Golf has a reputation for being the most honourable sport in the world but even the smallest mistake can turn victory into heartbreak. In this video, we count down the 10 dumbest moments that ruined golf tournaments, from Shane Lowry’s invisible ball movement to Paul Azinger’s coral kick, Padraig Harrington’s three-dimple disaster, and Camilo Villegas’ birthday blunder. We revisit Tiger Woods’ Masters drop controversy, Lexi Thompson’s four-stroke shock, and Dustin Johnson’s bunker that wasn’t.
These moments aren’t just quirky footnotes, they’re proof of golf’s unforgiving marriage between precision and punishment. One second, you’re leading the tournament the next, you’re a trivia question in golf history. Some of these mistakes were caused by bad luck, they may seem small, but each mistake carried the weight of a career turning champions into cautionary tales.
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10 dumbest moments that ruined golf tournaments. Here are 10 incidents where the smallest mistake, sometimes invisible to the human eye, turned victory into heartbreak. 10. Dustin Johnson’s bunker. That wasn’t PGA Championship 2010. On the 72nd hole, Johnson needed par to win his first major. His drive missed the fairway and landed in a sandy area trampled by thousands of fans. He grounded his club without hesitation, assuming it was a waste area. After holding out for what he thought was a winning score, officials pulled him aside. Under the local rules, all Sandy areas were bunkers, and grounding York club was a penalty. Johnson’s heart sank as they told him the two-stroke penalty had cost him a spot in the playoff. Martin Camer went on to win. The image of Johnson staring blankly into the distance remains one of golf’s great what just happened moments. Nine. Camo Viegas’s birthday blunder tournament of champions 2011. It was supposed to be a celebration. Vgas had turned 29 that day and was playing in Hawaii, one of golf’s most relaxed stops. On the 15th at Kapalua, he faced an uphill chip. His first try rolled back to his feet. His second try, same thing. As the ball trickled toward him, he leaned down and brushed away a loose blade of grass sitting in front of his divot. Big problem. The ball was still moving when he did it, and the rules forbid touching or removing anything in its path. A viewer emailed the PGA Tour because he’d signed his scorecard before the penalty could be added. Vgas was disqualified. Somewhere, a cake with 29 candles sat untouched. Eight. Tiger Woods’s Masters Drop Controversy. Augusta National 2013. Woods’s approach to the 15th green struck the flag stick, ricocheted backward, and splashed into the pond. Frustrated, he dropped another ball 2 yardd back from the original spot to avoid hitting the pin again. That detail 2 yards back, he volunteered in a postround interview. A viewer had already flagged the drop to officials, but Tiger’s own words sealed the case. The spot was too far back under the rules for that particular relief option. Augusta officials faced a dilemma. Disqualify the sport’s biggest star for an incorrect scorecard or apply a two-stroke penalty and let him continue. They chose the latter. Still, it ignited debate over whether Tiger had been given special treatment. Seven. Craig Stadler’s towling trouble. San Diego Open 1987. Stadler’s ball came to rest under a low pine. The only way to swing was to kneel, which would ruin his slacks. So, he placed a towel on the ground to protect his knees. Unluckily for him, the rules considered that building a stance a violation worth two strokes. And since he’d already signed his card, that meant disqualification. In the press room afterwards, Stadler grinned Riley. Guess I should have worn my old pants. Six. Paul Azinger’s Coral Kick Doral Rider Open 1991. The Florida sun was setting. Azinger had just signed for a sparkling 65 and his name was near the top of the board. Somewhere in Colorado, a man was rewinding his VHS tape watching Azinger in a Sandy Hazard on the 18th. In the clip, as Azinger walked toward his ball, he nudged a small piece of coral away with his foot. an innocent move, or so it seemed. Unfortunately for him, the rules of golf at the time strictly prohibited moving loose impediments in a hazard. The viewer called PGA Tour headquarters. By the time Azinger returned to the locker room, a rules official was waiting. Since the round was already complete and the penalty hadn’t been applied, Azinger was disqualified. In the span of an hour, he went from chasing the leader to packing his bags. Five. Podrick Harrington’s three dimple disaster. Abu Dhabi 2011. Harrington, a three-time major champion, opened with a sizzling 65 and was a single stroke off the lead. Spirits were high until the next morning. An anonymous viewer had emailed the European tour with footage from the seventh green. As Harrington removed his marker, his ball shifted forward. Not a roll, not even a hop, just three dimples forward. Under the rules then in place, that counted as a penalty if the ball wasn’t replaced to its original position. Harrington hadn’t noticed, so he’d played from the wrong spot. And because his card was already signed, he was disqualified. His response was classic. Harington, I’m gutted, but rules are rules. Still, it’s hard not to wonder how many people can spot three dimples without a slow motion camera. Four. Shane Lowry’s invisible ball movement. Royal Portrush 2025. Lowry’s return to the site of his 2019 Open Championship win had all the makings of a storybook repeat. The weather was wild, the course was brutal, and Lowry was in position to make a final day charge. Then came the 12th hole in round three. His ball was nestled in wiry rough. Lowry took a casual practice swing, stepped in, and clipped his approach onto the green. To him, and to everyone watching in real time, nothing unusual had happened. But in the replay booth, a zoomedin camera angle revealed the ball had rocked forward, maybe half a dimple during the practice swing. The movement was imperceptible without slow motion. By the time he reached the 15th T, officials pulled him aside. Two-stroke penalty. In one minute, his slim margin for error was gone. He finished the round visibly frustrated, muttering that he never even saw it happen. Three. Julie Ingster’s weighted warm-up Safeway Classic 2010. A 30inute backup on the 10th T is torture for a professional golfer. Inkingster, restless, pulled out a weighted donut trainer and slipped it on her driver for some loosening swings. The issue? The rules prohibit training aids during a round. A sharpeyed TV viewer noticed and called in. By the 17th hole, Inkingster was informed she was disqualified. Her post round comments summed up the absurdity. It had no bearing on my play, but I get it. The rule’s the rule. Lexi Thompson’s four-stroke shock. Aa Inspiration 2017. Thompson was cruising toward her second major championship when a rules official approached her on the 13th T. Lexi. We’ve received a report from a TV viewer the day before. She had marked her ball and replaced it slightly off its original spot. The penalty, two strokes for incorrect placement, plus two more for signing the wrong scorecard. Thompson looked stunned. “Is this a joke?” she asked on camera. “It wasn’t. Four shots gone.” She rallied to force a playoff but lost to So Yian Ryu. The ruling sparked outrage and ultimately pushed golf’s governing bodies to change the rules about viewer call-ins. One Victor Havlin’s call from mom the players championship 2021. Havland finished his round well within the cutline when his phone buzzed. It was his mother calling from Norway. She had noticed on the broadcast that when he moved his ball marker a putter head to the side to avoid Justin Thomas’ line, he replaced it another head length over, essentially moving it twice without moving it back. Havland immediately went to the rules officials to report himself. The result, a two-stroke penalty that pushed him out of the weekend field. Later, he laughed. My mom cost me the cut, but she was right. Thanks for watching. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube
