The PGA Championship has had its fair share of controversies over the years, with everything from disqualifications to arrests marring the prestigious major tournament
The PGA Championship descended upon Quail Hollow on Thursday, with a field of 156 PGA Tour, DP World, and LIV Golf professionals vying for the year’s second major.
Yet, this year’s tournament has been anything but smooth. From two-time champion Phil Mickelson shooting an eight-over-par in his opening round to earlier unfavorable conditions plaguing players with muddy balls, the 2025 race for the coveted Wanamaker Trophy has seen its share of highs and lows.
However, these incidents may seem mild compared to some of the events that have occurred in previous editions of the esteemed tournament. From one of the world’s top golfers being arrested at Valhalla last year to another being outright disqualified, there have certainly been some eyebrow-raising moments over the years.
A Tiger Woods mystery – 2000
One of the most hotly debated incidents in golf history is the claim that Tiger Woods’ 2000 PGA Championship victory was due to a spectator kicking a stray drive to safety during his Valhalla playoff with Bob May. Footage shows Woods’ shot falling from the sky as he launched it from the tee box, only to vanish near a grove of trees, reports the Mirror US.
The baffling moment on the course left fans and commentators perplexed as a golf ball reappeared, darting in a different direction at speed. Those watching from their homes across the globe were stumped, as CBS’ Jim Nantz said: “Do you think someone either kicked it or threw it back in that direction?” while Ken Venturi replied: “I don’t know. It, it didn’t…”
It is still unknown what happened at the 2000 PGA Championship(Image: Getty Images)
Nantz added: “I sure hope someone didn’t slap it back,” before Venturi responded: “It could have been someone jumped up and hit it with their hand.” Woods battled the elements to capture his second Wanamaker trophy, making par on the last hole to secure victory over may by a single stroke.
Dustin Johnson’s rule break – 2010
Dustin Johnson was a whisker away from his first major title with only a four-stroke 18th hole of Whistling Straits standing between him and the PGA Championship in 2010. However, fate had other ideas.
Johnson’s ball landed in a sandy area after a teeshot veered off to the right of the fairway, which was not surprising given that the prestigious course boasts over 1,000 bunkers. Johnson treated the spot as a waste area rather than a traditional bunker, grounding his club for his second shot.
Dustin Johnson unknowingly broke the rules(Image: Getty Images)
However, PGA officials had previously circulated a memo stating that all sanded areas should be treated as bunkers, regardless of whether they had been raked or not. This information was also posted in the course’s locker room.
Johnson believed he had secured a spot in a three-way playoff with Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson after making a bogey on the hole, however, officials quickly pointed out his mistake, resulting in a two-stroke penalty. Consequently, Kaymer faced Watson alone in the playoff, eventually winning the title, while Johnson tied for fifth place with Jason Dufner and Steve Elkington.
Cameron Tringale is disqualified – 2020
Cameron Tringale was casually checking the PGA Championship app during lunch at TPC Harding Park when he realized a major blunder. The 37-year-old had mistakenly signed for a par on the par-three eighth hole, when in reality, he’d made a bogey.
In an effort to correct his mistake, he returned to the scoring area to inform officials and adjust his score from 68 to 69. However, instead of simply amending the score and allowing him to continue with his remaining rounds, the organizers disqualified him under Rule 3.3b(3) for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Cameron Tringale was disqualified from the 2020 PGA Championship(Image: Getty Images)
Shockingly, this wasn’t Tringale’s first disqualification from a tournament; he was also removed from the same event six years earlier. On that occasion, Tringale contacted officials a week after the tournament to report a scorecard error in the final round.
Scottie Scheffler is arrested – 2024
Scottie Scheffler’s arrest at Valhalla became one of the biggest sports stories of the year due to the high-profile nature of the golfer and the circumstances surrounding the incident. Scheffler arrived at the course at 6:15am for Friday’s second round, only to encounter a traffic jam caused by an earlier accident where a shuttle bus had hit and killed a PGA vendor employee about an hour prior.
According to a police report, Scheffler allegedly swerved into oncoming traffic to bypass the standstill, before Detective Brian Gillis tried to stop him. The report also claimed that Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging [the officer] to the ground.”
Gillis reported “pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee” following the incident, which led to his hospital treatment. Consequently, Scheffler faced arrest and charges including second-degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding an officer’s traffic signals.
Scottie Scheffler was arrested at Valhalla last year(Image: Louisville Department of Correct)
The Louisville Police Department later made Scheffler’s mugshot public. After being released, Scheffler was back at Valhalla just after 9am, prepping for his round as if nothing had happened.
Despite the legal drama, Scheffler didn’t skip a beat at Valhalla, tying for eighth place with Justin Thomas, Robert MacIntyre, and Billy Horschel at 13-under-par, while Xander Schauffele clinched the tournament win by five strokes. The allegations against Scheffler were dismissed merely 12 days after his arrest.
Court Attorney Mike O’Connell said of matters: “Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler. Mr. Scheffler’s characterization that this was, quote, a ‘big misunderstanding,’ close quote, is corroborated by the evidence.”
Meanwhile, Scheffler said in a statement: “I wish to put this incident behind me and move on, and I hope he will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard.”
