Arrests. Plural. An abrupt exit by one player. An abrupt pause by another.
Truly, pro golf does not lack for heat, though its participants neither tackle, check nor throw a fastball up and in. The gentlewomen and gentlemen’s game is hardly benign.
But we will not slow-play here. Our intro will be expeditious.
Below, then, are the 18 most heated moments of 2024, with the titles being the headlines written by this site.
But no, Charley Hull and her affection for ‘heaters’ did not make the cut.
18 most heated 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 comments from Jon Rahm, at one point saying he wanted to “wring his neck through the television.” (Full story here.)
— Fred Couples, a LIV Golf critic, offered additional thoughts on the tour at the Masters. (Full story here.)
— At the Masters Champions Dinner, Tom Watson said he shared a short thought on the state of the pro game. (Full story here.)
— Jordan Spieth was DQ’d from the Genesis Invitational after the second round after signing an incorrect scorecard. Notably, a few months later, the PGA Tour said going forward, players would be allowed a 15-minute buffer to correct a scorecard error. (Full stories here and here.)
— At the Players Championship, fan favorite Rickie Fowler snapped at a fan. (Full story here.)
— More Spieth. During the Texas Open’s third round, he played the 18th hole in one of the wildest ways you’ll see. (Full story here.)
— No, Lexi Thompson’s retirement announcement at the U.S. Women’s Open was not heated. But her admission of years of struggles was. (Full story here.)
— Charley Hull did make the cut — for her extreme take on how to cure slow play. (Full story here.)
— According to a Palm Beach Post story, Charlie 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’ for $2 million after U.S. Open win’
The reporting here comes via Golfweek’s Adam Schupak, whose complete story can be read here.
17. ”No love lost’: Tensions flare as pros beef over playing order rules‘
At the Houston Open, Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti got into a back-and-forth over playing order. In describing the situation, analyst John Wood said this on the broadcast: “You can cut the tension with a knife between Finau and Tosti right now. … It’s just completely icy. It is not comfortable between those two at all. It’s just tension.” (Full story here.)
16. ‘LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan unexpectedly steps down’
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 thoughts on 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 tour’s season-ending event. (Full story here.)
15. ‘‘What the hell is he doing?’ Colin Montgomerie calls on Tiger Woods to retire’
Longtime pro Colin Montgomerie, in an interview with the Times of London ahead of the Open Championship, said he believed Woods had lost form and should call it a career. “There is 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 pointed 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 exempt. So he doesn’t get the opportunity to make that decision. I do.” (Full stories here and here.)
14. ‘Scottie Scheffler’s father, caddie get into altercation with vulgar fan’
At the Presidents Cup in Montreal, the author of this story witnessed this firsthand. Scott Scheffler approached a fan who had shouted a vulgar comment in the direction of his son, and Ted Scott, Scheffler’s caddie, and police intervened. (Full story here.)
13. ‘Tiger Woods’ WD 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, included Woods, comments that he “didn’t look right,” two fire trucks, an ambulance and a swarm of reporters. Woods’ business partner Rob McNamara eventually clarified that his man had been battling flu-like symptoms since Thursday night, and they led to the WD. (Full story here.)
12. ‘‘I was scared for my life’: Chaos disrupts Travelers Championship decisive moments’
At the Travelers Championship, 72nd-hole play was disrupted by protesters who had emerged from the crowd, stormed the green and sprayed a colored substance on the putting surface. Play was suspended for several minutes as authorities apprehended the protesters, but it had created a stir among the players on the hole — Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia. “I mean, I was scared for my life. I didn’t even really know what was happening,” Bhatia said. “I was in shock and my heart rate was high. It got low, and then once that kind of happened, I was just freaked out.” (Full story here.)
11. ‘Rory McIlroy rules-policing makes for tense theater at Players Championship’
Debates on how to proceed after a ball crosses into a penalty area always cause a buzz, and the scene at the Players Championship was no different. Twice, in fact, during Rory McIlroy’s first round were there back-and-forths between him and playing partners Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland. (Full story here.)
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland discuss McIlroy's drop on No. 7.
10. ‘‘He should be penalized’: Brandel Chamblee disputes controversial ruling’
Did Wyndham Clark’s ball move after he placed his club behind it during the Arnold Palmer Invitational? Or didn’t it? Clark said no, it didn’t. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said yes, it did. “I don’t need video to see this. I saw it live and I knew the ball moved,” 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 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 potential reduction in the number of Q-School graduates (from the top five and ties, to just the top five); and the elimination of Monday qualifiers from many events. In addition, the Tour will reduce field sizes at several of its events. Reactions, as expected, were mixed. (Full story here.)
8. ‘U.S. Ryder Cuppers to be paid for first time. Here’s the new arrangement’
American Ryder Cup players will be paid, which is notable in and of itself. But with European players saying they don’t need money, let’s just say a ticket to the next event, next year at Bethpage, will be a must-have. (More on that in one brief second.) (Full story here.)
7. ‘Ryder Cup tickets are more expensive than ever. PGA of America explains why’
The number of reasons why this story is heated? 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 headline here, but several. On Thursday afternoon, he quarreled with Scottie Scheffler. (Full story here.) On Thursday night, he called for more noise. (Full story here.) On Saturday morning, he questioned why he had to putt out. (Full story here.) On Saturday night, he said some players cursed at him. (Full stories here, here and here.) On Sunday, the final day, he apologized. (Full story here.) Whew.
5. ‘Matt Kuchar bizarrely stops round on 72nd hole, upends Tour event’s finish’
Every golfer at the Wyndham Championship finished play on Sunday. Except Matt Kuchar. He completed his round on Monday. (Full story here.)
4. ‘‘Absolutely ridiculous’: Solheim Cup off to rocky start after shuttle issues strand fans’
The golf at the Solheim Cup was great. But Friday morning, the crowds were subdued due to shuttle issues. Wrote GOLF’s Zephyr Melton: “According to several fans, there were two main issues that led to the transportation hiccup from the spectator lot. 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 fans) were able to jump to the front of the line and bypass many of the fans who arrived well before them. ‘Absolutely ridiculous,’ said one man who declined to be identified by name.” (Full story here.)
3. ‘Inside the tense moments after Rory McIlroy’s calamitous U.S. Open defeat’
Missed putts. Another narrow defeat. Tires squealing upon exiting Pinehurst. Rory McIlroy’s 2024 U.S. Open was drama-filled. (Full story here.)
From the grounds, GOLF’s Claire Rogers perhaps described things best when she wrote: “On Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open, I observed 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 napping on muddy hills and adults knocking each other over because they couldn’t walk straight. Picture the first few minutes of trying to exit a sold-out concert and multiply it by 15. That’s where we were at.” (Full story here.)
1. ‘The full story of Scottie Scheffler’s shocking arrest: How tragedy, chaos struck at PGA’
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was arrested upon entering the PGA Championship for his second round, taken to jail, then returned to play. Earlier that morning, a worker also died after being struck by a bus. A surreal day. (Full story here.)
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 away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.
