Spotlight on 5 First-Time Winners on the PGA Tour in 2025
While Scottie Scheffler is still playing at a high level and winning multiple tournaments, there is plenty of parity on the PGA Tour in 2025. Through the end of June, there were nine first-time winners. The record is 18, which was set in 2002.
Below is a closer look at five of those first-time winners.
1. Thomas Detry (WM Phoenix Open)
Thomas Detry cruised to a comfortable victory at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open in February, becoming the first player on the PGA Tour this season to win their first-ever event. Detry began the fourth round with a five-stroke lead and finished seven strokes ahead of runners-up Michael Kim and Daniel Berger. The only real adversity he faced in the final round was when his lead shrunk to three strokes after three-putting for par on the par-5 13th, but he settled down and closed with four consecutive birdies.
Detry, who also became the first Belgian to win on the PGA Tour, had seven runner-up finishes in his first 67 career PGA Tour events. He also had 161 career DP World Tour starts without a victory. He attributed his breakthrough win to improved mental resilience.
2. Joe Highsmith (Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches)
While Detry's win was somewhat expected given his three-round lead, Joe Highsmith was a surprise winner at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches at PGA National in March. The 25-year-old Pepperdine University alumnus, playing in his second season on the PGA Tour, needed to make a tough 5 foot putt on the 18th hole in the second round just to make the cut and keep playing. To his surprise, he made the putt and followed that up with consecutive rounds of 64, scoring a two-stroke victory over runners-up J.J. Spaun and Jacob Bridgeman.
Even after a 64 on Saturday, Highsmith still trailed by four to start the final round. He rode a hot putter on Sunday, making every putt within 15 feet and sinking a pivotal 21-footer for birdie on the 17th hole, extending his lead to two shots. He was the first tournament winner to make the cut on the number since Brandt Snedeker at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2016. Highsmith also had the largest final-round comeback since Scottie Scheffler erased a five-stroke deficit to win the 2024 Players Championship.
3. Min Woo Lee (Texas Children's Hospital Open)
Australian Min Woo Lee became the eighth player in PGA Tour history to win for the first time at the Texas Children's Hospital Open, shooting 20-under 260 at Memorial Park Golf Course. Lee led by four strokes after shooting a third-round 63, but faced some difficulties during Sunday's final round. He was forced to take an unplayable lie after his tee shot on the par-5 eighth hole was deemed unplayable, but he made a tough up-and-down par from 87 yards.
Lee found the water with his tee shot on the 16th hole and carded his only bogey of the round. On 18, his approach from 155 yards rolled past the green and settled in the fringe, leaving him a difficult putt from more than 50 feet. Needing to two-putt to avoid a playoff with world No. 1 Scheffler and Gary Woodland, Lee putt the ball to within 8 inches of the cup and made par to secure his first victory in his 56th career start.
4. Ryan Fox (ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic)
New Zealand's Ryan Fox had one of the most dramatic victories on the PGA Tour in 2025, chipping in from more than 50 feet on the first playoff hole to claim the title at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. Fox, 38, also earned an invite to the 2025 PGA Championship and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
A three-time winner on the DP World Tour, Fox hadn't recorded a top-10 finish in 2025 prior to the Myrtle Beach Classic in May. It appeared as though he may have had to settle for runner-up after finishing with a 5-under 66 in the final round, but leader Mackenzie Hughes hit his drive on No. 18 into the trees and ultimately made bogey, setting up a playoff with Fox and Harry Higgs, who himself missed a 25-foot birdie putt on 18 to win.
5. Aldrich Potgieter (Rocket Classic)
Only the second PGA Tour rookie to win in 2025, South African Aldrich Potgieter won the Rocket Classic in June, beating Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk in a playoff. Playing in just his 20th PGA Tour event, Potgieter, 20, began the final round with a two-stroke lead over five others, including Kirk and Greyserman, and trailed by one after the first nine holes. Kirk had the clubhouse lead, but both Potgieter and Greyserman birdied 17 to tie for first place. They missed 18- and 12-foot birdie putts on 18, setting up a three-man playoff.
After missing a 9 foot putt to win on the first playoff hole, Kirk three-putted the par-3 15th second playoff hole and was eliminated from contention. Potgieter made birdie on the same hole to secure the championship three holes later. He is the seventh-youngest PGA Tour winner since 1983.