Wackiest Golf Stories of 2013

December 18, 2013

Another year of golf is coming to an end and, wow, what a wild year 2013 was. The year in golf showed us many ups, downs and wacky situations.

Here’s a look at some of the year’s wackiest stories coming from the golf course:

Weather: Whether you’re an amateur or a touring professional, Mother Nature played a major role in your season. It started in January with wild weather in Hawaii and continued with a snow-covered WGC Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona in February. There was the rain-shortened LPGA event, and a dry and hot summer for golfers across the country. A wild weather year, indeed.

Dufnering: In the world of Jason Dufner, it’s not wacky. But “Dufnering” sure did strike a chord with the golfing conscious. The sitting, slumped-over and otherwise depressing position the PGA Championship winner was caught in went viral – and then some – in 2013.

Aces Wild: 81-year-old Eddie Manderville, an everyday golfer from Minneapolis, recorded back-to-back holes-in-one in August. He buried aces on 141 and 165-yard par-3s, putting his total to 10 career aces.

Squirrel: Perhaps it was the lack of competition, or maybe it was because it was just so darn cute. Either way, Davis Love III’s squirrel buddy at the Presidents Cup was among the biggest news stories of the year.

How Low Can You Go?: A number of ridiculous scores made waves across the amateur ranks in 2013. Jonathan Schnitzer narrowly missed an event record with a 61 at the prestigious Trans-Mississippi Championship while Joe Ryon shot 59 at El Camino Country Club. Auburn’s Michael Johnson capped it all by going an eye-popping 28-under to win the Dogwood Invitational.

Oh Brother: Talk about feeding off your playing partner… Brothers Carlos and Michael Sainz recorded a hole-in-one and a double eagle during the same eGolf Tour event in May. Carlos aced a par-3 while Michael recorded a double-eagle 2 on a 502-yard par-5. Wow.

Rules, Rules, Rules: This was undoubtedly the year of the rule. We saw it at the Masters (Tiger) and it continued on the airwaves (Brandel) and in print ( Ogilvy). Other rules-related items that had the golf world buzzing in 2013 included the anchored putting ban announcement and the crackdown on caddie races and — everybody’s favorite — ‘Mashed Potatoes!’ —post swing quip.

Toothache: Rory McIlroy, then among the world’s best, left mid-tournament with a toothache. It did much worse for his reputation than simply sticking it out. In the end, he stuck it out for a tough season, no less.

59 is the Number: Jim Furyk tied the ‘mythical’ 59 in September at the BMW Championship. Just the sixth 59 in PGA Tour history, the number was narrowly missed by Phil Mickelson at TPC Scottsdale at the Phoenix Open.

Let’s go Streaking!: The 2013 Presidents Cup will be remembered for a number of reasons. Chief among them, perhaps, is the streaker that made waves and led to some hilarious photos.

Bubba Being Bubba: It wasn’t the best season on the course for Bubba Watson. But the 2012 Masters winner sure did stay in headlines with the debut of his awesome ‘Bubba’s Hover’, a hovercraft golf cart.

He’s Back!: It took some doing, but all seems well in the golf landscape. For, Tiger Woods found his way back to the world’s No. 1 ranking following his victory at Bay Hill.

 

Featured image of The Golf Club at Dove Mountain courtesy of SBNation.