PGA Tour pro Maverick McNealy is fed up — and after losing his clubs during travel, he’s calling on fans to start a petition. From Nelly Korda’s lost luggage before a major to Charley Hull having her entire golf bag stolen, a shocking pattern is emerging across pro golf. Why are airlines constantly mishandling the most important equipment elite golfers own? Here’s how a growing crisis is affecting the PGA and LPGA Tours — and why players are demanding change.
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PGA Tour star calls for fan petition as club losing crisis explodes across pro golf golfers are used to battling weather pressure and tough golf courses. But lately, one of the sport’s biggest threats isn’t on the course at all. It’s at the airport. Losing clubs has quietly grown from a rare annoyance into a full-blown crisis in professional golf. And after this week, Maverick McNeely is the latest pro to say he’s had enough. The 29-year-old was on his way to the Kauawaii Invitational in Hawaii when American Airlines informed him that two of his bags, including his clubs, didn’t make the flight for most travelers. It’s inconvenient for a PGA Tour pro chasing a second career win. It’s panicinducing. McNeely took to Instagram with a screenshot of the airline apology and a caption equal parts humor and desperation. Clubs not making it creates a unique level of stress for a professional golfer. Does anyone want a petition that clubs can qualify as a carry-on? It was a joke, but also not really a joke. This is a player who finally broke through at the 2024 RSM Classic, backed it up with multiple top 10s, and even finished runnerup at the 2025 Genesis Invitational. His momentum matters, and losing clubs is the kind of setback that derails a week before it even begins. A growing trend pros are tired of dealing with McNeely isn’t alone. Far from it. In 2024, Nelly Corda had her luggage go missing with Delta Airlines just hours before the Amundi Evian Championship. Not exactly ideal prep for a major. She got her bags back, but the stress didn’t magically disappear. What was once a freak mishap has become a recurring storyline across both tours. Pros don’t just travel with clothes. They travel with custom fitted tools worth thousands of dollars and critical to their livelihoods. A loss club isn’t replaceable at a pro shop. It’s weeks of dialing in feel, weight, and swing dynamics. Now players are openly voicing what everyone’s been whispering. Airlines aren’t keeping up, and athletes are paying the price that McNeel’s petition idea may be sarcastic, but the message isn’t. Every trip feels like a gamble, and nobody likes betting their season on baggage handlers. Charlie Hull’s case proves it can be even worse if losing clubs is bad. Having them stolen is worse. Charlie Hull shocked fans in November 2025 when she revealed her entire golf bag valued between $12,000 and $18,000 was taken at Miami International Airport and she had the receipts to prove it. Thanks to an Air Tag, Hull posted a screenshot showing her clubs located miles away from the airport at 1080 Northwest 103rd Street near several businesses. Clearly, the bag didn’t get misplaced. It got taken. And this wasn’t her first disaster. In 2024, her clubs vanished during a flight from London to Seattle before the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, leaving her stuck in an airport instead of preparing for a major a public plate. Anyone got any ideas how I get them back? Shows just how helpless even elite golfers can be in these situations. Insurance doesn’t fix the problem. Replacing the clubs doesn’t fix the problem. Only getting the original, perfectly fitted set back truly matters. Sometimes Air Tags help. Sometimes strangers recover a lost bag. But too often pros are left hoping for luck instead of relying on reliable systems. The bottom line, something has to change. What used to be random has turned into routine. PGA and LPGA pros shouldn’t have to cross their fingers every time they check a golf bag. McNeel’s joking petition highlights a real pain point. Pro golf has a baggage problem and it’s getting in the way of careers, performance, and peace of mind. Until airlines improve their handling of sports equipment or rethink their policies, players will keep losing clubs and fans will keep seeing these stories pop up again and again.
