Today we will be looking at the top 12 most controversial golfers. When you are the center of attention and have a thousand cameras focussed on you, a million eyeballs measuring your moves, mistakes are bound to happen and controversies are meant to spark.
Golf, like any other sport, has its share of big egos and problematic personalities. Some of them are hated for no reason while some have given their fans hundred and one controversies to talk about.
12. Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia is known as one of the top golfers in the world. Ever since he finished second to Tiger Woods in the 1999 PGA championship, he has had a rivalry with him.
The rivalry coupled with Garcia’s need to say whatever is on his mind caused him to lose many fans. After a reporter asked him if he would invite Tiger Woods for dinner at an upcoming tournament.
Sergio replied: “We will have him ‘round every night. We will serve fried chicken.” This was a blatant racist remark aimed directly at Tiger and cost him to lose many fans.
Tiger responded to the remark: “The comment that was made wasn’t silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate.
I’m a confident that there is real regret that the remark was made” Sergia later replied for the stupid remark. However Sergio and Tiger rivalry have been battling on and off since the 90s.
11. Rory Sabbatini
Rory Sabbatini loves to pick fights and he has become infamous for that now. The South African pro golfer once scolded Ben Crane for his slow play in 2005.
Two years later he challenged Tiger, who was the best player in the world, to ‘pick up his game’. His feud with Woods began at the Tournament Players Championship.
He had said that he wanted Woods to pick up his game so that the two could be at Sunday’s match. He also added that Woods was more beatable than ever.
That same year, Sabbatini’s arrogance led him to become Sports Illustrated’s least favorite playing partner on a tour. That wasn’t the end of this golfer’s sour attitude.
In 2011, things went further south when he berated a teen volunteer at Riviera and then engaged in a yelling match with Sean O’Hair.
10. Patrick Reed
The cockiness of Reed has put him in the front line of disliked golfers on the tour. Patrick Reed is one of the most disliked golfers because of his cockiness.
He made a bad move early on in his career after he had won the 2014 WGC Cadillac Championship. Reed stated that he was one of the top 5 players on tour.
He also said that in any future tournaments, only he and Tiger Woods would end up fighting for the win. Woods was at the top of his game back then.
Though Reed said that he and Woods are worthy of the top two, he disregarded the skill and knowledge of all the other golfers on tour.
During the Ryder Cup, he messed with the crowd, when he told them to be silent and that became another bad move in his career.
He has also been involved in a few rule infringements or taking advantage and bending the rules to suit his purpose.
9. Ian Poulter
Sitting at place nine on our list, Ian Poulter has been time and again been described as a ‘douchebag’.
His demeanor on the course has been criticized both when the game is in his favor and when it’s not. His self-obsession is topped only by his arrogance.
Dressed to perfection in his designer clothes, Poulter’s pompous strut is not something that fans like. He reminds people of a peacock with its feathers on display when things are going well on the course.
And when things don’t go according to plan, he switches in an instant to a sour and grumpy mood.
8. Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson has equal potential to feature in the most disliked and most liked lists. Many fans think Mickelson’s ‘larger than life’ persona is insincere.
The fact that he creates time for his family irrespective of circumstances, is also seen by some fans as over-the-top and orchestrated.
That’s not all. He has also been accused by many of faking his smile when walking the course. Mickelson has also been called a ‘whiner’.
That’s a nickname no one wants to get! A 2006 GQ Magazine poll had listed Mickelson eighth on a list of the “Ten Most Hated Athletes”.
However, it has to be noted that most of the criticism and negative comments about him have been anonymous.
His public persona has been near perfection and perhaps that’s what invites all the comments about him being a phony. Do you think Phil deserves a spot on this list?
7. Tiger Woods
There is no doubt about Tiger’s impeccable skills but his arrogance has been the biggest criticism he has faced. Woods has been deemed as the most arrogant athlete ever.
He became famous as the golfer who twirls his club after hitting a shot he likes. He also points to the ball as it falls to the cup with an overconfident air that he knows he’ll make it.
But perhaps the biggest dip in his career and the biggest source of hate comes from his cheating scandal. He ruined his public image as a family man after cheating on his then-wife.
He was also allegedly so controlling that he wouldn’t let his wife Elin Nordegren smile when he won.
6. Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh has had many controversial moments in his career and perhaps the biggest one was when he used deer antler spray to improve his performance.
When the authorities found out, Singh pleaded ignorance and stated that he didn’t know the spray contained a banned substance similar to steroids.
Later in an interview, he said “I am absolutely shocked that deer antler spray may contain a banned substance and am angry that I have put myself in this position.
“. Or was he mad that he was caught? That wasn’t the only instance of cheating from Singh. Early in his career, he was caught altering his scorecard and he was eventually suspended by the Asian Tour for it.
Singh’s stand against women playing on men’s tours was also highly criticized. He had opposed Annika Sorenstam’s entry into a men’s event.
5. David Duval
David Duval was one of the best players in golf back in 1999 and had even surpassed Tiger Woods. But his media-shy attitude and over-confident demeanor weren’t liked by many.
Duval came across as wary of those who wanted to talk with him about his victories, yet was way too straightforward in interviews. He was cocky and condescending.
That surely didn’t help after he lost his edge. He went from No. 1 in the world to practically off the tour!
4. Ben Hogan
Despite his skills, Ben Hogan was considered arrogant not just on the course but outside of it too. He had an innate obsession to excel.
Though that obsession helped him win matches, he was still unable to steal the hearts of golf fans. Hogan is often referred to as the anti-Arnold Palmer.
He became one of those players who were so focused on their goal of reaching the top that he forgot about the world around him.
But when he won the U.S. Open in 1950 after making a courageous recovery from a car accident, he gained the love of fans worldwide. Sitting at third place on our list we have
3. Fuzzy Zoeller
Fuzzy Zoeller is referred to as the worst that golf has to offer. He has been widely criticized for his racist comments against Tiger Woods.
When Zoeller was asked what Tiger Woods would serve at the Masters annual Champions Dinner after his first win in 1997, he said ” Ask Woods to not serve fried chicken next year”.
That wasn’t even the worst part! He made it worse by adding “Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.
” Zoeller’s unreasonable statement speaks for itself as a reflection of a cruel and arrogant man who could not comprehend the success of someone unlike him.
2. Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson is a player golf fans love to hate! Not many appreciate his unconventional style of attacking play.
He has also been involved in a few incidents which harmed his reputation. Watson refused to enter into a long driving competition before a tournament started and it upset his fans greatly.
In 2015 ESPN did a survey of 103 tour pros. When the tour pros were asked who they would be least likely to help in a fistfight, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson stood out by a large margin.
Despite his fun-loving image in the public, Watson has berated his caddie on a regular basis. He also scolds fans and the media for making any noise that can be defined even a little bit louder than a yawn. Watson also has consistently blamed the greens for every bad putt he strikes.
1. Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the best golfers of his generation. He became the third man in history to win an NCAA Division 1 title, a US Amateur, and the US Open after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
He has had many controversial moments throughout his career since turning pro in 2015. In 2018 at the Porsche European Open after throwing away the tournament he did not congratulate winner Richard McEvoy and was widely criticized for his actions.
He has also been criticized for his slow play especially at the 2019 Dubai Desert Classic. Another controversy emerged at the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic where he scolded a cameraman for filming him during a bad hole where he hit his club into a bunker in anger. According to DeChambeau, the filming was damaging his brand.
