From TeeGate To HatGate, The Merger, A 58 And Blockie - 30 Moments That Made The Golf World Stand Up In 2023

The golf world has rarely been short of talking points over the last 12 months, with legal battles, course confrontations, historic boardroom-level deals and some controversial changes just some of the stories that have made the headlines along the way – and that’s before even mentioning some of the amazing feats on the course.

As the year draws to a close, here’s a recap of some of the biggest stories in the game over the last 12 months.

Teegate

Just weeks after fireworks beckoned in the New Year, we were treated to more, this time involving PGA Tour stalwart Rory McIlroy and LIV Golf's Patrick Reed. The two were in the field for the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, but before the action even began, they were involved in a tense driving range exchange.

McIlroy declined a handshake from the American, which resulted in Reed tossing a tee in the four-time Major winner’s direction. Later, McIlroy dismissed it as “a storm in a teacup,” but Reed wasn’t so keen to downplay it and said McIlroy was acting like an “immature little child.” McIlroy also revealed what had led to his decision to blank Reed – a Christmas Eve subpoena from his lawyers. 

Once that subsided, he and Reed chased each other for the title, with McIlroy eventually holding off his opponent by a shot.

A highly controversial start to the year, then. Still, it would all settle down from here, wouldn’t it?

Netflix Docuseries Full Swing Is Released

After months of anticipation, which was only heightened by a brilliant trailer, Netflix golf docuseries Full Swing began streaming in February. For golf fans hoping to get a taste of life on the PGA Tour, it had it all.

Viewers were treated to a glimpse into the mindsets of Ian Poulter and Brooks Koepka as they grappled with the possibility of moving to LIV Golf, which still hadn’t launched at the time of filming. Those two players also offered an idea of how the most successful players live, with Poulter interviewed on his private jet and Koepka inviting camera crews inside his incredible Florida mansion.

There was the touching story of Tony Finau’s rags-to-riches background, too, as well as the genuine warmth of Joel Dahmen’s relationship with his caddie and best friend Geno Bonnalie.

The series also followed a player who hadn’t been expected to take part, Rory McIlroy, as he competed in another successful season, including his victory at the 2022 Tour Championship.

It was a hit, too, with data showing it had  53,100,000 viewing hours between its launch and June. Even better, a second season has been confirmed, and it’s due to air in 2024.

PGA Tour Announces No-Cut Limited-Field Events For 2024

The PGA Tour may have stemmed the flow of its players to LIV Golf with the introduction of its designated events, but it announced even more radical changes in March, with some of those higher-profile tournaments earmarked as no-cut, limited field contests in 2024.

That immediately caused a backlash among some players, while the PGA Tour’s rival was quick to mock the idea, writing on Twitter: “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Congratulations PGA Tour. Welcome to the future.”

Despite the reaction, the PGA Tour pushed ahead with the plans, and some of its events will indeed have more of a LIV-like feel from 2024.

Phil Mickelson Stays Quiet At The Masters Champions Dinner

Before the Masters Champions Dinner, there was plenty of chatter over how other Green Jacket winners would receive LIV Golf players attending the event.

Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, who is also one of the biggest names on the circuit, is hardly a shrinking violet. So, what would he have to say at the event?Absolutely nothing, apparently!

As fellow attendee Fuzzy Zoeller explained to Golfweek. “Nobody said a word about it [LIV Golf]. Phil sat near the end of the table and kept to himself. He didn’t speak at all.”

DP World Tour Wins Legal Battle Against LIV Golfers

After the Masters Champions Dinner passed without incident, attention turned to how players from rival circuits would react to LIV Golf players on the course. In the end, it was a largely harmonious affair. 

However, one piece of news filtered through that may have dampened the spirits of some of the participants. The DP World Tour had won its legal battle against LIV Golf players, meaning for the likes of Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed, it effectively marked the end of their DP World Tour careers.

There were wider implications for those hoping to compete for Europe at the Ryder Cup, too, and it wasn’t long before the likes of Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter drew a line under that chance by offering their DP World Tour resignations.

Trees Fall At The Masters

The was drama on the course, too. Towards the end of the second day, the weather took a turn for the worse, and there was a terrifying moment when three huge pine trees fell to the left of the 17th green.

The immediate concern was for the wellbeing of nearby spectators, who were mingling close by as the trees fell. Thankfully, and miraculously, no one was hurt.

Patrick Cantlay Slow Play Controversy

The final round at Augusta National was a frustrating affair for Brooks Koepka. He had been firmly in contention to claim his first Green Jacket heading into it, but he wasn’t quite at his best on the Sunday and later admitted he “choked away” his opportunity.

He probably wasn’t helped by the congestion ahead of him during his round, though, and he later described the group ahead, which included Patrick Cantlay, as “brutally slow.”

Having taken the brunt of the blame, Cantlay defended himself in the days that followed while admitting he is “definitely slower than average.” He also found time to joke about it after making a hole-in-one at the RBC Heritage, writing on Twitter (now X) above a video of the moment: “Playing faster!”

Tiger Woods Has Ankle Surgery

Tiger Woods may have only finished T45 at February’s Genesis Invitational, but while he couldn’t add a first win at the event to his long list of triumphs, it offered something more – hope that he might not be far away from putting his injury problems behind him and returning to his best.

As well as a 67 during the third round of the tournament, Woods also expressed a desire to compete in all four Majors of the year. In the end, he managed just one – April’s Masters. Woods made the cut but couldn’t complete his third round and withdrew in the Augusta National rain after being seen limping badly.

There were fears at that point that it may be the last we’d see of him for a while, and those weren't misplaced - just days later when it was announced he’d undergone a subtalar fusion procedure on his right ankle, with no estimated return date given.

Rory McIlroy Withdraws From RBC Heritage... And His $3m Fine

At least Woods reached the third round at Augusta National. For Rory McIlroy, there wasn’t even that consolation as he was sent packing after enduring his worst Masters round in seven years on the Friday.

Days later, McIlroy withdrew from the RBC Heritage – one of the PGA Tour’s designated events that the Northern Irishman had been influential in introducing. That would have been fine, but McIlroy had already missed one designated event, January's Sentry Tournament of Champions, and the new policy stated players could only miss one.

Later, he admitted he had “needed a break after the disappointment of Augusta,” but it was a decision that cost him with a reduction in the region of $3m from his PIP award.

LIV Golf Adelaide Success

After a relatively subdued start to the inaugural LIV Golf League season, there was a sense that it needed a spark, and it got precisely that during a wholly successful first outing in Australia – an area of the world largely starved of top-level action in recent years.

As well as sellout crowds, the Grange Golf Club course even had its own party hole, dubbed the Watering Hole, where crowds packed into the stands were treated to a hole-in-one from Smash GC’s Chase Koepka at one point.

After Talor Gooch’s win, players were unanimous – LIV Golf’s Australian debut had been an incredible success, with Peter Uihlein declaring “the sky’s the limit” for the circuit.

While none of the events that followed scaled those heights, a second LIV Golf Adelaide event was confirmed shortly after the end of the 2023 season.

Michael Block Steals The Show At The PGA Championship

While the build-up to the second Major of the year was dominated by stories surrounding the biggest names, including whether Jon Rahm would win his second Major of the year, whether Rory McIlroy would win his first since 2014, or if Jordan Spieth could finally complete his career Grand Slam, club pro Michael Block stole the headlines.

Block finished T15 at the tournament against all the odds. Along the way, he was paired with Rory McIlroy during the final round, where he showed the two-time PGA Champion a thing or two about playing the game, including an outrageous slam dunk hole-in-one.

Brooks Koepka And Matthew Wolff Fall Out

In May, it was reported that Matthew Wolff was “no longer a member” of Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC team.

While that proved premature, with Wolff completing the season with the team, there was something in it, as the relationship between the two had clearly broken down. In July, Koepka said he’s “basically given up” on Wolff and said of his ability, “the talent’s wasted.”

Sure enough, Wolff moved on at the end of the season and signed for Range Goats GC.

Rose Zhang Wins First LPGA Tour Event After Turning Pro

In late May, Rose Zhang announced she was turning professional after a record-breaking amateur career that included the most weeks as World No.1. 

Not surprisingly, expectations were high going into her first tournament as a professional – the Mihuzo Americas Open on the LPGA Tour. However, not many expected her to win it.

Barely a week after joining the professional ranks, though, that’s exactly what she did. In doing so, she became the first player to win on the LPGA Tour in a professional debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

Ludvig Aberg Turns Pro

If Zhang’s impact on the professional game was immediate, the men’s game had an emerging star of its own after Swede Ludvig Aberg turned pro in June.

He looked at home straight away, too, and it didn’t take him long to secure his first win, with the Omega European Masters title coming just three months after his announcement. 

Since then, he’s competed for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup and claimed his maiden PGA Tour title at the RSM Classic. 

He ended the year first in Total Driving on the PGA Tour, second in SG: Off The Tee, sixth in Driving Distance and 10th in both SG: Total and Tee-To-Green. He also banked over $3m and ranks 32nd in the world - not bad for a player who, at the start of the year, was still not that well known.

PGA Tour Announces Merger With PIF

With the battle for supremacy at the top of the elite game seemingly set for a long struggle, almost everyone was blindsided by the 6 June announcement that the PGA Tour was merging with the Saudi Public Investment Fund behind LIV Golf.

To say the news came as a shock was an understatement. After all, here were two bitter rivals with barely concealed disdain for one another declaring out of nowhere that they were burying the hatchet.

The questions over the implications came thick and fast, not least from PGA Tour players, some of whom let commissioner Jay Monahan know exactly what they thought about the move at a meeting before the RBC Canadian Open, with calls on him to resign.

Such was the magnitude of the announcement that, over six months later, its true ramifications are still not known, with talks between the parties over a framework agreement due to conclude at the end of the year.

Nick Taylor Wins Epic RBC Canadian Open Playoff In Style

A mind-boggling few days in the golf world got even crazier when the RBC Canadian Open went to a playoff between local hero Nick Taylor and Tommy Fleetwood.

After the two couldn't be separated approaching the end of the fourth extra hole, Taylor chose that moment to hole the longest putt of his career, draining it from all of 72 feet for an eagle and denying Fleetwood the chance of a maiden PGA Tour win.

That was the first time a Canadian had lifted the country’s national title since 1954, and the crowd’s reaction was more akin to a Ryder Cup than a PGA Tour event.

To add to the chaos, Adam Hadwin met his match when he popped the cork on a champagne bottle and was rugby tackled by a security guard on the green!

Controversy Over The 17th Hole At Royal Liverpool

The Open was memorable for several reasons, including some appalling weather conditions and Brian Harman’s dominance as he claimed his maiden Major title. However, its par-3 17th, Little Eye, was another talking point, with some claiming it was too difficult.

One was Matt Fitzpatrick’s caddie, Billy Foster, who told Golf Monthly: “Unfortunately I think this Open Championship could be remembered for a calamity that happened. There was nothing wrong with the little par three they had before and they’ve created a monstrosity in my opinion.

“The green is very small. If you land it a foot short it rolls back into a coffin that’s underground, so deep. This is challenging the best golfers in the world that will be making 6s, 7s and 8s.”

Coach Pete Cowen wasn’t a fan either, saying: “I hate it. It could ruin somebody’s career if the wind goes in the wrong direction.”

Travis Smyth didn’t seem to mind it, though, and made a hole-in-one on it. However, It appears he was in the minority, as it was later reported it would be redesigned.

 Bryson DeChambeau Shoots 58

LIV Golf player Bryson DeChambeau had shown signs of returning to his best form throughout the year after an injury-hit 2022. However, few could have foreseen what unfolded during the third round of the LIV Golf Greenbrier tournament, where he became only the fourth player to shoot 58 on a top-level tour.

That followed an almost-as-impressive 61 during the second round, and he inevitably went on to claim the title.

Following his achievement, there were calls for DeChambeau to make Zach Johnson’s US Ryder Cup team, but they ultimately fell on deaf ears, with only Brooks Koepka from the circuit making the match.

DeChambeau won again in Chicago, then led his team Crushers GC to victory in the LIV Golf Team Championship to end a hugely successful year.

Lilia Vu Wins Two Majors

Another player doing great things on the course in 2023 was Lilia Vu, who had a breakout year to remember. 

She claimed her maiden LPGA Tour title at February’s Honda LPGA Thailand, and she bagged her first Major at the Chevron Championship two months later. 

In August, she cruised to the AIG Women’s Open title for her second Major of the year and won her fourth title of 2023 with victory at the Annika Driven By Pelican At Gainbridge and now sits at World No.1 to wrap up a truly remarkable 12 months.

Other Major Winners

It was another year of big stories in the Majors. In the men’s game, Jon Rahm claimed his first Green Jacket after easing away from Brooks Koepka during the final round of The Masters before Koepka took his turn to shine at the PGA Championship. 

Wyndham Clark held his nerve brilliantly to hold off Rory McIlroy for his maiden Major title at the US Open, and Brian Harman was equally impressive on his way to his first Major title at The Open.

In the women’s game, aside from Vu’s heroics, Ruoning Yin won her first Major in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol before Allisen Corpuz took the US Women’s Open title at Pebble Beach for her maiden Major. Celine Boutier then delighted the home crowd with her first experience of winning a Major at the Amundi Evian Championship.

Team Europe Wins The Solheim Cup

With home advantage at Spain’s Finca Cortesin, Suzann Pettersen’s Team Europe was favoured to retain the Solheim Cup over Stacy Lewis’s US team. However, after the morning’s foursomes, the prospects of that happening looked bleak, with the visitors sweeping into a 4-0 lead.

Gradually, though, the hosts came back into it until the two teams headed into the Sunday singles all square at 8-8. 

The teams couldn’t be separated in the final session, and it finished 6-6, with Carlota Ciganda clinching the crucial point with a sensational iron shot into the par 3 17th to take down Nelly Korda in her homeland for a 14-14 overall result. As the holders going into the match, that meant the Europeans had the honour of retaining the trophy for another year.

Hatgate

A week after the Solheim Cup, it was the men’s turn in the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone. However, after a disastrous opening day for the US, Saturday’s action played out alongside suggestions that all was not well in the team’s locker room, with Patrick Cantlay reportedly leading a split. 

One report also said that Cantlay wasn’t wearing a hat at the match as a way of “demonstrating his frustration” at not being paid. Cantlay later dismissed the reports as “complete lies” and “totally unfounded,” but it still led to tension spilling onto the course.

The Americans launched a fightback in the Saturday afternoon four ball session, with Cantlay in the thick of it, producing some mesmerising golf as he, along with playing partner Wyndham Clark, went toe-to-toe with Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Things blew up towards the end of the match, though, when Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava was involved in a heated moment with McIlroy, which involved the bag man waving his hat at the player as he prepared for a putt.

The Americans won the match, and McIlroy’s frustrations spilled over into the parking lot after the day’s play had finished, this time with Jim “Bones” Mackay bearing the brunt of his frustration.

Team Europe Wins The Ryder Cup

After the controversy of Saturday, the Europeans knew they were in a battle, albeit with the resurgent visitors starting the day five points adrift. For a while, they appeared to be making the hosts wobble, too, with the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Brooks Koepka winning their singles matches.

Just when it looked as though we could be in for an epic US fightback, though, Team Europe steadied the ship before Tommy Fleetwood eventually closed out victory over Rickie Fowler to reclaim the trophy from the US and spark jubilant scenes.

Lexi Thompson Makes PGA Tour Debut

In the aftermath of the Ryder Cup, attention turned once again to the PGA Tour, and there was some big news with the announcement that LPGA Tour player Lexi Thompson would play in the Shriners Open to become only the fifth woman in the modern era – and seventh in total – to play on the PGA Tour.

Thompson didn’t make the cut at the event, but she earned plenty of credit after rounds of 73 and 69.

LIV Golf Denied World Ranking Points

LIV Golf had been working to secure eligibility for world ranking points ever since its inception, with various tactics deployed, including a strategic alliance with the developmental MENA Tour and a letter signed by 50 of its players addressed to Official World Golf Ranking Chairman Peter Dawson pleading for them to be granted.

It was all to no avail, though. In October, official news came through that the circuit’s bid had been denied.

TGL Postponed

While LIV Golf suffered that setback, the launch of another new contest, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL, appeared to be gathering pace. The roster for the opening season had been all but confirmed, while details on the format and its teams were also unveiled as its January start appeared assured.

That was before the dome of the TGL arena was damaged due to the failure of a temporary power system, though.

At first, there were hopes the damage could be repaired relatively quickly and the launch date could be met, but before long, it was conceded that the tech-infused contest would be kept on hold for another 12 months.

 Luke Donald Retains Ryder Cup Captaincy

Less than two months after leading Team Europe to Ryder Cup glory, confirmation came through that Luke Donald would retain the captaincy for the next edition at Bethpage Black in 2025.

The news wasn’t entirely surprising given the emphatic manner with which the Europeans had dispatched their opponents. Still, it bucked a trend of recent decades, as Donald will become the first player to lead the team in successive matches since Bernard Gallacher in 1995.

Tiger Woods Returns To Action

Not only did Tiger Woods return to action for November’s Hero World Challenge, but he surpassed expectations.

Optimism for a sustained return to fitness was lifted beforehand with his admittance that he’s targeting a tournament a month in 2024 as a best-case scenario. Then, he came through the four days of action apparently unscathed.

Woods offered more hope that the worst of his ankle problems were behind him by teaming up with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship, where he again showed no ill effects from his surgery.

Golf Ball Rollback Plans Announced

After a poorly received golf ball bifurcation plan, which was announced in March, the USGA and The R&A went back to the drawing board in another attempt to address the issue of increased driving distances in the game.

In December, they announced revised plans, which will involve the golf ball being rolled back for professional, elite amateur and recreational players to “reduce the impact increased hitting distances have on golf’s long-term sustainability.”

Players don’t need to worry about the change just yet, though - pros will use the new balls in 2028, while recreational players won’t get on board until 2030.

Jon Rahm Joins LIV Golf

At the start of the year, Jon Rahm won four titles in short order, including The Masters, to assert his dominance over the men’s professional game. At that point, he seemed as wedded to the PGA Tour as ever, and it was hard to conceive of a day when he would opt to sign for LIV Golf.

However, in December, fans were met with the surreal sight of Rahm appearing on their TV screens wearing a LIV Golf letterman jacket, confirming he had indeed signed for the big-money circuit.

If nothing else, it was a reminder that little in the men’s elite game is predictable these days. Given that, while 2023 was full of incredible stories, there’s almost certainly more – much more – to come in 2024.

Looking for the perfect gift for the festive season? Check out the best Golf Gifts for Christmas.