Golf might have a calm exterior, but every now and then, tempers boil over. And when they do? It’s box office. Let’s break down the 7 most unforgettable blowups, meltdowns, and cold-blooded moments in golf history, starting with a seven-iron that had fans doing a double-take.
7. Billy Horschel’s Flying Seven-Iron
Friday at the Players Championship. Billy Horschel’s battling the cut line and chunked a chip on 13. What followed? He launched his seven-iron right toward his own caddie. Viewers gasped, thinking he aimed it at Josh Cassell. Horschel apologized, saying it wasn’t intentional. But the damage was done. It wasn’t just a bad shot, but a moment that crossed the line.
6. Shane Lowry vs. a Pitch Mark and a Mic
2025 PGA Championship. Lowry’s drive lands in someone else’s pitch mark. Rules say no relief. Then an ESPN reporter chimes in mid-ruling: “That’s not your pitch mark.” Lowry didn’t ask. Didn’t want commentary. He chunks the next shot, slams the turf, and storms off cursing.
5. A Headlock and a Jail Cell
2021 Monday qualifier. A college golfer, Luke Smith, refuses to help find a ball. A fight breaks out. Then a chokehold. Yes, a literal MMA-style takedown. His dad, acting as caddie, held off others with a club. Police were called. Smith was arrested. And that was the end of his career.
4. Rory Ignores Reed, Reed Responds with a Tee Toss
2023 Dubai Desert Classic. Patrick Reed tries to greet Rory. Gets iced out. Why? Reed’s lawyers had served Rory a subpoena on Christmas Eve. Reed walks away, then flicks a tee at Rory. Golf Twitter dubs it “TeeGate.” Petty. Cold. Iconic.
3. Horschel and Poulter Almost Throw Down
At the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, Horschel confronts Ian Poulter on the putting green. No mics, but the body language says it all. This wasn’t golf beef. It was civil war, PGA vs. LIV, playing out face-to-face. Viral tension. No punches, but you could feel one coming.
2. Crenshaw Breaks His Putter at the Ryder Cup
Ben Crenshaw, frustrated, snaps his putter mid-round. Forced to putt with a one-iron (yes, really), he fights back… then loses. Europe wins on American soil for the first time. One broken club flipped the whole Ryder Cup.
1. Sergio Garcia’s Racist Joke About Tiger Woods
2013 Players Championship. Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods are feuding. At a dinner, Garcia makes a racist joke about Woods. It stuns the room, and the backlash was swift. He apologizes, but the damage is irreversible.
As a golf fan, what other heated moments have you seen? Let us know in the comments.
