10 moments that made NIL in golf impossible to ignore in 2025

by Golf NIL Staff

January 3, 2025

NIL in golf didn’t arrive in 2025 so much as it came into focus. The past year produced a series of moments that clarified how NIL is shaping the game in real time. Here are our 10 defining storylines:

1. Luke Clanton signs with Nike ahead of securing PGA Tour card

Luke Clanton earning his PGA Tour card as a college athlete was significant in and of itself. By the time he earned his 20th point, he had turned sponsor exemptions into legitimate runs, posting multiple top-10 finishes, including two runners-up, and moving inside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

With a new Nike partnership set in motion ahead of earning his final Accelerated point, the Florida State junior clinched his card fully outfitted in the swoosh, putting the brand front and center in every photo, highlight, and headline from that history-making week at the Tour's Cognizant Classic. What made it even more notable was that he kicked off that partnership while still at FSU, with the relationship structured to extend into his professional career.

For most pro golfers, major sponsor opportunities arrive after they've proved themselves on the game's biggest stage. In Clanton’s case, he and Nike showed how NIL can close that gap—a move that now feels more like a blueprint than an exception.

2. Charlie Woods cracks AJGA top 20

In 2025, Charlie Woods answered the question: Could his game rival the strongest talent and deepest fields in junior golf? A win at the Team TaylorMade Invitational and performances that earned him First-Team All-American honors moved Woods into the AJGA top 20 and put the speculation aside.

From an NIL standpoint, this is where the legacy opportunity stops being theoretical. As the son of one of the game’s greatest players, the 16-year-old has always drawn a level of attention few amateurs ever experience. What changed in 2025 is that the performance matched it. As we wrote in 2024, “Being a decent player will keep Woods at the top of our valuation list. Being great will write NIL history.”

Charlie Woods breaks into the AJGA top 20 in 2025 | Timothy Hale/ZUMA Press Wire

3. Jack Nicklaus reclaims rights to his own NIL

After years of being restricted from using his own name, courts reaffirmed Jack Nicklaus’ right to control his NIL—even if those rights had been commercially licensed. The case drew a distinct line between monetizing off of NIL and owning it, reinforcing that no agreement gives someone else the right to redefine an athlete’s identity or reputation.

4. John Daly II joins John Daly, Mickelson, Horvat in 2v2

John Daly II’s appearance alongside his father in a 2v2 against Phil Mickelson and Grant Horvat is one of the clearest examples of how quickly the game’s exposure landscape is changing. Posted on Horvat’s and Mickelson’s YouTube channels in early March, the match has since picked up more than seven million views. By comparison, 2025’s most-watched golf tournaments—the Masters, U.S. Open, and PGA Championship—captured 12.7 million, 5.4 million, and 4.7 million television viewers, respectively.

What made the moment meaningful wasn’t just the view count. The Arkansas golfer showcased his game against big names in a format that gave him plenty of camera time, wearing his own sponsor branding. Already the most-followed college golfer on social media with a Golf NIL Valuation of $850,000, Daly is demonstrating how talent, personality, and new media can create exposure that rivals traditional stages.

5. Jackson Koivun earns PGA Tour card as college sophomore

In May 2025, Jackson Koivun became the first sophomore to earn a PGA Tour card through the Accelerated program. For now, he’s chosen to remain at Auburn. With his Tour status secured and a $1.75 million Golf NIL Valuation on lock, the world No. 1 is building on this phase of his career with the visibility and leverage rarely seen in college golf.

6. Lottie Woad becomes first player to earn LPGA card through LEAP

Lottie Woad became the first player to earn an LPGA Tour card through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP). Built as a direct college-to-LPGA path, Woad was the first to cash it in, doing so in a major way—capturing a third-place finish at the Evian Championship, one week after landing her first professional win at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.

Woad did it as a college junior, securing her tour status through 2026 and setting her up with nearly a year and a half of starts and a real earning opportunity. Perhaps even more valuable was the leverage she carried onto the Tour: a record of success at the highest level, a name fans already knew, and positioning to maximize opportunities with existing and prospective sponsors.

Lottie Woad at the 2025 KPMG Irish Women's Open | Peter Fitzpatrick/Action Plus Sports

7. Miles Russell commits to Florida State University

Miles Russell’s college decision stood out because of the options in front of him. The No. 1 junior golfer in the country, a two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year, and a player with multiple professional starts, Russell had already shown he can compete beyond his age group. With a $750,000 Golf NIL Valuation, he entered the process as one of the most valued athletes in amateur golf.

The 17-year-old Jacksonville Beach native chose Florida State, following the example set by FSU alum Luke Clanton. Clanton used his time in Tallahassee to build real NIL visibility, close the gap to the professional level, and play his way to a Tour card while still in school. Russell is now in a position to capitalize on the same model, committing to a program that has shown players can prepare for a pro career without sacrificing an education.

8. Drew Zielinski makes history with PGA Tour start

November marked a new chapter in the game's NIL opportunity as Drew Zielinski became the first active Division II college golfer to make a PGA Tour start. The Lee University senior earned his exemption into the Butterfield Bermuda Championship with a win at the Fripp Island to Bermuda Invitational in late October.

For amateurs like Zielinski, access to professional events has easily become one of the most powerful drivers of NIL growth. For players outside Division I, the start mattered less for what it proved and more for what it made possible.

9. Mason Howell turns U.S. Amateur breakthrough into global showcase

Winning the U.S. Amateur at age 18 immediately put Mason Howell in territory most players never reach. As the third-youngest winner in history, Howell became the only high schooler named to the 2025 U.S. Walker Cup team. That momentum carries into 2026, with starts at the Masters, U.S. Open, and Open Championship, where Howell will go up against the world’s best on a global stage, creating a rare visibility opportunity for his personal brand and brand partners.

10. Kai Trump makes LPGA debut at the ANNIKA

Kai Trump’s LPGA debut at the ANNIKA put a spotlight on a familiar exchange. While her sponsor exemption wasn’t the first time an amateur drew additional attention to a professional event, it highlighted the benefits for both sides. This time, the result was a clearer picture of how one player—the game's most-followed amateur—not only drove interest that helped elevate the tournament, but also its player field and, likely, the ecosystem around it.