Our Top-10 countdown rolls on, with images from the most bizarre moments of 2014.
Our Top-10 countdown rolls on, with images from the most bizarre moments of 2014.
During the final round of the Madeira Islands Open in April, Alastair Forsyth’s caddie Iain McGregor collapsed on the ninth fairway and died soon after of a heart attack. After a short delay, the European Tour decided the final round would continue, a decision that was roundly criticized by other players, with some withdrawing from competition instead of playing on. (Getty Images)
In late May, it was reported that Phil Mickelson was under investigation for insider trading. Federal authorities were examining well-timed trades as part of a two-year investigation and approached Mickelson twice, once after his opening round at the Memorial. By mid-June, it was reported that Mickelson’s role had been ‘overstated,’ after authorities found no evidence against him. (Getty Images)
Fresh off a win at the WGC-Cadillac in March - his third PGA Tour title - Patrick Reed declared, ‘I’m one of the top five players in the world.’ Some in golf circles supported the boast while it didn’t sit well with others. One thing is for sure, the comment made more noise than his win as it is often the first thing people mention when Reed’s name is brought up. (Getty Images)
Was Tiger Woods going to play the season’s final major? We got our answer in bizarre fashion. Woods pulled into his Valhalla parking space on Wednesday as more than 60 members of the media and television cameras encircled his silver SUV. It was an arrival fit for a king, but unfortunately we got two days of sub-par golf out of a player with an injured back. (Getty Images)
During the second round of the Maybank Malaysian Open in April, Pablo Larrazabal was casually going about another day at the office when he was suddenly attacked by hornets ‘three times the size of bees.’ The insects were so relentless that he had to jump in a nearby lake to get rid of them after being stung more than 20 times. Incredibly, he made birdie on the hole and finished the day with a 4-under 68. (Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy made the PGA his fourth career major title, but it was the finish that had everyone buzzing long after the final putt fell. Because of a 1-hour, 51-minute rain delay on Sunday, darkness fell as the final two groups played the 18th hole. PGA officials allowed the final twosome of McIlroy and Bernd Wiesberger to hit up as Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy were also playing the final hole. Opinions differ on who was OK with what, and the issue appeared to be settled until it was reported in November that a Monday finish would’ve cost the PGA an estimated $750,000. (Getty Images)
PGA of America president Ted Bishop sparked outrage in the golf community just after the Ryder Cup debacle, when he took to social media to defend Nick Faldo against Ian Poulter. Poulter had called out Faldo in his book, writing that a lot of Europeans had lost respect for him. In response, Bishop said Poulter was a ‘Lil Girl,’ among other things, which many people took as sexist. Bishop apologized, but the PGA of America ousted him from office, anyway, just one month before his term was up. (Getty Images)
Phil Mickelson has always been a man of the people, but never was it more evident than this year at The Barclays, when he successfully hit into and out of a hospitality area on the par-4 fifth hole. At least Lefty saw some improvement after making fans clear out so he could hit his recovery shot for two consecutive days, saving par on attempt No. 2 after a bogey his first time around. (Getty Images)
In late July, Dustin Johnson announced he was taking a leave of absence from professional golf to seek help for ‘personal challenges.’ The timing seemed strange, but less than a week later, Golf.com reported that Johnson had been suspended from the PGA Tour for six months after testing positive for cocaine, his third failed drug test. Breaking from their longstanding policy of not commenting on player’s personal matters, the PGA Tour came out with a statement saying Johnson had not been suspended. Whatever the case, DJ did not play the rest of the year. (Getty Images)
The 2014 Ryder Cup will be remembered as much for the U.S. post-game news conference as it will be for the European victory. Upset at the captaining style of Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson lashed out through the media with Watson sitting just a few feet away. The verbal sparring went on for months afterward and eventually resulted in the creation of the Ryder Cup task force that the U.S. will use going forward. (Getty Image)