Topgolf will be the first brand to become a medaled event through a new partnership.
Topgolf is set become an official sanctioned event for the Special Olympics beginning in 2024.
Special Olympics athletes will be able to compete as an individual or with a team through Special Olympics Unified Sports, which joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team for training and competition.
“We have a responsibility now more than ever to invite everyone into the game of golf, and our partnership with Special Olympics will help us further unleash the power of play and bring more joy to more people,” said Topgolf Chief Brand Officer Geoff Cottrill.
Local organizing committees for any Special Olympics event around the world – including the Special Olympics USA Games and World Games – will be able to include Topgolf as a medaled event starting Jan. 1, 2024.
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics was created as a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. It delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and more than100,000 games and competitions every year.
“I’ve been at Topgolf for 14 years, and this partnership will go down as one of the things I’m most proud of,” said Topgolf’s Director of Charitable Initiatives Tiffany Brush. “Topgolf is changing the traditional definition of ‘golfer,’ and to see Special Olympics athletes so enthusiastic about Topgolf is a clear example of how we’re making the game more inclusive and open for all.”
Amy Bockerstette at Topgolf. (Photo: Courtesy of Topgolf)
But that’s not all. In May 2023, Topgolf will offer free practice sessions to Special Olympics athletes and Unified Sports participants.
And then there’s Topgolf’s “season of Giving,” a charitable effort held from Sept. 15 – Oct. 31 2023, where Topgolf players at venues in the United States and United Kingdom will have the opportunity to donate to the Special Olympics. Each venue has a goal to raise $10,000, with an overall goal of more than $500,000. U.S. and U.K. Topgolf locations will also host “Days of Giving” on Oct. 26-27.
“A partnership with Topgolf will help Special Olympics demonstrate to the world how inclusive sport training and competition is a catalyst for inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities,” said Lou Lauria, Chief of Sport and Competition at Special Olympics. “Special Olympics and Topgolf are completely aligned on the belief in the unlimited power of sport. What starts on the playing field extends into classrooms, workplaces and communities.”
Also in 2024, Topgolf will host the first Unified Fore Joy fundraising event, which will bring together Special Olympics athletes, Unified partners, professional golfers, celebrities and supporters at five of its U.S. venues.
Topgolf has 87 venues worldwide, 78 of which are in the U.S. The other nine locations are spread across Australia, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, the UAE, U.K. and Scotland.
Here’s what you need to know about the USGA’s newest championship.
VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, North Carolina – The inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open begins on Monday at Pinehurst No. 6 and 96 competitors are on hand for the historic event.
Amy Bockerstette, who rose to fame with her fabulous par from a greenside bunker at the WM Phoenix Open alongside playing partner Gary Woodland, will compete in the intellectual impairment category. She recently fielded a good-luck call from One Direction’s Niall Horan. She talks to Woodland weekly.
“I love playing golf tournaments,” said an excited Bockerstette on the eve of the event. Bockerstette and her family have since founded the I Got This Foundation to provide golf instruction, playing opportunities and organized events for people with Down Syndrome and other intellectual disabilities.
The 54-hole Adaptive Open will be staged July 18-20 and will feature at least five male players and two females in each impairment category: arm impairment, leg impairment, multiple limb amputee, vision impairment, intellectual impairment, neurological impairment, seated players and short stature.
There are 15 players in the field with a Handicap Index better than 0.
Here are five things to know about the USGA’s 15th championship:
Check out the field for the USGA’s groundbreaking event.
The field is set for the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open and Amy Bockerstette is among the 96 players in the field. Bockerstette, 23, went viral in 2019 when she famously said, “I got this!” when getting up-and-down for par from a greenside bunker during the Waste Management Phoenix Open alongside playing partner Gary Woodland, who is now a good friend.
Bockerstette will compete in the intellectual impairment category. The disabilities advocate founded the I Got This Foundation to provide golf instruction, playing opportunities and organized events for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities.
The USGA received 299 entries for the inaugural event, held July 18-20 on Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 6. Individual handicaps were there primary factor in determining the field, with five male player spots and two female player spots designated per impairment category. The eight impairment categories include: arm impairment, leg impairment, multiple limb amputee, neurological impairment, seated players, short stature, vision impairment and intellectual impairment.
The field’s youngest competitor is 15-year-old Sophia Howard from Hudsonville, Michigan, and Judith Brush, 80, of Alexandria, Virginia, is the championship’s oldest player. Players will represent 12 countries and 29 states.
Dennis Walters, 72, of Jupiter, Florida, who received the 2018 Bob Jones Award, the USGA’s highest honor, will join six other golfers who qualified in the seated player impairment category. Walters has turned the tragedy of being paralyzed from the waist down at age 24 from a golf-cart accident into a personal mission to teach golf and life lessons to a worldwide audience.
PGA pro Alex Fourie. (courtesy photo)
PGA teaching pro Alex Fourie, who spent the first seven years of his life in Ukrainian orphanages, is among the best one-armed players in the world. Forie, who now lives with his family in Tennessee, sells T-shirts through his charity, Single Hand Golf, to help orphans in war-torn Ukraine.
There will be one overall men’s champion and one overall women’s champion.
“We are thrilled by the level of interest and support that we’ve received from the adaptive community for the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open,” said John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer for the USGA. “To receive nearly 300 entries from around the world underscores the passion of these athletes who are seeking the opportunity to compete for a national championship.”
Chris Biggins, director of player development at the Country Club of Birmingham, who was born with cerebral palsy, will compete in the neurological impairment category. The 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball is being contested this week at the Alabama club.
“Competing in an official USGA championship has been a dream of mine for years and now that dream will be coming to fruition,” said Biggins. “This event will attract the best golfers from around the world to compete on an incredible course, Pinehurst No. 6. It is an honor to compete in this historic event and help pave the way for the growth of disabled golf.”
The championship will be contested over 54 holes of stroke play. Multiple sets of tees will be utilized. Carts will be permitted for all players and caddies. The 96-player field is as follows:
Trevor Arnone, of Lewiston, Idaho, 34, Short Stature Kurtis Barkley, of Canada, 34, Short Stature Brian Bemis, of Lansing, Mich., 48, Leg Impairment Adam Benza, of Hellertown, Pa., 35, Leg Impairment Andrew Berglund, of Stillwater, Minn., 22, Intellectual Impairment Chris Biggins, of Birmingham, Ala., 30, Neurological Impairment Jeremy Bittner, of Pittsburgh, Pa., 33, Leg Impairment Joakim Bjorkman, of Sweden, 32, Short Stature Wayne Blankenship, of Union, Mo., 52, Leg Impairment Amy Bockerstette, of Phoenix, Ariz., 23, Intellectual Impairment Jack Bonifant, of Kensington, Md., 32, Neurological Impairment Kenny Bontz, of Parrish, Fla., 52, Leg Impairment Erik Bowen, of Oakland, Calif., 42, Multiple Limb Amputee Albert Bowker, of Buellton, Calif., 25, Short Stature Grace Anne Braxton, of Fredericksburg, Va., 50, Intellectual Impairment Ryan Brenden, of Pierce, Neb., 46, Leg Impairment Carlos Brown, of McKinney, Texas, 42, Leg Impairment Mike Browne, of England, 44, Leg Impairment Judith Brush, of Alexandria, Va., 80, Leg Impairment Brandon Canesi, of Doral, Fla., 30, Multiple Limb Amputee Luke Carroll, of Old Hickory, Tenn., 17, Neurological Impairment Lawrence Celano, of Chandler, Ariz., 53, Seated Players Amanda Cunha, of Kaneohe, Hawaii, 18, Vision Impairment Ryan Cutter, of Helena, Mont., 31, Multiple Limb Amputee Mario Dino, of Denver, Colo., 19, Neurological Impairment Zachary Duncan, of Cornelius, N.C., 22, Intellectual Impairment Spencer Easthope, of Canada, 40, Neurological Impairment Conor Ennis, of Wake Forest, N.C., 31, Short Stature Jesse Florkowski, of Canada, 32, Arm Impairment Alex Fourie, of Knoxville, Tenn., 29, Arm Impairment Billy Fryar, of Bigelow, Ark., 50, Seated Players Patrick Garrison, of Folsom, Pa., 38, Neurological Impairment Ken Green, of West Palm Beach, Fla., 63, Leg Impairment Zachary Grove, of York, Pa., 36, Neurological Impairment Mauricio Gutiérrez, of Mexico, 47, Seated Players Ann Hayes, of Lee, Mass., 59, Seated Players Joseph (Joey) Hill, of Tampa, Fla., 22, Intellectual Impairment Greg Hollingsworth, of Peck, Kan., 53, Leg Impairment Sophia Howard, of Hudsonville, Mich., 15, Arm Impairment Ryanne Jackson, of St. Petersburg, Fla., 24, Neurological Impairment Han Jeongwon, of Republic of Korea, 51, Leg Impairment Lucas Jones, of Louisville, Ky., 27, Leg Impairment Kiefer Jones, of Canada, 32, Vision Impairment Shigeru Kobayashi, of Japan, 66, Leg Impairment Masato Koyamada, of Japan, 55, Arm Impairment Sarah Beth Larson, of Green Bay, Wis., 43, Arm Impairment Cynthia Lawrence, of Lehigh Acres, Fla., 59, Multiple Limb Amputee Simon Lee, of Republic of Korea, 25, Intellectual Impairment Yangwoo Lee, of Republic of Korea, 24, Intellectual Impairment Cedric Lescut, of Belgium, 43, Leg Impairment Rasmus Lia, of Sweden, 21, Leg Impairment Michael Madsen, of Meridian, Idaho, 41, Leg Impairment Tommy Marks, of Danville, Pa., 42, Vision Impairment Evan Mathias, of Indianapolis, Ind., 26, Multiple Limb Amputee Joseph McCarron, of Orange Beach, Ala., 59, Vision Impairment Sean Mitchell, of Spokane, Wash., 32, Leg Impairment Kim Moore, of Portage, Mich., 41, Leg Impairment Austin Morris, of Bend, Ore., 34, Arm Impairment Felix Norrman, of Sweden, 25, Intellectual Impairment Jake Olson, of Huntington Beach, Calif., 25, Vision Impairment Elaine Ostrovsky, of Boca Raton, Fla., 49, Neurological Impairment Wooshik Park, of Republic of Korea, 63, Leg Impairment William Pease, of St. Augustine, Fla., 58, Vision Impairment Steven Pennell, of Jefferson, N.C., 44, Multiple Limb Amputee Chad Pfeifer, of Caldwell, Idaho, 40, Leg Impairment Jeremy Poincenot, of Carlsbad, Calif., 32, Vision Impairment Kipp Popert, of England, 24, Neurological Impairment Krystian Pushka, of Canada, 31, Intellectual Impairment Tracy Ramin, of Montrose, Mich., 50, Leg Impairment Trevor Reich, of South Africa, 58, Leg Impairment Stacey Rice, of Suwanee, Ga., 59, Leg Impairment Brandon Rowland, of Jackson, Tenn., 41, Multiple Limb Amputee Mandi Sedlak, of Kearney, Neb., 42, Leg Impairment Randy Shack, of Sulphur Springs, Texas, 38, Seated Players Steven Shipuleski, of Plainfield, Conn., 51, Arm Impairment Douglas Shirakura, of Somers, N.Y., 20, Leg Impairment Rasmus Skov løt, of Denmark, 21, Arm Impairment Deborah Smith, of Rockford, Ill., 60, Leg Impairment Jonathan Snyder, of Charlotte, N.C., 40, Arm Impairment Natasha Stasiuk, of Canada, 24, Intellectual Impairment Conor Stone, of Ireland, 27, Arm Impairment Joshua Tankersley, of Fort Worth, Texas, 36, Leg Impairment Jordan Thomas, of Nashville, Tenn., 33, Multiple Limb Amputee Mariano Tubio, of Argentina, 42, Seated Players Kellie Valentine, of McKean, Pa., 51, Arm Impairment Kevin Valentine, of Winter Garden, Fla., 48, Leg Impairment Patti Valero, of Brandon, Fla., 59, Leg Impairment Eliseo Villanueva, of Fort Bragg, N.C., 55, Arm Impairment Adem Wahbi, of Belgium, 23, Neurological Impairment Cathy Walch, of Buford, Ga., 56, Arm Impairment Robert Walden, of Queen Creek, Ariz., 50, Arm Impairment Dennis Walters, of Jupiter, Fla., 72, Seated Players David Watts, of South Africa, 34, Leg Impairment Joshua Williams, of Canada, 37, Leg Impairment Hayato Yoshida, of Japan, 38, Leg Impairment Peyton Zins, of Indianapolis, Ind., 20, Neurological Impairment
The 22-year-old from Arizona teed off at 11:50 a.m. on Monday at the NJCAA women’s golf championships.
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — Amy Bockerstette has made history.
The 22-year-old from Arizona became the first person with Down syndrome to compete in a college championship event on Monday when she teed off at 11:50 a.m. at Ormond Beach’s Plantation Bay.
Bockerstette is playing in the NJCAA Women’s Golf Championship along with her four Paradise Valley Community College teammates. The four-round tournament runs through Thursday.
Bockerstette shot 111 in the opening round. Seminole State’s Minori Nagano is the current leader after shooting an even-par 72.
This is Bockerstette’s third year on the team, but second full season. She made history two years ago when she joined the team, becoming the first person with Down syndrome to earn an athletic scholarship.
HISTORY MADE! Puma Golf was part of history today as @AmyGolfsNDances is the 1st collegiate athlete w/Down syndrome to compete in a national championship w/ @NJCAA Best of luck to Coach Matt Keel, and Amber Daczka, Paige Dormal, Emily Ingels, Sara Kearns, Jinkung Kim! #GoPumaspic.twitter.com/0oA8tXRqig
Bockerstette, who has been golfing since middle school, is perhaps most known for her viral video two years ago with U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland.
The two were playing a practice hole at the par-3 16th at TPC Scottsdale before the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Bockerstette hit her first shot into the bunker, but managed to save par by sinking an 8-foot putt.
Before the shot, she went viral for telling Woodland, “I got this.”
Bockerstette told The News-Journal last week that Woodland, who finished fifth at Quail Hollow over the weekend, texted her early last week to wish her good luck ahead of Monday’s tee time.
“I loved it,” she said of the par-3 moment. “It was awesome, and now we’re best friends. I’m always so happy to see him.”
Now, she’s breaking new ground again, as Bockerstette will become the first athlete with Down syndrome to compete in a national collegiate athletic championship.
Bockerstette, 22, will be with her Paradise Valley teammates at the National Junior College Athletic Association national championships, which take place at the Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club in Ormond Beach, Florida, May 10-13.
Bockerstette is perhaps most famous for a viral video from the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, when she parred the par-3 16th hole playing alongside Gary Woodland. “I got this” became her catch phrase, something she said to Woodland moments before draining her par putt.
Among Donald Trump’s appointees to the President’s Council on Sport, Fitness and Nutrition were golfers Natalie Gulbis and Amy Bockerstette.
By now, golf fans around the world know that Amy Bockerstette’s got this. That includes the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, too.
Bockerstette, 22, who has Down syndrome, was named on Friday by President Donald Trump to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. She will represent golf along with the LPGA Tour’s Natalie Gulbis and those with disabilities, and joined the likes of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, former college football coach Urban Meyer, College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker, and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz. The appointment is for a two-year term.
Bockerstette gained fame in 2019 in one of the feel-good moments of the year when she played the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the pro-am at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and made par alongside PGA Tour winners Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar. The video went viral and she became a source of inspiration, including to Woodland, who credited her as his unofficial mental coach, and said that he channeled her positive energy and mantra – “I got this” – en route to winning his first major at the 2019 U.S. Open.
Natalie Gulbis walks up the 14th hole during the first round of the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Gulbis, 37, a three-time Solheim Cup member and one of the most popular players on the LPGA for nearly two decades, appeared on a season of Trump’s “The Apprentice,” and spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention in 2016.
According to the council’s official website, its purpose is to “increase sports participation among youth of all backgrounds and abilities and to promote healthy and active lifestyles for all Americans.”
“Each year, the Council hosts a meeting to set priorities and to discuss current programs and upcoming initiatives. Council members consider ways to most actively engage and inspire Americans to be active and healthy.”
“Virtually every day, somebody comes up to Amy and tells her that they saw the video and that they were inspired,” Joe Bockerstette said.
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SCOTTSDALE – Amy Bockerstette is a golfer.
That’s why she’s famous.
“This is so awesome,” the 21-year-old Bockerstette said Wednesday on No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale, where she was reunited with PGA Tour pro Gary Woodland.
It was the one-year anniversary of Bockerstette becoming a viral sensation after making a par putt on the infamous hole during the Waste Management Phoenix Open pro-am.
Woodland had surprised Bockerstette by inviting her to play to raise awareness for the Special Olympics. Her parents were in on it and had her clubs and shoes hidden nearby.
Bockerstette was an ideal choice. She became the first person with Down syndrome to earn a college scholarship for sports when she signed with Paradise Valley CC in 2018. Before that, she had been the first golfer with Down syndrome to compete in the Arizona high school playoffs.
Her caddie/father, Joe Bockerstette, was surprised when Amy put her tee shot in the bunker.
Woodland went to take it out, but Amy Bockerstette wasn’t having it.
“She said, ‘No, I’ve got this,’” Woodland said.
She chipped out of the sand and she stroked a par putt.
The Arizona Republic, Golfweek and the USA TODAY Network picked up on the story. The PGA Tour and the Special Olympics put their PR muscle into promoting the video. TV networks lined up to produce features.
Tens of millions of people ended up seeing the sequence online, sharing, liking and commenting the entire way.
“I Got This” has become a rallying cry and the name of Amy Bockerstette’s foundation, focused on using golf to create more opportunities for people with disabilities. The Thunderbirds, the special events committee that runs the People’s Open, presented Bockerstette with a check for $25,000 Wednesday to help with that mission.
“Everywhere I go, I hear ‘I got this,’” Woodland said. “I have adults coming up to me, crying … the impact that it’s had on other people has been tremendous. To be part of that has been amazing.”
None of it would have happened if Bockerstette had put up a triple-bogey.
‘Every day, somebody comes up to Amy’
Amy Bockerstette is a golfer.
That’s why she’s famous.
And her story shows that people with disabilities can accomplish as much as people who don’t, provided they’re given the right support.
Woodland, who won the Phoenix Open in 2018, was right there when Bockerstette nailed that putt last year.
It ended up giving him an advantage for the rest of the tournament.
“My putting coach sent me a picture of her stroke at impact, and he said, ‘This is where you need to be,’” Woodland said this week. “The next morning, Phil Kenyon didn’t waste any time and sent the picture to me and said, ‘This is what you need to do, this is what you need to pay attention to.’”
Woodland finished in the top 10 and was 1-under on No. 16 for the tournament.
Bockerstette is more famous now than ever.
“Virtually every day, somebody comes up to Amy and tells her that they saw the video and that they were inspired,” Joe Bockerstette said. “It’s just been a fabulous experience.”
Strangers approach her for selfies. She gets random high-fives. And she’s traveled the country, telling people her story at banquets, celebrations and award shows.
That’s something else that few people would have expected.
People with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities often have a tough time communicating verbally. They’ll slur, mumble or say one word and mean another.
Bockerstette has put in countless hours over the last year to memorize her lines and deliver them cleanly. Her mother, Jenny Bockerstette, is her coach.
“She works so hard,” Jenny Bockerstette said. “She had to give a keynote address at the National Down Syndrome Congress’ annual convention, and she probably worked three or four months on practicing that speech. It was a 20-minute speech. … She’s grown a lot in the last year.”
‘You cannot put limits on people’
Amy Bockerstette is a golfer.
That’s why she’s famous.
She became a viral sensation when she made a par putt on one of the PGA Tour’s toughest holes in front of cameras, spectators and her favorite tour pro.
The accomplishment showed that people with disabilities need chances to show what they’re capable of doing. And it gave Woodland an edge when he recognized that Bockerstette’s stroke was ideal for that green.
And she’s learned to tell her story, showing that she can’t be limited by preconceptions and that athletes can transcend sports to make a difference in the lives of others.
There’s no telling what’s next — and that’s exactly the point.
“Amy is proof positive that you cannot put limits on people with disabilities and what they might do,” Joe Bockerstette said.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open always has held a special place in Gary Woodland’s heart, in part because of Amy Bockerstette.
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Waste Management Phoenix Open always has held a special place in Gary Woodland’s heart. For starters, he earned his way into the field at a Monday Qualifier in his rookie season in 2009, received his first sponsor exemption into a PGA Tour field here in 2011 and joined an illustrious list of tournament champions in 2018. Woodland has played here every year except once, in part, because his friends and family in Kansas consider it the closest thing to a home game.
“I think they want to get out of the snow,” said Woodland, who tees off Thursday at 7:50 a.m. local time, with Cameron Smith and Xander Schauffele.
But Woodland’s fondest memory of competing at TPC Scottsdale happened during last year’s pro-am round when he met Amy Bockerstette, a then 20-year-old with Down Syndrome, and invited her to play the par-3 16th hole. The video of her making a par went viral.
“Last year had a bigger impact on me than winning,” Woodland said. “The impact she had on me that day was not only me, but millions around the world. You’ve seen the people that have been impacted by this, by the video and her attitude, her energy, her love. I keep saying it, it’s so contagious and the world needs a lot more of it. And especially with everything that’s going on in the world right now, we need a lot more Amy in it.”
Woodland credits Bockerstette as his unofficial mental coach, and said that in the crucible of the final round of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach he channeled her positive energy and mantra – “I got this” – en route to winning his first major.
The two reunited on Wednesday, first at the the 16th hole, where Bockerstette’s Foundation, I Got This, received a check for $25,000 from The Thunderbirds, the host tournament sponsor. Later, Bockerstette joined Woodland at the press conference where she gave him a ball mark and a divot tool engraved with her catchphrase and posed the following question to him: “Gary, when are you going to play golf with me like you said last time?”
Woodland smiled. “We need to do that,” he said. “Sooner than later. When I get back in town we’ll play golf together. Is that a deal?”
On Sunday, Woodland was playing a practice round at TPC Scottsdale when he learned that Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. He said he and his wife took the news hard.
“You wanted to believe it was fake,” he said. “I’ve looked up to Kobe my whole life. I grew up in that generation with him dominating, so I’ve always wanted to be him, the way he worked on the basketball court, I wanted his work ethic. You talked to people with the ‘Mamba mentality,’ that’s what we all strive for as athletes out here.
“For me personally, looking at him the last couple years I want to be like him as a father. I want to be able to spend time with my kids. I brought my kid out yesterday. My kid’s two and a half. That’s the first time he’s walked with me on a golf course. He came out during the practice round. Because with Kobe being taken away, you don’t know how much time we have and I want to be able to share more time with my son now, when my daughters get older. But I brought him out yesterday because of that and let him experience being out and spending time with him. And the impact (Kobe’s) had…he shut the world down for a day.”
Woodland never met Bryant, but he will honor him in Phoenix by doing something special with his golf shoes this weekend. He also changed his Scotty Cameron putter cover to Lakers colors.
“But I think the biggest tribute is try to imitate him in the way to be a father like he was and work hard every day,” he said, “because you never know when it’s taken away from you, so you can’t take any day for granted on and off the golf course.”
With 2020 upon us, we reflect on year in golf with a closer look at the stories that most resonated with Golfweek readers.
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As we prepare to put a wrap on 2019 and welcome in the new year, we reflect on the year in golf with a closer look at the stories that most resonated with Golfweek readers.
The last 365 days have been a rollercoaster ride for sure. What stands out the most to you? What will you remember most from 2019?
Before we get to our list, it’s worth noting the themes into which these stories fit: Decorum, the Rules of Golf, the personalities in golf, money, the feel-good story of the year and Tiger, Tiger, Tiger.
Without further adieu, here are the most popular stories on Golfweek.com from the past year.
20. DQ’d for not ‘promptly’ returning scorecard
Skyler Fox, 16, learned a tough lesson about the Rules of Golf after being disqualified at a U.S. Open qualifying sectional for breaching Rule 3.3b(2), which states a player must “promptly return” a scorecard to the scorer’s table upon the completion of a round.
19. ‘Take one of these and go (expletive) yourself’
Country music star Jake Owen was among those who paid $29.99 to watch The Match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on pay-per-view, only to learn later that technical difficulties allowed for countless others to watch for free. Owen, it seems, was also not impressed with the quality of golf he had paid nearly $30 to watch. Lefty later responded in purely Lefty fashion.
18. ‘I’ve got this’
Amy Bockerstette wowed the golf world at the Phoenix Open. Playing a pro-am round with Gary Woodland, Bockerstette made par from the bunker on the infamous 16th hole and in the process, created the most viral of viral video moments of 2019.
Matt Kuchar poses with El Tucan after the 2018 Mayakoba Golf Classic. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
17. ‘That’s not a story’
It took two months, but it eventually came to light that Matt Kuchar severely underpaid his caddie after a victory in Mexico. Kuchar denied the allegation that he compensated local looper David Ortiz just $3,000 after earning $1.296 million for his win at the Mayakoba Classic in November. The story dragged on for weeks before Kuchar finally fessed up and paid up.
16. What’s in the bag?
David Dusek’s examination of the winning equipment used by Gary Woodland at the 2019 U.S. Open was of particular interest, and with good reason. Woodland won a premiere event at a premiere golf course in storybook fashion.
Seconds after Tiger Woods sank a putt on the 18th hole at Augusta National to win his fifth Masters, Nike dropped a new promo featuring the 15-time major tournament winner.
13. Does Tiger need a bigger boat?
It started as an interesting ‘Hey look at that’ segment during the Golf Channel’s telecast of the Hero World Challenge. But Tiger being Tiger, the visual of his yacht in dock really stuck out.
12. Getting hacked
President Trump was unwittingly at the center of another hacking incident, but this one didn’t involve Wikileaks. No, this one pertained to bogus golf scores entered from courses in three different states on the same day.
President Donald Trump plays a round of golf at Trump Turnberry in Scotland. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
11. Damaging reputation
Sergio Garcia was thrown out of the inaugural $3.5 million Saudi International for willfully damaging putting greens, a day after he slammed a club in a bunker in anger.
10. Showing off
Tiger Woods won the Masters then showed up to his Florida restaurant wearing his green jacket. Because why not?
9. A $10,000 disappointment
A discounted round and the lack of a $5 fee prevented Minnesota golfer Matt Dorgan from cashing in a $10,000 prize after making a hole-in-one.
Masters badges atop a patron’s hat at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
7. A sad passing
Sad news arrived right after Thanksgiving as the golf world learned Hilary Watson, wife of eight-time major champion Tom Watson, died after battling pancreatic cancer.
6. A Shark rebuke
Greg Norman says the general public does not look particularly kindly on people who “step across the line and take advantage of anything in sport.” The comment was made in reference to a rules infraction Patrick Reed committed.
5. Money, money, money
Anything and everything Masters is going to garner attention. When Tiger Woods wins it, you can double the interest level, including how much money each golfer won at the tournament.
4. ‘Killing the game’
Rule 9.4b states: “If the player lifts or deliberately touches his or her ball at rest or causes it to move, the player gets one penalty stroke.” This happened to Webb Simpson at the Players Championship, who blamed the penalty on his shirt and putter, then added: “So this is where I’m going to be loud and clear, like we have to get intent into the rules. We have to. Because it’s killing our game when it comes to these kind of things.”
3. Genuine concern
Analyst Paul Azinger was riding his motorcycle on a beach in March when his pleasant drive came to a sudden halt. He had gotten word Tiger Woods had withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, citing a neck strain. It clearly had Azinger concerned.
2. CBS shakeup
Gary McCord and Peter Kostis, two stalwarts of the CBS golf broadcast team, won’t be back, at least on CBS, in 2020. Both faced expiring contracts that were not renewed. Only Jim Nantz, who started in 1985, has enjoyed a longer uninterrupted stretch with the CBS golf crew.
1. Snubbing an upturned nose
While using the rules of golf to your advantage is wise, it’s confounding to watch someone with a once solid reputation and plenty of cash in the bank to snub his upturned nose at the spirit of the rules. Again. In the same year. On television. This was our most-read story of 2019.
