“I’d love to see Scottie try a mallet.” said an expectant Rory McIlroy after the third signature event on the 2024 PGA Tour calendar. Well, he wasn’t disappointed as the current No.1, Scottie Scheffler, changed his club to the one the Northern Irishman and his swing coach, Randy Smith, urged him to. The result? Back-to-back wins for the golfer. However, it seems now that the club change wasn’t enough to fully remedy his problems.

A tweet was shared by the PGA Tour on its official X handle (formerly Twitter). Interestingly, the video showcases a shot taken by the American Pro which cost him a chance at his third victory of the 2024 season, and well, the fans are not having it!

The video uploaded by the Jay Monahan-led circuit on X showcases the 27-year-old missing a putt on the par-4 final 18th. The “narrow miss” led to the golfer scoring a par score on the final hole which, in turn, resulted in him missing out on tying the score with Stephan Jaeger to push a playoff. What’s more, as a result of the missed putt, he could only card a figure of 2-under 68 on Sunday, leading him to fall behind the champ by a single stroke.

Interestingly, after listening to the advice of his swing coach, the golfer had started making use of the TaylorMade Spider Tour X (X1) putter with a 3-degree loft and 72-degree lie angle at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This, during the signature event, helped him dish out a total of 20 birdies resulting in a spectacular victory.

Meanwhile, he dished out a total of four birdies during the final day of play. Moreover, it came along with a couple of bogeys at the par-4, 6th hole, and the par-3, 15th hole. Regardless of the numbers, it is true that Scheffler missing the putt cost him another chance at victory. Well, the community did not take it too lightly.

Scheffler’s missed putt sends the internet into a fervor

One thing is for sure, the current No.1 in the OWGR wouldn’t have imagined the amount of response such a missed shot would evoke on the internet. There were a lot of reactions ranging from those criticizing the golfer’s shot to others taking a jab at the professional himself. Let us take a quick look at some of them.

The 27-year-old faced a lot of flak, especially after missing out on some important shots at previous events. During the second round of the Genesis Invitational, the 8-time PGA Tour champ missed a putt and consequently, threw the ball into the bush after the same. What’s more, he was ranked last when it came to putting among the players who made the cut. As a similar problem arose again at the Houston Open, an enthusiast went ahead to comment, “Terrible putt” while another responded how he missed on purpose, “He missed on purpose. He had the read. Or he just can’t putt.” Meanwhile, others followed as reactions such as “Horrible putt,” and “World no 1 with a dribble of a putt” came pouring in.

Meanwhile, some of the users on X couldn’t help but bring the legend of the game, Tiger Woods, into the fray. Surprisingly, the 48-year-old had 1,543 putts from 3 feet and in from the years 2002 to 2005 and has only missed three during the period. Nothing short of spectacular, isn’t it? Well, that’s exactly what many fans thought as well as they responded with comments such as, “Another reason why Scottie’s run should NEVER be compared to tigers. Stop that talk asap,” and “Tiger wouldn’t have missed it.” However, the cream of the crop came when a couple of ardent followers praised Woods and dissed Scottie Scheffler by mentioning how “Tiger never missed a putt when it mattered,” and how “There will never ever be a Tiger Woods.”

There were also other responses questioning the authenticity of the golfer being the No. 1 in the world all the while bringing in the arguments of a weak field, despite a rating of 259.59872, as well as the LIV golfers into the same. A follower commented, “lol. Best player in the world. Dude would be fourth best on LIV” alluding to the latter reason while another responded, “Let’s keep pretending that this run that Scotty Scheffler is on has nothing to do with a weak field. I’m sure you can get a few fans to believe it.” 

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new-generation TGL Golf seems unstoppable. Despite its postponement to January 2025, the technology-driven league’s motivation to grow further seems impossible to curb. In a new announcement, it has been revealed that the addition of its sixth squad has come to light.

This latest team will be called the New York Golf Club and will have the PGA Tour’s famous poster boy, Rickie Fowler, as its star player. Apart from Fowler, the NY Golf Club will feature talented stars like Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, and the avid New Yorker, Cameron Young.

This newly-formed team is owned by Cohen Private Ventures, which tracks back to Steve Cohen, who is also the owner of the New York Mets. According to Cohen, “TGL’s primetime format and fast-paced style will allow fans to connect with their favorite golfers like never before.”

Moreover, the NYGC also revealed its official logo and it features the New York State’s Eastern Bluebird, a common sight on golf courses, inside a circle, which is a tribute to the city’s subway circles. It also creatively represents the dynamic swinging club in the form of a wing with four grooves, which is expected to represent the four talented players on the team’s roster. So what do these talented ‘four grooves’ of the New York Golf Club have to say about embarking on this new-age journey?

Rickie Fowler and Co.’s reaction to becoming a part of the NYGC

The handpicked team has a selection of extremely skilled golfers. Headlining the roster is Rickie Fowler, who has an incomparable experience of team golf in the form of being a part of “five U.S. Ryder Cup teams, three U.S. Presidents Cup teams, one World Cup, Walker Cup, and Palmer Cup teams from his time as an amateur player.”

Upon the team’s announcement, Fowler said, “It is an incredible opportunity to represent one of the greatest cities in the world, and I look forward to competing in 2025.” But he was not the only teammate expressing their happiness.

Xander Schauffele, who has 7 PGA Tour wins to his name and is ranked at No. 5, said, “I’ve built my career on a foundation of hard work, grit, and determination, which couldn’t better reflect the people of New York City. It’s a true honor to both grow the game and represent this incredible city.”

Additionally, while Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2023 RBC Heritage champ, expressed his onboarding with the NY-based team as an “incredible experience,” New York native Cameron Young described the opportunity as “surreal” and also remarked on how he envisions the future of their team. He said, “Alongside Rickie, Xander, and Matt, I am confident we are going to be a highly competitive team in the upcoming TGL season.”

The 2023 Masters Championship marked the 25th appearance of the legend in the tournament. He has managed to bag the trophy five times, standing behind Jack Nicklaus, who won the trophy six times. Entering the 2024 Augusta National, marks out to be another milestone in his legacy, as he will be battling to tie up with the number of wins of Nicklaus.

With just 10 days ahead of D-day, there are waves of speculations and questions. Among them is a looming one: Has the legendary golfer ever floundered to miss the cut?

The 2023 Masters Championship marked the 25th appearance of the legend in the tournament. He has managed to bag the trophy five times, standing behind Jack Nicklaus, who won the trophy six times. Entering the 2024 Augusta National, marks out to be another milestone in his legacy, as he will be battling to tie up with the number of wins of Nicklaus.

With just 10 days ahead of D-day, there are waves of speculations and questions. Among them is a looming one: Has the legendary golfer ever floundered to miss the cut?

In 2014, he suffered from a back injury while playing in the final round of the Honda Classic, which disabled him from being a part of the Masters that year. He even withdrew himself from the tournament in 2016 just six days before the commencement due to the same prolonged back injury, and he did not appear the next year as well!

However, the worst was when, in 2021, just 90 minutes before the tournament was about to begin, Woods withdrew himself because of the injury to his right leg from the car accident. However, that’s not all. Woods’ journey has not been all sunshine and rainbows in Masters. He was involved in one of the biggest controversies in the history of golf!

In the 2013 Masters, Tiger Woods was led by a bad break, which resulted in a bad drop. Tiger Woods himself had posted a thread of tweets on his X account that, in the second round, he had taken an improper position in placing his ball on the 15th hole. Thus, his shot hit the pin and the ball bounced back into the water. He had scored a bogey on the par-5, but the score got changed into a triple bogey.

No change of plan in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL. The futuristic league, set to debut next January, announced the first part of its schedule. The inaugural match will kick off in the second week of January on ESPN and ESPN+. Woods and McIlroy also want to latch on to the NFL fever to generate more eyeballs for their tech-infused team golf event.

Six teams have been introduced to the newly launched league. The 15-time Major Champion heads Jupiter Links GC. He is also the co-owner of the Florida-based team. Whereas Rory McIlroy will steer the Boston Common Golf. An early setback due to the roof dome collapse of the SoFi Center delayed the launch date but not more than a year.

The tech-infused league will make a debut on January 7 on ESPN Prime Time. Matchweek 2 on January 14 (Tuesday), will follow ESPN’s Monday Night Football Wild Card Playoff game. Similarly, Matchweek 3 on January 21 is on the heels of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The full schedule will be released later.

The rationale revealed by the official announcement was that TGL wants to benefit from the high enthusiasm for sports in January. The first month of the year has traditionally been the most-watched month for ESPN as well. They also brushed aside any notion that Woods’s latest venture will compete with the PGA Tour.

Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports, said in the official announcement, “January is a tremendous time of year for fans looking for prime time sports and TGL’s launch will complement the start of the PGA TOUR season and take advantage of ESPN’s promotional machine across their coverage of the NFL and college football playoffs.”

15 holes will be played in two sessions, with three players from each team taking alternate shots from holes 1–9. In the second session, those three players will go head-to-head individually from holes 9–15, with each player taking on two holes. All the actions will take place in the SoFi center, which TMRW Sports sought to revamp after the disastrous roof-dome collapse.

A unique mix of simulation and reality

TGL wants to blend virtual golf with real experience on the greens. 1500 wraparound seats have been added in the Palm Beach State College’s sprawling auditorium. Each team will start from “real grass” tee boxes, hitting their tee shots into the massive 3000 sq. ft. screen. Interestingly, the venue also boasts of a “real grass” 22,475-yard short game complex. Once players are within 50 yards, they will finish each hole on the greenside.

Furthermore, TGL also brings forth an innovative technology, a shot clock. Each player has to take their shots within 40 seconds. On top of that, each PGA Tour Pro will be mic’d up, something that LIV Golf has done in the past couple of years.

Notably, TGL was read as an answer to the PIF-funded league from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, the Tour’s most vigorous defenders. The PGA Tour has moved ahead with the framework agreement with PIF. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the chief governor of PIF, met the Tour’s player-directors in the Bahamas recently. The meeting was apparently spearheaded by Woods, no less. The announcement makes it clear that there will be a world where the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and TGL co-exist.

It appears the merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour is supposedly getting delayed! Why? Well, the Player Directors of the Policy Board led by Tiger Woods recently met up with the Chairman of the Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas. Interestingly, Peter Malnati, who was part of the meeting and was reportedly all praise for the Saudi businessman, hinted at the upsetting news.

“I do think it’s a while until we get there,” said Malnati, about the meeting before divulging, “I didn’t walk away with a much clearer understanding of what the future holds.” However, he was quick to add, “But I definitely walked away thinking I’m glad we did that. Glad we met him. Glad we had a very friendly meeting,” all the while alluding to the gathering in the Bahamas led by Mr. T.

Although the professional, in an interview ahead of the Valspar Championship, expressed his desire to see “all the best players together, not just in the major championships,” he was swift in painting a clear picture of the current situation as well. Elaborating on the same, he said, “There’s a lot of work to do to … seeing the same vision for the future of professional golf. There is space between his[Al-Rumayyan’s] and ours.”

Meanwhile, the golfer, aside from dishing out compliments, also couldn’t help but be surprised at the PIF Governor’s nature, who himself is a lover of the sport of golf. Commenting on the same, he said, “Obviously he is not a regular guy. He chairs 140-something boards.” But even so, he seemed like any other person to the 36-year-old as he “enjoyed and appreciated” the encounter. “To talk to him, it was like talking to another human being… We were definitely talking to a golf nut.”

What’s more, the 1-time PGA Tour champion also commented on the growing relationship with the PIF Governor, as he said, “I still certainly think a path forward for professional golf makes more sense with him on our side than him as an antagonist.” But even so, regardless of the newfound sense of camaraderie, it cannot be denied that the final picture of a united front in golf is still a while away. Even Webb Simpson had indicated the same.

As per Simpson, contrary to popular belief, the meeting with Al-Rumayyan did not involve complex negotiations but more on the side of prodding for the intentions of the Saudi-backed fund. Divulging details on the gathering, he admitted, “It definitely seems like he envisions a place in the game of golf.” Adding on, he said, “We didn’t get as far as what he wants and what does LIV want,” as he revealed the results of the meeting.

“He certainly seems engaged enough in the game already that he has desires to see the game grow globally,” continued the 38-year-old as he recalled how the businessman also mentioned doing the same in Saudi. Anyhow, it appears, from the two golfers’s comments, that the merger needs miles to go before it is made to come to fruition. Regardless, it remains to be seen what this recent meeting holds for the golf world.

There is great news for all the Tiger Woods fans out there. Some of you may have guessed it already! There has been a new update in the roster for this year’s Masters, and the added name is none other than the GOAT, Tiger Woods. Some people might have had their inhibitions about Woods’s return to Augusta, but as it turns out, the 15x major champion will be looking forward to clenching the 16th major title.

The golf community is excited and a little skeptical at the same time about the news. Many fans might be wondering if the golfer will be able to play and endure the Augusta National’s physical demands for the entirety of the competition. In a recent post on X, the news about Woods’s return to Augusta came to light. Only time will tell, but for now, fans have quite a lot to say!

The golfer’s life took a turn for the worse when he met a near-fatal accident in 2021. His return to the game after a shattered leg seemed impossible, but he came back to the greens. However, since then, one could say that he has not been at the top of his list. The golfer’s health has forced him to withdraw from the tournament without competing for all four rounds, painting a picture of a champion grappling with his physical limitations.

He competed in the Masters last year but sadly had to withdraw on Saturday, citing ankle pain. To treat the aforementioned pain, he underwent plantar fasciitis surgery, after which he disappeared from the professional world for almost eight months. After he returned and competed in the 2023 PNC Championship and the Hero World Challenge, he made a promise to play one tournament every month. He tried to keep the promise but failed.

The golfer did not compete in any tournaments in January and returned to the greens in February to tee up at the Genesis Invitational. He sadly had to withdraw before the second round commenced because he caught influenza. With no appearance in any of the events in March until now, fans are skeptical about Tiger Woods’s Masters appearance.

Fans are skeptical about Tiger Woods returning to the greens

On the one hand, his very presence at Augusta generates buzz and elevates the event, but there is a legitimate fear that Woods might not finish the competition.

Hinting at the previous withdrawals that the golfer has had in the 2023 Masters and the 2024 Genesis Invitational, one fan took things a lot further and said that TW will only be seen competing for the green jacket on Thursday.

Taking a step further, about the first round comment and how the golfer had put on a show for the fans at last year’s Masters despite the pain for the two rounds, one fan said that the 48-year-old might compete on Friday too if they are “lucky.” 

By the looks of it, it seems that the fans are not too optimistic by the Woods’s return to grab the 6th Masters title. They pointed out that the pro wont even be able to play 22 holes, which would be far too low for anyone playing at the Masters.

Referring to this entire participation as a “joke,” a fan seems dissatisfied. They claimed that the old winners are taking away the place of newer, more competitive players who would have made a better addition to the field. This might be seen as a dig at the PGA Tour and the ANGC officials for not broadening the field and inviting more players to compete for the sport’s highest honor.

Calling out the GOAT and the entire TW fan community in the most sarcastic manner, a fan created a headline that might be flashing on the news after he would withdraw from the game  because of the “sickness”.

One fan pointed out that Woods is now beginning to lose the fandom that he had built in his illustrious career, which included 82 Tour wins and 15 major titles. They suggested that the golfer should hang his clubs “gracefully.” Since the last few years, one could say that Tiger Woods has not been on top of his game. His last major win was five years ago, at the 2019 Masters, when he became the second oldest golfer ever to win the Masters.

The Florida swing moves forward from TPC Sawgrass to Palm Harbor for the Valspar Championship from March 21–24. The stage is almost set, with a solid field of 156 competitors competing for a purse of $8.4 million. The championship is all set to witness the golf action on the par-71, 7,340-yard Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort. From the top 30, a total of 10 will be gearing up on the greens in the Valspar Championship, including Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman, Sam Burns, Keegan Bradley, and Justin Thomas.

Interestingly, Tiger Woods is going to skip even this event, probably to prepare for the Augusta showdown. Woods has played in the Valspar championship only once in his career, in 2018. However, other than the 15x major champion, there are also few other prominent names who are sitting out of the event.

There are a few more major names who are missing from the field for next week’s Valspar Championship, like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Ludvig Aberg, and Wyndham Clark.

Ever since 2020, he has played in the Valspar Championship just once and it was back in 2021. The golfer finished at T29 in his only appearance at the event so far. In March 2024, Scheffler won the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the for the second time in his career and he also triumphed THE PLAYERS Championship, and amazed everyone with his historic back-to-back victory.

Rory Mcllroy

The world’s No. 2 Rory Mcllroy was a part of the Valspar Championship in 2018 since he started playing on the PGA Tour in 2010. The golfer although missed the cut that year. The Northern Irishman finished at T19 in THE PLAYERS with a final score of 9 under. His latest finish was close to the T21 finish he had at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with the final score of 1 under.

Wyndham Clark

Wyndham Clark, who turned professional in 2017 and joined the PGA Tour in 2019, is the only player in our list who has competed the maximum number of times in the Valspar Championship. He was a part of this championship three times. He finished at T60 in 2021, missed the cut in 2022, and was at the T5 in 2023. Recently, he finished tied at T2 at THE PLAYERS and lost to Scottie Scheffler by just 1 stroke. It will be interesting to see how the reigning US Open winner comes back on the greens, and the magic he creates at the Augusta.

Ludvig Aberg

Ludvig Aberg is the name that has recently taken the golf world by storm. The young star became the first golfer to play in the Ryder Cup without competing in any major tournaments. Having turned pro in 2023, he joined the PGA Tour in the same year. He took part in the Valspar championship 2023 as an amateur, and finished at T61. Recently, Aberg scored a -14 in THE PLAYERS Championship and finished solo at the 8th spot.

Rickie Fowler

Rickie Fowler will also be absent from the Valspar Championship this year. He also did not play last year. His last win came at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2023, and he had a moment this year at THE PLAYERS which is very unlikely of him.  At TPC Sawgrass, he finished at T68 with the final score of 2 over. The golfer will next be seen in Georgia where he will fight for the illustrious green jacket.