18 of the Hottest Moments in Golf of 2024: Arrests, Tom Kim Rules
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Nick Piastowski
2024 brings all kinds of intense moments.
Getty Images
arrest. plural. A player suddenly quits. The other man stopped suddenly.
To be sure, professional golf doesn’t lack for excitement, even if its participants don’t tackle, block, or throw fastballs.
But we’re not going to take things slow here. Our introduction will be quick.
Here are 18 of the most intense moments of 2024, headlined by headlines written by this site.
But no, Charlie Hull and her love of “heaters” didn’t work out.
18 of the most intense moments in golf in 2024
Honorable mention
Here are nine stories that just missed the cut.
— Golf Channel analyst Arron Oberholser took issue with Jon Rahm’s comments at the PGA Championship, at one point saying he wanted to “break his neck on TV.” . (Full story here.)
— LIV golf critic Fred Couples has more thoughts on the trip to the Masters. (Full story here.)
— Speaking at the Masters Champions Dinner, Tom Watson shared a brief thought on the state of the professional game. (Full story here.)
— Jordan Spieth was disqualified after the second round of the Genesis Invitational for incorrectly signing his scorecard. Notably, a few months later, the PGA Tour said it would allow players a 15-minute buffer to correct scorecard errors going forward. (Full stories here and here.)
— Fan favorite Rickie Fowler snapped at a fan at The Players Championship. (Full story here.)
—More Spieth. In the third round of the Texas Open, he played on the 18th hole in one of the craziest ways you’ve ever seen. (Full story here.)
— No, Lexi Thompson’s retirement announcement at the U.S. Women’s Open wasn’t dramatic. But she acknowledged the struggles over the years. (Full story here.)
— Charlie Hull did Selected – for her extreme views on how to cure slow play. (Full story here.)
— According to a palm beach post In the story, Charlie Woods, the 15-year-old son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, experienced multiple incidents of unruly fan behavior during the Cognizant Classic qualifying tournament. (Full story here.)
18. “Bryson DeChambeau claims he was ‘extorted’ for $2 million after U.S. Open win”
The report here comes from golfweek Adam Schupak, his full story can be read here.
17. ‘No love lost’: Tensions rise as pro players take issue with match order rules‘
At the Houston Open, Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti had a dispute over the order of play. Analyst John Wood described the situation on the air: “Now you could put a knife to the tension between Finau and Tostee. … It’s completely ice-cold. There’s nothing between these two guys at all.” Uncomfortable. It’s just nerves. (Full story here.)
I should say, a few of the holes were freezing cold.
— John Wood (@Johnwould) March 31, 2024
16. “LPGA Commissioner Molly Marcus Samman unexpectedly resigns”
Earlier this month, LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan resigned after a four-year tenure marked by growth and criticism, the latter of which included criticism of her role in Thoughts on handling traffic at the Solheim Cup. (More on that later.) Notably, she defended her performance after being asked about it at the tour’s season finale a few days ago. (Full story here.)
15. ‘What the hell is he doing?’ Colin Montgomery calls for Tiger Woods to retire”
Longtime pro Colin Montgomery in an interview times of london Before the Open, he said he believed Woods had lost form and should call it a career. “All athletes have a time to say goodbye, but it’s hard to tell Tiger it’s time to leave,” he said. “Obviously, he still feels like he can win. We’re more realistic. Notably, those comments prompted a sharp response from Woods: Well, as a past champion,” Woods said. “I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin’s not. He’s not a past champion, so he’s not immune. So he doesn’t have a chance to make that decision. I do. (Full story here and here.)
14. “Scotty Scheffler’s father, ballboy get into altercation with vulgar fan”
The author of this article witnessed this firsthand at the Presidents Cup in Montreal. Scheffler’s caddy Ted Scott and police intervened after Scott Scheffler approached a fan who shouted vulgar remarks in his son’s direction. (Full story here.)
13. “Tiger Woods” WD plunges Riviera Country Club into chaos
Any sudden withdrawal would have at least a small impact, but at the Genesis Invitational, where Woods commented that he “didn’t look right,” two fire trucks, an ambulance and a swarm of reporters were also present. Woods’ business partner Rob McNamara eventually clarified that his man had been battling flu-like symptoms since Thursday night, which led to WD. (Full story here.)
12. ‘I was scared for my life’: Chaos disrupts defining moment of Travelers Championship”
At the Travelers Championship, play on the 72nd hole was disrupted by protesters who broke out of the crowd, stormed the green and sprayed colored substances on the surface. Play was paused for several minutes as authorities arrested protesters, but it was the players on the hole — Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia (Akshay Bhatia) created a sensation. “I mean, I was scared for my life. I didn’t even know what was going on,” Bhatia said. “I was in shock, my heart rate was high. It got really low, and then once that happened, I was freaking out. (Full story here.)
11. “Rory McIlroy’s rules – police enforcement leads to tense atmosphere at Players Championship”
The debate over what happens to the ball once it enters the penalty area is always hotly debated, and the scene at The Players Championship was no exception. In fact, during Rory McIlroy’s first round, he had two altercations with partners Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland. (Full story here.)
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland discuss McIlroy’s drop to seventh place.
Rory made double bogey and moved from the sole lead to second. pic.twitter.com/dkV6a5Q22W
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 14, 2024
10. ‘He deserves to be punished’: Brandel Chamblee disputes controversial ruling”
Did the ball move after Wyndham Clark put his club behind it during the Arnold Palmer Invitational? Or not? Clark said no, there wasn’t. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee says, yes, that’s true. “I didn’t need film to see this. I saw it live and I knew the ball was moving. “I thought he should have been punished. ” (Full story here.)
9. ‘The PGA Tour just approved major changes. Here are 6 things you need to know’
The PGA Tour is getting smaller. Upcoming changes include reducing the number of players holding Tour cards (from 125 to 100); reducing the number of cards given to Korn Ferry Tour players (from 30 to 20); and possibly reducing the number of Q-School graduates. will be reduced (from top five and ties, to top five); and Monday qualifiers will be eliminated from many events. In addition, the PGA Tour will also reduce the size of the venues in several events. As expected, reactions were mixed. (Full story here.)
8. “For the first time, the U.S. Ryder Cup team will be paid. This is the new arrangement’
The U.S. Ryder Cup players will be paid, which is noteworthy in itself. But since European players say they don’t need the money, let’s just say a ticket to the next game in Bethpage next year will be a must-have. (More on that later.) (Full story here.)
7. “Ryder Cup tickets are more expensive than ever.” PGA of America explains why”
How much is this story buzzing about? Try about 750. (Full story here.)
6. Tom King and the Presidents Cup
Tom Kim seems to be at the center of every controversy at the Presidents Cup, so there’s not just one headline here, but multiple headlines. He got into an argument with Scotty Scheffler on Thursday afternoon. (Full article here.) On Thursday night, he called for more noise. (Full story here.) On Saturday morning, he questioned why he had to putt. (Full story here.) On Saturday night, he said some players cursed him. (The full story is here , here and here .) On Sunday, the final day, he apologized. (Full story here.) Wow.
5. “Matt Kuchar’s bizarre stop at 72nd hole upends tour finale”
Every golfer at the Wyndham Championship finished Sunday. Except for Matt Kuchar. He completed the round on Monday. (Full story here.)
4. ‘Absolutely ridiculous’: Solheim Cup gets off to a rocky start after shuttle issues plague fans”
The golf at the Solheim Cup is great. But on Friday morning, crowds were lighter due to shuttle issues. GOLF’s Zephyr Melton wrote: “According to several fans, there are two main issues causing traffic problems in the auditorium. First, there are not enough charter buses to handle the number of fans arriving early in the morning. Second, Volunteers – who use the same venue as fans – were able to jump to the front of the queue, bypassing many of the fans who had arrived before them, which one man, who asked not to be named, said was “absolutely ridiculous”. (Full story here.)
3. “Rory McIlroy’s tense moments after U.S. Open upset”
Missed the putt. Another narrow victory. The tires squealed as we left Pinehurst. Rory McIlroy’s 2024 U.S. Open is filled with drama. (Full story here.)
2. “WM Phoenix Open gates closed, alcohol sales suspended”
From the field, golf’s Claire Rogers perhaps described things best, writing: “At the WM Phoenix Open on Saturday, I observed more chaos in the last eight hours than I have ever seen in my life. The cumulative chaos of the last decade was even greater. I saw men with blood on their faces, people napping on muddy hills, and adults knocking each other over because they couldn’t walk straight. Imagine trying to exit a sold-out concert. of the first few minutes, then multiply that by 15. (Full story here.)
1. “The full story of Scotty Scheffler’s shocking arrest: How tragedy and chaos unfolded for the PGA of America”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested while playing in the second round of the PGA Championship, jailed and then returned to competition. A worker was also hit and killed by a bus earlier that morning. A surreal day. (Full story here.)
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Nick Piastowski
Golf Network Editor
Nick Piastowski is senior editor for Golf.com and Golf Magazine. He edits, writes and develops stories across the golf spectrum. When he’s not writing about how to hit golf balls farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing games, hitting the ball left, right and short, then washing it down with a cold beer Fraction. You can contact him at nick.piastowski@golf.com to learn more about these topics – his story, his game, or his beer.