It’s been more than a decade since the questions were asked about if Rory McIlroy could set the record for most majors won. Although he was dealing with the emotional toll of ending his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki, the Northern Irishman went on a tear the second half of 2014, winning both the Open and the PGA Championship to take his tally to four majors.

At the end of that season, the question was not whether McIlroy could win any more titles, but how many he would run off. Very few would have predicted he’d remain at four majors in 2025. Funny how golf goes.

The man who at one point had the golf world in the palm of his hand now hopes 2025 will bring an end to that major drought. If he wants that to end as soon as possible, that means winning at a venue that hasn’t been kind to him in the past.

Only 14 years ago, McIlroy was in line for his first major, with the lead after 63 holes. But a triple-bogey on the 10th hole ultimately led to a Sunday 80, dropping him to 15th place. While he would romp to a win at the very next major – the US Open at Congressional – he still has yet to don a green jacket, though he was runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in 2022.

McIlroy has also been largely regarded as the PGA Tour’s white knight in the midst of the LIV Golf controversy. In last year’s US Open at Pinehurst, the cameras cutting between the triumphant champion Bryson DeChambeau and the dejected runner-up McIlroy, would be interpreted by many as a sort of “tsk-tsk” moment that the upstart league is here to stay.

But Rory has started the 2025 season with some optimism, as evidenced by his wins at Pebble Beach in February and at the Players in March. He can also take encouragement from the success of the new TGL, which is backed by McIlroy and Tiger Woods among others.

There is reason to believe McIlroy has plenty of time to write a favorable new chapter in his legacy. But a win at Augusta National – whether it’s this year or in the future – is a must to get that trajectory back on track.

The 2024-25 edition of UEFA continental competitions saw a drastic change in how matches were conducted from September through January. In previous years, the Champions League and Europa League – in addition to the Conference League since its inception – used a standard approach for a group phase. 32 teams would be split into eight groups of four, with the teams in each group playing home-and-away against each other.

This year, not only were there 36 teams at this stage of each competition, it was a one-group setup with each club playing eight opponents selected at random.

And after one go-round of the concept, plain and simple, consider me a fan.

There are many reasons why I found this setup better than the old group stage, but one big factor was that qualification places were still up for grabs in the final matchdays. With the old groups, it wasn’t uncommon for teams to secure qualification to the knockout rounds with games to spare. Matchday 6 – and in some cases even Matchday 5 – would consist of teams fielding reserve players; a great experience for the athletes, but lacking in interest from the fans. With the league phase, only Liverpool in the Champions League could truly afford to rest its first-team contributors in Matchday 8, with the other clubs having plenty both gain and lose.

Another positive was having a more diverse group of clubs with a legitimate chance to move up the table, instead of the same old heavy-hitters. Take Aston Villa, for example, who was in Pot 4 of the Champions League due to the coefficient rankings. In the group stage, Villa would have been burdened with a tough draw, with likelier hopes of finishing 3rd and going to the Europa League instead of advancing. In the league phase, yes they faced fellow European Cup winners Bayern Munich and Juventus, but they also played winnable games against Bologna, RB Leipzig, and Celtic. As a result of taking each matchday seriously, Villa finished in the top eight of the table, automatically qualifying for the Round of 16.

It must be said that it was also entertaining to watch big clubs struggle until the final matchday, like Manchester City. Instead of a favorable draw in a four-team group, the 2023 champions (investigations still pending) had a stretch of one point in four games, losing to Sporting, Juventus, and PSG. It was only a trio of second-half goals against Club Brugge that kept City from an embarrassing early exit, but they now have to face Real Madrid in a two-legged tie just to reach the Round of 16.

The same goes for those in the Europa League. Manchester United in previous years would struggle to take the competition seriously, but after three draws in their first three games of the league phase, they were able to bounce back with five consecutive wins to secure a place in the Round of 16. Part of that may be due to the club parting ways with Erik ten Hag in late October, but the bottom line is that the Red Devils expected to finish in the top eight of the league phase, and that goal was achieved.

Will the league phase become an object of scorn once the novelty has worn off? Possibly, but change in this scenario cannot be discouraged. One can hope this raises the level of play for the knockout round, and for the competition as a whole in future years.

Those who support Manchester United can be forgiven for having a sense of pessimism entering the club’s first two matches of the calendar year. It’s not as if the way the Red Devils ended December inspired any confidence going forward.

Yes, the club came from literally nowhere to take three points from Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. But after a Carabao Cup exit where United showed some resolve in the second half (not to mention taking advantage of Fraser Forster errors), the team literally limped to the end of December. They were outscored by a total of 7-0 in losses to Bournemouth, Wolves, and Newcastle, and the tunnel seemed endless.

So a trip to league leaders Liverpool – who were on a four-game win streak of their own entering the January 5 match – understandably had Red Devil fans fearing the worst. But lo and behold, United not only opened the scoring at Anfield, they had the character to not only scoring a tying goal late, they would’ve won if not for Harry Maguire placing a shot well above the goal frame.

“It’s just one match; it’s a rivalry, records and form can be thrown out the window.” That logic could also be applied to the FA Cup third round tie at Arsenal. And indeed, despite United taking the lead through Bruno Fernandes, they were reduced to 10 men and lost their lead.

But in one of the few appearances he’ll make this season, Altay Bayindir saved one penalty in regulation, then another in a shootout to help United reach the fourth round against the odds.

So a turnaround can be done, though it will hardly be easy. Ruben Amorim predicted “a storm would come” not long after he succeeded Erik ten Hag, and it was indeed unpleasant. But if the club have emerged from the worst of it, they can take pride in those results earned on the road against bitter rivals.

Next up is a home match with a Southampton team that is last in the Premier League by a notable margin. Three points will be expected, but if United play to their true potential, there is still time to get into the fight for European competition through league placement. It could be that Manchester United is ready, finally, to rise again.

Next year, FIFA will implement its new format of the Club World Cup, designed to include continental champions from a four-year range in between tournaments. In its old format, held yearly and featuring champions from just the previous season, the competition had mixed reviews about its necessity and relevance. FIFA is hoping that by including 32 teams in 2025, it can grow the tournament into one that is regarded on a similar level as the World Cup for national teams.

30 of the 32 berths for the 2025 tournament have been determined, with one of the remaining openings reserved for a South American club; the current edition of its continental championship, the Copa Libertadores, will have its final in November. The final opening is reserved for a team from the host country, the United States.

And not to be too subjective here, but there is one, and only one, correct answer.

In the last nine months, the Columbus Crew have added trophies by winning the MLS Cup and Leagues Cup, and they also reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Had they beaten Pachuca for the CONCACAF title, Columbus would already be in the field. The fact that they did beat Tigres UANL and Monterrey does show, however, that the club is capable of competing in high-profile competitions.

In previous Club World Cups, FIFA reserved an opening for the domestic champion of the host country; Columbus is currently in that position of defending champion, and are regarded as a favorite for the 2024 crown. Adding to that argument for the Crew is the fact that nearly half the teams in the field have qualified due to a four-year ranking accumluation.

So why would the Crew not be regarded as a shoo-in to the 2025 field? One word: Politics.

As of late August, it appears that the U.S. Soccer Federation will make a subjective decision on who will represent the host country. It is no secret that MLS Commissioner Don Garber and those associated with the Crew don’t have the best of relationships, dating back to when Garber sided with former owner Anthony Precourt’s plan to move the Crew to Austin, Texas in 2017. Though the Crew ultimately remained in Columbus, the bitter feelings remain and will likely stay for generations. Would Garber go for a situation where he thinks he has the last laugh, and urge decision makers (assuming he’s not one of them) to pick a team other than Columbus?

The story of the Columbus Crew is one that goes beyond just the happy ending of survival. They’ve experienced new levels of success on a domestic and continental stage, and have earned the right to test their mettle against the best in the world. It’s as clear as black and, well, gold.