The arrests. Plural. An unexpected departure from a player. A sudden pause from another.
Indeed, pro golf does not lack heat, although its participants neither touch, control nor throw a fast ball up and in. The game of gentlemen and gentlemen is not good at all.
But we’re not going to play slow here. Our presentation will be quick.
Below, then, are the 18 hottest moments of 2024, with the headlines being the headlines written by this site.
but no Charlie Hull and her love of ‘warmers’ didn’t make the cut.
The 18 hottest moments in golf in 2024
Honorable mentions
Here are nine stories that just missed the cut.
— At the PGA Championship, Golf Channel analyst Arron Oberholser took issue with Jon Rahm’s comments, at one point saying he wanted to “wring his neck through the TV.” (Full story here.)
— Fred Couples, a LIV Golf critic, offered additional thoughts on the Masters tournament. (Full story here.)
— At the Masters Dinner of Champions, Tom Watson said he shared a brief thought on the state of the pro game. (Full story here.)
— Jordan Spieth was disqualified from the Genesis Invitational after the second round after signing an incorrect score card. Notably, a few months later, the PGA Tour said that going forward, players would be allowed a 15-minute buffer to correct an error on the scorecard. (Full stories here AND here.)
– At The Players Championship, fan favorite Rickie Fowler collided with a fan. (Full story here.)
– More Spieth. During the third round of the Texas Open, he played the 18th hole in one of the wildest ways you’ll ever see. (Full story here.)
– No, Lexi Thompson’s US Women’s Open retirement announcement did not go off. But her acceptance of years of struggle was. (Full story here.)
– Charley Hull He did make the cut – for her extreme opinion on how to cure the slow game. (Full story here.)
– According to one Palm Beach Mail HistoRyCharlie Woods, the 15-year-old son of 15-time major winner Tiger Woods, played through multiple incidents of unruly fan behavior during a Cognizant Classic pre-qualifier. (Full story here.)
18. ‘Bryson DeChambeau claims he was ‘extorted’ out of $2 million after US Open win’
Reporting here comes via Golfweek’s Adam Schupak, whose full story can be read here.
17. “No Love Lost”: Tensions flare as evidence of the rules of the game’s order‘
At the Houston Open, Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti clashed over the rules of the game. Describing the situation, analyst John Wood said this on air: “You can cut the tension with a knife between Finau and Tosti right now. … It’s just completely icy. It is not at all comfortable between these two. It’s just tension.” (Full story here.)
16. ‘LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan Unexpectedly Resigns’
Earlier this month, LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan resigned after a four-year tenure that was marked by both growth and criticism, the latter of which included opinions about her handling of transportation at the Solheim Cup. (More on that later.) Notably, she had defended her performance after being asked about it days earlier at the tournament’s season-ending event. (Full story here.)
15. ”What the hell are you doing?” Colin Montgomery calls on Tiger Woods to retire
Long Professor Colin Montgomery, in an interview with Times of London before the Open Championship, said he believed Woods had lost form and should call it a career. “There’s a time for all sportsmen to say goodbye, but it’s very difficult to tell Tiger it’s time to go,” he said. “Obviously, he still feels he can win. We are more realistic.” Notably, the comments drew this emphatic response from Woods: “Well, like a past champion,” Woods said. “I am excluded until the age of 60. Colin no. He’s not a past champion, so he’s not out of the question. So he doesn’t have the opportunity to make that decision. I do.” (Full stories here AND here.)
14. ‘Scottie Scheffler’s father, caddy got into fight with vulgar fan’
At the Presidents Cup in Montreal, the author of this story witnessed this. Scott Scheffler approached a fan who had yelled a vulgar comment at his son, and Ted Scott, Scheffler’s employee, and the police intervened. (Full story here.)
13. WD ‘Tiger Woods’ sends Riviera Country Club into confused chaos’
Any sudden withdrawal will move the needle at least a little, but this one, at the Genesis Invitational, including Woods commenting that he “didn’t look good,” two fire trucks, an ambulance and a gaggle of reporters. Woods’ business partner Rob McNamara eventually clarified that his man had been battling flu-like symptoms since Thursday night, which led to the WD. (Full story here.)
12. ‘I was scared for my life’: Chaos mars crucial moments of Travelers Championship
At the Travelers Championship, play on the 72nd hole was interrupted by protesters who emerged from the crowd, attacked the green and sprayed a colored substance on the putting surface. Play was suspended for several minutes after authorities apprehended the protesters, but it had created a commotion among the players on the hole – Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia. “I mean, I was afraid for my life. I didn’t even know what was going on,” Bhatia said. “I was in shock and my heart rate was high. It went down, and then as soon as it happened, I just freaked out.” (Full story here.)
Arguments over how to proceed after a ball crosses the penalty area always cause a stir and the scene at the Players Championship was no different. Twice, in fact, during Rory McIlroy’s first round there were collisions between him and his partners Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland. (Full story here.)
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland discuss McIlroy’s fall at No. 7.
10. “He should be penalized”: Brandel Chamblee takes issue with the controversial decision
Did Wyndham Clark’s ball move after he put his club behind it during the Arnold Palmer Invitational? Or not? Clark said no, he didn’t. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said yes, it does. “I don’t need video to see this. I saw it live and I knew the ball was moving,” Chamblee on Golf Central. “I think he should have been penalized.” (Full story here.)
9. ‘The PGA Tour just ratified major changes. Here are 6 things you need to know’
The PGA Tour just got smaller. Among the changes coming are a reduction in the number of players who can hold a Tour card (from 125 to 100); a reduction in the number of cards given to Korn Ferry Tour players (from 30 to 20); a possible reduction in the number of Q-School graduates (from top five and equal, to just top five); and the elimination of Monday qualifiers from many events. Additionally, the Tour will reduce field sizes at some of its events. Reactions, as expected, were mixed. (Full story here.)
8. The US Ryder Cuppers will be paid for the first time. Here’s the new deal’
American Ryder Cup players will be paid, which is self-evident. But with European players saying they don’t need the money, let’s just say a ticket to the next event, next year in Bethpage, will be a must. (More on that in a second.) (Full story here.)
7. ‘Ryder Cup tickets are more expensive than ever. PGA of America explains why
Number of reasons why this story heats up? Try about 750 of them. (Full story here.)
6. Tom Kim and the Presidents Cup
Tom Kim was seemingly at the center of every controversy at the Presidents Cup, so there’s not just one title here, but several. On Thursday afternoon, he got into a fight with Scottie Scheffler. (Full story here.) On Thursday night, he called for more noise. (Full story here.) On Saturday morning, he asked why it had to be extinguished. (Full story here.) On Saturday night, he said some players booed him. (Full stories here, here AND here.) On Sunday, the last day, he apologized. (Full story here.) Wow.
5. ‘Matt Kuchar’s Strange Stop on 72nd Hole Upends End of Tour Event’
Every golfer in the Wyndham Championship completed play on Sunday. Except for Matt Kuchar. He completed his round on Monday. (Full story here.)
4. ‘Absolutely ridiculous’: The Solheim Cup gets off to a rocky start after fan trouble.
The golf at the Solheim Cup was great. But on Friday morning, crowds dwindled due to ship problems. GOLF’s Zephyr Melton wrote: “According to some fans, there were two main issues that led to the transportation hiccup from the spectator area. One, there were not enough charter buses to handle the number of fans who arrived early in the morning. And two, volunteers (who use the same lot as the fans) were able to jump to the front of the line and bypass many of the fans who arrived far ahead of them. “Absolutely ridiculous,” said one man who declined to be identified.” (Full story here.)
3. “Inside the tense moments after Rory McIlroy’s disastrous US Open loss”
Missed shots. Another narrow loss. Tires screech after exiting Pinehurst. Rory McIlroy’s 2024 US Open was filled with drama. (Full story here.)
From the field, GOLF’s Claire Rogers perhaps summed things up best when she wrote: “On Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open, I saw more chaos in the last eight hours than I have cumulatively in the last decade of my life. I saw men bleeding from the face, people dozing on muddy hills, and adults knocking each other down because they couldn’t walk straight. Imagine the first few minutes of trying to get out of a sold-out concert and multiply that by 15. There we were.” (Full story here.)
1. ‘The Full Story of Scottie Scheffler’s Shocking Arrest: How Tragedy, Chaos Hit the PGA’
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested after entering the PGA Championship for his second round, sent to jail, then returned to play. Earlier that morning, a worker also died after being hit by a bus. A surreal day. (Full story here.)
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Nick Piastowski
Editor of Golf.com
Nick Piastowski is a senior editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash down his score. . You can reach him about any of these topics – his stories, his game or his beers – at nick.piastowski@golf.com.
