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For world number one Scottie Scheffler, this may be an entirely fitting end to a remarkable 2024.
This year, he was firmly at the top of the world rankings with at least nine wins (including the Masters in April), but he was also arrested and jailed before the first round of the PGA Championship.
It was a chaotic moment, as was the news that the 28-year-old had cut his hand on broken glass while preparing Christmas dinner. The injury will force him to withdraw from the 2025 season opener, the Sentinel Tournament.
But Scheffler's misadventure wasn't the only bizarre incident.
The game of golf is filled with dizzying stories of golfers bizarrely failing to hit the first tee. Here are the top 10 in reverse order.
10. Akshay Bhatia dislocated elbow
It's one thing to get injured before a game, it's another to get injured while celebrating a big win.
At this year's Texas Open, Bhatia won his second PGA Tour title and set the stage for next week's Masters.
He also ruined his chances of making his Augusta debut with an overly enthusiastic punch.
9. Ian Woosnam’s muscle strain
Bhatia injured his arm while starting at the Masters, but Welshman Woosnam tore a muscle while celebrating his green jacket win in 1991.
“I almost blew my arm off,” he said.
8. Retief Goosen was struck by lightning
The South African was just 15 when he was struck by lightning on a South African pitch.
He swallowed his tongue and was only saved by the other golfers.
The rags he wore that day are now on display at the World Golf Hall of Fame.
7. Thomas Levitt’s broken leg
Frenchman Levy was keen to celebrate his victory at the 2011 French Open and jumped into the lake surrounding the 18th green with his coach.
Unfortunately, it wasn't as deep as he had hoped, and Levitt suffered a broken leg.
6. Brett Ogle’s knee fracture
We often read about golfers choking on Sundays, but Australian Ogier managed to injure his knee on the back nine of the 1990 Australian Open.
In the 17th game, he hit a tree and the ball bounced back into his legs. He fell to the grass and was given cold compresses from beer cans by spectators, and he had to limp back to the clubhouse in pain. Clubhouse.
He completed the round and the tournament but didn't compete again for half a year.
5. Greg Norman’s Chainsaw Accident
The Australian is known for finding extraordinary ways not to win a Grand Slam title, but his ability to find a banana peel with a chainsaw in 2014 was nearly catastrophic while he was in a tree in Florida.
A branch fell and hit his arm, and the saw nearly cut an artery.
He escaped danger with a minor operation, when things could have been much worse.
4. Mel Reed was bitten by a snake
British woman Mel Reid loves a drink at a Solheim Cup party, but may not be a fan of the stout beer-apple apple cocktail known as the Snake Bite.
That's because she was bitten by a snake while participating in the LET Sanya Open in 2012.
She needed one shot and 20 pills to complete the round.
3. Christiaan Bezuidenhout takes poison
Beziidenhout was just two years old when he drank a can of Coca-Cola.
The toddler didn't know it contained rat poison, which nearly killed him.
The South African survived but continued to suffer from anxiety and he still stutters to this day, but Beziidenhout has bounced back to become a top 50 golfer in the world.
2. Sam Torrance’s Sleepwalking
At the 1993 Ryder Cup, the Scot managed to sleepwalk into a flower pot before Sunday's singles match.
His chest and toes were injured, but that wasn't the strangest part of the story.
No, that's when Torrence explained that he believed the yuca plant was an invader.
1. Rory McIlroy ruptured ligament
It may not be the most unusual thing, but McIlroy injured his ankle during a futsal match before the 2015 Open, and it had very lasting effects.
The year before, he had won his third and fourth career Grand Slam titles. By withdrawing from the 2015 British Open at his favorite old course, he missed the opportunity to ride on the momentum.
He hasn't won a major since.
Read more: Why Bryson DeChambeau will look different in 2025
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