
Let me be very clear: I don't doubt Scotty Schaeffler or say he's not playing the best golf in the world. But golf is an interesting game in many ways, one of which is losing far more than you win.
It seems fair if you define a golf loss as a finish anywhere first, but this logic is tracked. Consider that Scottie Scheffler lost more to this point in the 2025 season than 2021. Seriously!
Schaeffler won in 2021 at all and then arrived in 2022. He won the Masters three times that year.
A year later, in 2023, Schaeffler won two titles through the player. This was the first event I won that year. Last season, Schaeffler was repeated at Ponte Vedra shortly after winning Bayhill. All this means that at this point this year the lack of victory is something very rare for him.
Above all, I believe Scotty Schaeffler understands things. It's funny and funny that he's been won at this point. It seems like golf is difficult!
