Top Five Golf Villains of 2013
Golf isn't always a game of green, lavish fairways and chivalrous competition among friends, especially at the professional level. As with any other sport, golf has its villains, annoyances and otherwise unfavorable personas. This was especially evident in some of the biggest news stories of 2013. Here is a list of the top five golf villains from 2013. If you think we've missed any, be sure to leave your suggestion in the comment section below.
Does anyone actually know who Vijay is suing these days? Is it the PGA Tour? Is it just Tim Finchem? Or is it the entire animal kingdom? Singh made headlines in 2013 for admitting his use of Deer Antler Spray, a topical product that contains a substance banned by the PGA Tour. While he was quietly serving a suspension (because we all know that's what happened and you're incredibly naive if you think otherwise), Singh was formulating a plan to slap... someone... with a lawsuit.
Whether it was his obsessive desire to protect Old Man Par at the US Open at Merion -- making many golf holes impossibly difficult -- or issuing a ban on the anchored putting stroke (along with the R&A), USGA head honcho Mike Davis lost a few friends this season. Of course, only a small percentage of amateur and professional golfers actually use an anchored stroke, but let's not let facts get in the way of a good ol' fashioned finger-pointing.
Yeesh. Talk about putting your foot in your mouth. Shortly after making racially insensitive comments about Tiger Woods during a press conference, Garcia went ahead and completely screwed the pooch at the 2013 Players Championship. Garcia would ultimately issue a public apology to Woods, but the damage had been done.
Sticking with the theme of "I should have kept my mouth shut", the Golf Channel analyst and Golf.com contributor stirred the proverbial pot when he gave Tiger Woods an 'F' in the writer's year-end report card. Chamblee also instantly made the word "cavalier" 1000 percent more popular as he slyly insinuated Woods was a cheater on the golf course.
Have you noticed a trend in the last two villain categories? Tiger was at the heart of matter for both Garcia and Chamblee, albeit of no fault of his own. However, Woods still had a rough year in the eyes of the PGA Tour Rules Committee, incurring penalties on three separate occasions, including at the 2013 Masters. Woods will forever be a polarizing figure in golf, and he certainly did not help his cause this season. There has been no other golfer mentioned in more heated debates than Woods this year, so he has rightfully earned this list's top spot.