🏆 March 2025: the Must-See Competitions on the PGA Tour (*post updated with the Winners)
- clairebambino
- Feb 26
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 31
Last update: March 31, 2025
🗓🏌🏽♂️MARCH 2025 ⛳️
🇺🇸 🏌🏽♂️ Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard – Mar 6-9, 2025 – Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida • USA
The tournament has a rich history, dating back to 1966, when it was known as the Florida Citrus Open Invitational. Initially held at Rio Pinar Country Club, the tournament found its permanent home in 1979 at Arnold Palmer's beloved Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
The 2024 tournament witnessed Scottie Scheffler successfully defend his title, becoming the first back-to-back winner since Matt Every (2014-15), finishing at -15 for a five-shot victory over Wyndham Clark, Shane Lowry and Will Zalatoris.
💫 As a Signature Event, the tournament features an elite field competing for an elevated purse on the challenging Bay Hill course, which is known for its demanding layout, thick rough, and treacherous finishing holes around the lake.
The event has become synonymous with Palmer's values and traditions, including the winner receiving a red cardigan sweater similar to those "The King" often wore. 🔎 Arnold Palmer (1929-2016), affectionately known as "The King," was an American professional golfer who revolutionized the sport. His dynamic playing style and charismatic personality captivated fans, transforming golf from a gentleman's game into a widely popular spectator sport. Palmer's 4 Masters Tournament victories and numerous other triumphs solidified his legendary status. Beyond his golfing achievements, he was a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, leaving an enduring legacy on and off the course.
🏆 The trophy awarded to the winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational is a cast sterling silver figure of Arnold Palmer at the completion of his championship swing. It weighs 34 pounds and takes 6 months to create.
💰 Purse: $20,000,000
💯 FedExCup: 700 pts
Previous winner: 🇺🇸 Scottie Scheffler ($4,000,000)
🏆 Winner 2025: 🇺🇸 Russell Henley ($4,000,000) - Age: 35 - Turned Pro in 2011.
Henley achieved his 5th success on the PGA Tour. A card of 70 (2 under par) enabled him to win at -11 overall, one shot ahead of Collin Morikawa and 2 ahead of Canadian Corey Conners. The world number 1, Scottie Scheffler, finished 11th at -4, and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy 15th at -3.
🇵🇷 🏌🏽♂️Puerto Rico Open – Mar 6-9, 2025 – Grand Reserve Golf Club, Rio Grande • Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Open serves as a crucial alternate-field event on the PGA Tour, running concurrently with the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This allows players who didn't qualify for the stronger field at Bay Hill to compete for a PGA Tour title and its accompanying benefits, including a two-year Tour exemption and entry into select major championships.
The 2024 tournament saw Brice Garnett emerge victorious with a clutch birdie on the final hole, securing a one-shot win over Erik Barnes at -19.
The event, held annually since 2008, takes place at the stunningly scenic Grand Reserve Golf Club, designed by 📐Tom Kite. Nestled against the backdrop of the El Yunque National Forest, the course presents unique challenges with its coastal winds and tropical conditions.
🧐 Born in 1949, Tom Kite is an American golfing legend, renowned for his consistent play and strategic brilliance. He achieved 19 PGA Tour victories, culminating in a U.S. Open Championship win at Pebble Beach in 1992. Beyond his playing career, Kite has excelled as a respected golf course architect, designing courses known for their playability and environmental sensitivity.
The Puerto Rico Open has become a platform for emerging talent, with past champions like Tony Finau and Viktor Hovland showcasing their potential and going on to achieve significant success on the PGA Tour.
💰 Purse: $4,000,000
💯 FedExCup: 300 pts
Previous winner: 🇺🇸 Brice Garnett ($720,000)
🏆 Winner 2025: 🇦🇺 Karl Vilips ($720,000) - Age: 23 - Turned Pro in 2024.
The native of Jakarta in Indonesia, who birdied four of his last six holes, carded a 64 to finish 3 shots ahead of the other leading player in the final round, Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, and claim his first victory in just four tournaments on the PGA Tour. Karl Vilips, named 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year, is the ambassador for the Sun Day Red clothing brand launched by Tiger Woods.
🇺🇸 🏌🏽♂️ THE PLAYERS Championship – Mar 13-17, 2025 – TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida • USA
The "Fifth Major": while not an official major championship, THE PLAYERS Championship is widely considered the unofficial "fifth major" due to its prestigious field, challenging course, and significant prize purse.
The 2024 tournament saw Scottie Scheffler make history by becoming the first player to successfully defend his title in the event's 50-year history. He finished at -20, securing a one-shot victory over Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark. This victory earned him a record-breaking $4.5 million in prize money.
The tournament is famous for its dramatic finish, particularly the island green par-3 17th hole, which has become one of golf's most recognizable and pressure-packed holes.
📐 Pete Dye's (1925-2020) masterful Stadium Course design presents a complete test of golf, requiring precision and strategy rather than favoring any particular style of play.
A History of Champions: the tournament has a rich history of champions, including some of the greatest names in golf history, such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson.
🏆 The current trophy for THE PLAYERS Championship is crafted by Tiffany & Co. It features a golfer swinging, standing on an outline of the iconic 17th island green. It's made of sterling silver and 24k gold vermeil, showcasing a luxurious and elegant design.
💰 Purse: $25,000,000
💯 FedExCup: 750 pts
Previous winner: 🇺🇸 Scottie Scheffler ($4,500,000)
🏆 Winner 2025: NIR Rory McIlroy ($4,500,000) - Age: 35 - Turned Pro in 2007.
Rory McIlroy and 🇺🇸 J.J. Spaun headed into a playoff to decide the winner of the 51st Players Championship. After a four-hour suspension of play on Sunday due to bad weather, darkness suspended play on the evening of March 16th. The three-hole playoff began Monday 17th. McIlroy, with impressive maturity and control, drew on his experience to take the lead from the start of the playoff. In particular, he produced a powerful drive from 334 yards followed by a precise pitching wedge on a par-5, enabling him to make a crucial birdie. Spaun, for his part, encountered difficulties, notably finding the water on hole 17, which sealed his defeat. The victory, McIlroy's second (2019) at the Players Championship, earned him a cheque for $4.5 million and gave him the lead in the FedExCup standings with an additional 750 points for the 2025 season.
🇺🇸 🏌🏽♂️Valspar Championship – Mar 20-23, 2025 – Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor, Florida • USA
The 2024 tournament saw Peter Malnati secure his 2nd PGA Tour victory and 1st in nearly 9 years, finishing at -12 for a two-shot victory over Cameron Young, marking an emotional breakthrough moment in his career.
The Copperhead Course, designed by 📐Larry Packard, is renowned for its demanding 🐍"Snake Pit" - the challenging three-hole closing stretch (holes 16-18) that often determines the tournament's outcome. Unlike many Florida courses, the Copperhead features significant elevation changes and tree-lined fairways, making it one of the most unique and demanding tests on Tour.
🧐 The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort actually gets its name from the discovery of numerous copper pennies during its construction.
The tournament has become known for producing dramatic finishes and testing every aspect of players' games, making it a favorite stop among Tour professionals despite its position in the schedule between two Signature Events.
The Valspar Championship trophy is a cast bronze sculpture that expresses a dramatic brush stroke painting a golf ball.
💰 Purse: $8,700,000
💯 FedExCup: 500 pts
Previous winner: 🇺🇸 Peter Malnati ($1,512,000)
🏆 Winner 2025:🇳🇴 Viktor Hovland ($1,566,000) - Age: 27 - Turned Pro in 2019.
Hovland triumphed, winning his first title since 2023. The Norwegian mastered the challenging Copperhead course with crucial birdies on two of the last three holes, putting him just one shot ahead of Justin Thomas. Hovland began playing golf at the age of 11, having been introduced to the game by his father Harald, who had discovered the sport during his stay in the United States as an engineer. Hovland quickly showed promising talent, which led to him joining the Oklahoma State University golf team from 2016 to 2019. In 2018, Hovland won the US Amateur Championship, becoming the 1st Norwegian to achieve this feat. At the 2019 Masters Tournament, he finished in 32nd place, earning him the top spot in the world amateur rankings. The same year, he also shone at the U.S. Open, finishing in 12th place and earning the title of best amateur with a score of 280. In February 2020, he became the 1st Norwegian to win a PGA Tour event by winning the Puerto Rico Open. In 2021, he also won the BMW International Open on the European Tour. Since then, Hovland has continued to impress, winning several other tournaments on the PGA Tour, including the Tour Championship in 2023.
🇺🇸 🏌🏽♂️Texas Children's Houston Open – Mar 27-30, 2025 – Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas • USA
The 2024 tournament saw Stephan Jaeger capture his 1st PGA Tour victory in impressive fashion, finishing at -12 for a one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Taylor Moore, and Alejandro Tosti.
The historic Memorial Park course, which underwent a significant renovation by 📐architect Tom Doak in collaboration with Brooks Koepka in 2019, presents a unique challenge with its strategic bunkering, varied green complexes, and the impact of unpredictable Texas winds.
The tournament, which dates back to 1946, has featured numerous notable champions throughout its history, including Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Phil Mickelson.
The event's move to Memorial Park in 2020 marked a return to its public golf roots, making it one of the few PGA Tour events played on a municipal course. The tournament also carries significant meaning for the local community through its charitable impact, particularly its support of youth initiatives through its partnership with Texas Children's Hospital.
💰 Purse: $9,500,000
💯 FedExCup: 500 pts
Previous winner: 🇩🇪 Stephan Jaeger ($1,638,000)
🏆 Winner 2025: 🇦🇺 Min Woo Lee ($1,710,000) - Age: 26 - Turned Pro in 2019.
Min Woo Lee won the Texas Children's Houston Open 2025 with an impressive performance, marking his 1st victory on the PGA Tour. Lee, from Perth, Australia, dominated the tournament from the outset, turning a tight leaderboard into a comfortable lead thanks to a third round score of 63, which gave him a four shot lead. In the final round, Lee held his nerve against the pressure of his pursuers, including Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland, who both finished one shot behind him. Lee sealed his victory with a crucial par on the 18th hole, after having to save his round following a poor tee shot, which enabled him to win the tournament with a total score of 20 under par, setting a new record for the tournament.
Min Woo Lee has already won several major titles, including the ISPS Handa Vic Open in 2020, the Abrdn Scottish Open in 2021, and the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in 2023 on the European Tour. In October 2023, he also won the SJM Macau Open on the Asian Tour with a record score of 30 under par. Lee comes from a family of accomplished golfers; his older sister, Minjee Lee, is a two-time major champion with 8 wins on the LPGA Tour. Min Woo Lee also represented Australia at the Olympic Games and was part of the international Presidents Cup team in 2024.
