Thanksgiving brings us golf’s biggest turkeys of the year. This year Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and some unruly PGA Tour fans headline the list.
The end of the Florida Mid-Amateur Championship reportedly was like a scene out of “Happy Gilmore.” Marc Dull was declared the winner after his opponent, Jeff Golden, was unable to return because of an “unfortunate injury.” According to the police report, after a day of confrontation between the two players, Golden said he was sucker-punched in the face by Dull’s caddie. The incident resulted in a he said-he said with no charges filed, but the end of the tournament could be described as a giant turkey. Click here for more on the story.
Doris Chen’s road to the LPGA took a significant hit during November’s LPGA Q-Series when she was disqualified for a playing a ball after her mother had moved it back in bounds. The former NCAA champion said that while she didn’t see anything suspicious, she did eventually admit to not having the “best judgement at the moment.” Click here for more on the story.
While Jon Rahm and Andrew Landry were battling through extra holes to determine the winner of the CareerBuilder Challenge in January, Hall of Famer Curtis Strange was having himself a “get off my lawn” moment. Rahm topped Landry on the fourth extra hole, with both men showing good sportsmanship throughout, but Strange jumped on Twitter to share his problems with the playoff, which included the duo’s constant chit-chat and friendly banter. Oh, the horror. Click here for more on the story.
Web.com Tour pro Rhein Gibson threw his putter cover at his caddie and fired him on the spot on the final hole of the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January. Tournament officials issued Gibson a one-shot penalty because they determined Gibson’s caddie, Brandon Davis, identified and picked up a ball out of a hazard. Davis claimed the rule was applied incorrectly, but whatever the case, Gibson felt the need to apologize on Twitter for his outburst. Click here for more on the story.
Lee McCoy was ripped by fans and peers alike after a series of tweets following a February Web.com Tour event in Colombia. McCoy bogeyed two of his final three holes and he took to Twitter afterward to express his frustrations with the galleries, specifically the kids who were asking for his apparel to keep as souvenirs. The 24-year-old eventually offered an apology after facing plenty of backlash on social media. Click here for more on the story.
J.B. Holmes missed the Farmers Insurance Open playoff by a shot, but it was his indecision on the 18th hole that drew plenty of criticism from his fellow pros. Holmes took more than four minutes to play his approach to the green and ultimately decided to lay up while his playing partner, Alex Noren, waited in the fairway, needing a birdie to win the tournament in regulation. Several players loudly voiced their concern over Holmes’ pace of play and the Tour’s lack of rule enforcement. Click here for more on the story.
Fan behavior was a hot-button topic on the PGA Tour in 2018, especially early this season. Possibly over-served fans caused a commotion on several occasions, resulting in ejections from tournaments, complaints from players to limit alcohol sales and a statement from commissioner Jay Monahan. Click here for more on the story.
There was plenty of talk surrounding the course setup at Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open, and Phil Mickelson took the situation into his own hands during the third round by purposely hitting his ball while it was still in motion on the 13th green. While plenty in the golf world called for the five-time major champion’s disqualification, Mickelson was ultimately slapped with a two-stroke penalty while maintaining he meant no disrespect and did it simply to “take advantage of the rules.” Several days later, the 48-year-old reversed course and apologized, admitting he was “embarrassed and disappointed” by his actions. Click here for more on the story.
Whether it was simply an overreaction to the low scores at Erin Hills in 2017 or a lapse in judgment, the USGA again made negative headlines with its U.S. Open setup. While several players said the first two days were tough but fair, Moving Day at Shinnecock Hills was a different story, with many in the field – including Brendan Steele, Zach Johnson and Henrik Stenson - ripping the course’s hole locations and green speeds. Click here for more on the story.
Before the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, PGA Tour players - along with the rest of the island - got quite the scare when they received a shocking mobile alerts warning them of an inbound ballistic missile. Luckily, it turned out to be a false alarm, but for several minutes, players tweeted that they were on high alert, seeking shelter in everything from basements to bathtubs. Click here for more on the story.
The U.S. team was dominated by the Europeans in the Ryder Cup, losing 17 1/2 to 10 1/2, with a big part of the difference coming from captain’s picks. Jim Furyk’s selections of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson turned out to be the biggest disappointment, as the two legends of the game combined for zero total points at Le Golf National in Paris. Click here for more on the story.
It was a rollercoaster 2018 for Patrick Reed. After breaking through to win his first major at the Masters, Reed made several negative headlines, but none bigger than after the Ryder Cup. “Captain America” finished the biennial competition 1-2-0 as the U.S. lost to Europe 17 ½ to 10 ½, and Reed didn’t hold back afterward, blaming the loss in part on his being split up from former Ryder Cup partner Jordan Spieth and sitting out two sessions. The fallout lingered for weeks after the event ended, leaving some to wonder if it will affect his U.S. team future. Click here for more on the story.