For Maverick McNealy, the 2025 season was a whirlwind of promise and near glory. “I didn’t feel like a rookie anymore,” McNealy said, looking back at his season that made him seem like a contender for Ryder’s Cup. Yet when the final six captain’s picks were announced, his name wasn’t on the list…. it stung. Yet, amid the disappointment, a message from Justin Thomas, who himself had gotten the captain’s nod, brought a moment of warmth to an otherwise bitter day.

The response came on Instagram, under McNealy’s reflective post about falling short: “Brother, you’re a stud. What you have people can’t teach. Keep being you 🔥.” Coming from someone who, although he is a two-time major champion and Ryder Cup mainstay, and has still faced his fair share of missed opportunities ad rejections, those words offered more than consolation.   

For McNealy, that respect had been hard-earned over a season that oscillated between brilliance and frustration. He announced his arrival early at the Genesis Invitational, nearly stealing the title with a blistering 8-under 64 on Sunday that vaulted him to a solo second-place finish behind Ludvig Åberg. That run pushed him into the world’s top 10 for the first time in April, solidifying him as a legitimate Ryder Cup contender. But only if the wins and highs were consistent. 

A string of missed cuts, including at marquee events like THE PLAYERS and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, highlighted the inconsistency that kept him outside the automatic qualification zone. When the calendar flipped to August, McNealy staged one last charge. At the BMW Championship, he delivered a bogey-free final round to finish solo third, leading the field in strokes gained putting and reminding everyone of his ceiling. Yet the late surge wasn’t enough. A T23 at the Tour Championship left him just shy of cementing his place, in captain Keegan Bradley’s final decision. McNealy addressed it head-on in his post, choosing honesty without bitterness:

“To come so close to, and fall just short of, making the Ryder Cup team… hurts.” He followed with perspective, acknowledging the strength of the team and his own determination to return stronger: “Captain @keeganbradley1 is bringing a stacked squad to Bethpage, and I am grateful to have even been in the conversation. I’ll be rooting hard for his team. We’re going to continue working every bit as hard toward our 2026 campaign and see where it takes us.”

He closed by thanking everyone who stood by him through what he called his “best year ever,” a season that fell short in one area but proved his place among the game’s rising elite. Because with 2026 already in his sights, the best may still be ahead.

What’s next for Maverick McNealy?

Although Maverick McNealy won’t be teeing it up at Bethpage this coming September, his calendar is far from empty. Kicking off his fall at the Procore Championship in Napa, McNealy will return to the course on September 11. The familiar stop at the FedEx Cup fall series will be the ideal testing grounds for his recent adjustments. Following that, in October, he will head to the Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort, a newer but quickly rising event on the PGA Tour. Both tournaments present McNealy with the chance to sharpen his game against strong fields. With FedEx Cup points in line, McNealy will be picking up momentum for his 2026 run.

Off the course, McNealy is preparing for perhaps his most meaningful role yet—fatherhood. “Maya & I are preparing to welcome our daughter into the world in November, and I am so excited to spend some time at home being a husband and a dad,” he shared. With a busy season behind him and the next already on the horizon, this fall offers not only competitive opportunities but also a rare pause to focus on family.