Game Changers
Here, we pay tribute to the people who have forged new pathways and, each in their own way, made a major impact on golf over the past year.
Luke Donald
The UK arm of Kingdom’s editorial team thought the European Ryder Cup captain was a worthy inclusion, and Annika Sörenstam’s vote sealed the deal: “Luke Donald should be included for being a victorious Ryder Cup captain again,” she says. Some may argue that Donald is not a “changer” as such, but his unerring captaincy over the past four years has ensured the Ryder Cup remains golf’s most intense and gripping event. Ryder Cup tension is pure fuel for TV ratings, ticket sales, merchandise, and the career ambitions of the finest golf talents in the United States and Europe. And maybe Donald is forcing the PGA of America to change the way it plans and manages the U.S. captaincy. One of the hardest parts of the 2025 Ryder Cup was seeing the toll it took on U.S. captain Keegan Bradley.
Adam Sandler
The creative force and star of the Happy Gilmore movies just needs to rock up to the tee and he makes people laugh. While we don’t expect 2025’s Happy Gilmore 2 to receive an Oscar nomination, the movie undoubtedly introduced tour pros like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, and Scottie Scheffler to a broader (and younger) audience. Sandler is keeping golf relevant and attention-grabbing in his inimitable way.
Bryson DeChambeau
“With his YouTube channel, Bryson has really done some cool things, and he has an incredible following,” Sörenstam says. DeChambeau has more than 2.5 million YouTube subscribers at the time of writing, which is up by a cool million from this time last year. He polarizes opinion, and his inclusion here spurred some warm debate within our editorial team and panelists. That’s what this recently appointed chairman of the U.S. President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition does. Like him or not, DeChambeau is a game changer.
A Toast from Dewar’s
Here’s to innovators and icons whose bold ideas inspire us to see tradition through a new lens. Unexpected, inventive, and masterfully composed, the Right Pal salutes the rule-breakers and visionaries redefining the game.
Robby Berger
The personality behind Bob Does Sports first gained Instagram traction as a friendly, funny doorman at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel. This year, his rise continued by co-creating the Internet Invitational, in which golf’s most popular influencers (including Kingdom List panelist Roger Steele) competed in a match-play event with $1.7 million of prize money on the line. It was not exactly a work of art, but more than 5 million YouTube viewers teed it up.
Sam Hahn
Hahn, the co-CEO of L.A.B. Golf, was a musician before he was disrupting the golf industry with his Lie Angle Balance technology and zero-torque putters. Since L.A.B. Golf’s founding in 2018, the company has experienced almost 18,000 percent growth. Several other manufacturers have released their own zero-torque putters, but nothing compares to the original. J.J. Spaun wielded the brand’s DF3 putter to U.S. Open glory in 2025, offering a significant boost to L.A.B. Golf’s profile. According to David DeSmith, the putters’ reputation is well deserved. “I didn’t know how well balanced they were until I putted with the new OZ.1,” he says. “It swings itself, feels like it stays on the right path effortlessly, and there’s a bonus: it has amazing feel.”
Evan Schiller
“We golfers love great photography, and yet we rarely consider how these images get created. When I started in the design business, photographers would cart a stepladder around and shoot on film, but today it’s all drones and digital. The unsung hero of this genre is Evan Schiller. He makes what we do look amazing, and he has pioneered drone photography in golf. Evan is a true artist in his own right, someone willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot—a willingness for which I have often been very grateful!”
—David McLay Kidd
Main image: Evan Schiller, 8th Hole, Royal Portrush
Rory McIlroy
“It was great seeing Rory win the Masters to complete the career grand slam,” Sörenstam says. McIlroy returns to the Kingdom List after making his debut in 2023. That year, he was included for taking the PGA Tour players’ lead in the fallout with LIV, and for creating TGL Golf with Tiger Woods. McIlroy has continued to serve as an unofficial ambassador in 2025, which sometimes brings heat, but tour golf’s profile would benefit if a few others followed his example. In 2025, McIlroy became the first golfer in 25 years to complete the career grand slam. “Rory McIlroy has been the heartbeat of golf this year,” says Roger Steele. “Watching him fight through the noise, the pressure, and the weight of expectation [at the Masters] was a reminder that winning doesn’t always have to look beautiful to mean something. Sometimes victory is about holding on when your hands are shaking, finding calm in chaos, and refusing to let history define you. Then at Bethpage, he absorbed every ounce of hostility the crowd could throw and still led Europe to an away Ryder Cup win. This year, Rory didn’t just play great golf; he embodied it—proving that grace, grit, and growth can all live in the same player.”
The Panelists
PGA Tour caddie Geno Bonnalie
Travel and lifestyle editor and luxury hotel expert Samantha Brooks
Golf writer and globetrotter David DeSmith
Chef with two Michelin stars, at last counting Gabriel Kreuther
In-demand golf course architect and amateur pilot David McLay Kidd
Dewar’s award-winning master distiller
Stephanie Mcleod
Golf journalist, broadcaster, Kingdom contributing editor
Alexandra O’Laughlin
Ten-time major champ, Hall of Famer, all-star mom Annika Sörenstam
Content creator, bomber off the tee, social media icon
Roger Steele
