Every Thanksgiving, one lucky person receives a presidential pardon.
And golfers? Um… not so much.
No, instead of excusing the goofs and blunders of the golf year, let’s take a moment to revisit them. Behold, our annual Turkey Awards!
Wyndham Clark‘s short fuse
Although Clark struggled for much of the season, he still met his fair share of goals. Among them was a sign at the PGA Championship, which Clark dented when he threw a bat in anger. Next was a row of Oakmont lockers, destroyed by the fiery 31-year-old in a fit of rage after missing the cut by one at the US Open. As news of his outburst spread, Clark apologized. But the consequences of his property destruction continued. In a letter to its members, Oakmont announced that the 2023 US Open champion would be banned from its grounds until he met a series of conditions, including paying for damages, making a donation to a charity of the board’s choice, and taking counseling or anger management courses.
Outrage from influencers
The first Internet Invitational, led by Barstool and Bob Does Sports and featuring a slew of YouTube stars, went viral in part thanks to a few regrettable moments. These included Luke Kwon sleeping through his starting time to let his team down, and accusations of cheating against Paige Spiranac, who broke down in tears and, by his own admission, was later subjected to death threats.
One penalty stroke and loss of mobile phone
During Tuesday’s practice round at the Players Championship, Rory McIlroy hit a drive into the water and then issued a citation to a fan who mocked him for the shot, took the young man’s phone and marched down the fairway. The heckler, who was eventually escorted from the property, turned out to be a member of the University of Texas golf team.
The piece was heard all over the world
Rory, Part II. With a distance of 86 meters on the 13th at Augusta, ready to end a decade-long major drought and finally complete the career Grand Slam, McIlroy drove a wedge into Rae’s Creek – a shocking low point on a Sunday that wavered between the sublime and the slapstick. The resulting double bogey briefly threatened to derail everything – until McIlroy steadied himself, re-emerged and suddenly won the Masters. His historic achievement will not be forgotten. And neither does that stunning swing.
She missed, she missed, she missed… she made!
Everyone loves a story of redemption. But redemption only happens after failure. That’s reminiscent of the whirlwind season of Jeeno Thitikul, who would win the Rolex Player of the Year in 2025, but not before hitting the final hole of the Kroger Queen City Championship in September and giving the tournament away to Charley Hull.
Nice guys don’t always finish last..
…but they seem to suffer more than their share of heartache on the way to breakthrough victories. Witness fan favorite Tommy Fleetwood, whose gritty finish at the Travelers Championship – where he coughed up the title from Keegan Bradley – was enough to turn the steeliest of stomachs. That sour finish would soon be washed away by sweet victories in both the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup, the latter over Bradley’s team, no less. At the time, however, the blow against the Travelers was a painful one for Fleetwood’s supporters, partly because – as really nice guys often do – he absorbed the pain with such grace.
Ryder Cup emcee apologizes for harassing Rory McIlroy and will not return on Sunday
By means of:
Alan Bastable
Glowers from Lowry
Most golf problems are privileged problems, which does not mean that they do not cause a high level of excitement. Shane Lowry proved it equally at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where the Irishman unleashed f-bombs and angrily swung at the turf after being denied relief from a fairway pitch mark and then driving a wedge into a green side bunker. Lowry later provided context. He was not irritated by the ruling, but by what he viewed as the unnecessary involvement of an ESPN reporter. Lowry was also caught on camera appearing to flash his middle finger at the hole.
Bile at Bethpage
There’s nothing wrong with noise during the Ryder Cup. A little verbal cruelty is fair game too, as long as the barbs are clever and not delivered far below the belt. And never when a man is trying to play his shot. By these and many other minimal measures, the insults hurled at the opposition – and especially at McIlroy – backfired miserably. Call them whatever you want. Ugly. Unimaginative. Embarrassing. But not a single word fully captures the depressing mindlessness of what happened.
Disgusting host
In her role as Ryder Cup emcee, comedian and actress Heather McMahan wasn’t thinking straight as she joined in with fans’ chants of “F— you, Rory.” When the video of her cheerleading went viral, McMahan apologized and resigned from her role. Many fans carried on anyway in her absence.
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