![\"Tommy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tommy-fleetwood-celebrates-first-pga-tour-win.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s time for TG\u2019s Alternative Golf Awards, featuring the DP World Tour\u2019s undisputed ironman, the most over-the-top celebration, and the fastest 184 holes ever played\u2026<\/p>\n
The tour season is wrapped up for another season, and everyone is talking about when Tommy Fleetwood will shed his unofficial title as the Best Player Yet to Win a Major. But before we get into all that, it\u2019s time to hand out some awards which recognize the weird, the wonderful, and the downright absurd stories and moments that made golf so gloriously unpredictable this year.<\/p>\n
We can\u2019t promise any of these categories will be featured in the BBC\u2019s Sports Personality of the Year, but we\u2019re confident that the next seven pages will be far more interesting!<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tBest Second Half of the Season<\/p>\n
Winner: Tommy Fleetwood<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This is the alternative awards for a reason, people, which is why we\u2019re ignoring the first half of the season on the basis that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler won practically everything there was on offer. Instead, we celebrate England\u2019s curly-haired conqueror, who finally cracked America at the 164th time of asking<\/a> with a dominant three-stroke victory in the FedEx Cup finale.<\/p>\n Our friends at Data Golf<\/a> now consider Fleetwood to be the second-best player in the world on current form \u2013 and that\u2019s without factoring in his four victories at Bethpage. It does feel like the off-season has come at the worst possible time, but if this year has taught us anything, it\u2019s that golf loves a storybook moment. Maybe, just maybe, Tommy\u2019s big chapter is waiting to be written next summer on his hometown course at Royal Birkdale. He\u2019s waited long enough.<\/p>\n RELATED: Who\u2019s already qualified for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale<\/a><\/p>\n Breakout Superstar<\/p>\n Winner: Lottie Woad<\/p>\n A staple of any annual awards ceremony, this title was heading Lottie Woad\u2019s way the moment she blew the field away by six shots as an amateur at the Women\u2019s Irish Open. Since then, she has come within a whisker of making a playoff at the Evian Championship, won the Women\u2019s Scottish Open by three on her professional debut, and tied for eighth at the Women\u2019s Open. All that in the space of three crazy weeks.<\/p>\n She\u2019s slowed down a little since moving to America, but two wins and four other top 10s are not a bad return for a 21-year-old who was playing college golf six months ago. England Golf finally have a new star<\/a> on their hands.<\/p>\n Most Committed & Clutch Shot<\/p>\n Winner: Jordan Gumberg<\/p>\n<\/p>\n No one loves a tee time more than Jordan Gumberg. This year he earned the title of golf\u2019s ironman after appearing in every DP World Tour event that he was eligible for. The only ones he missed were the four majors, the two DP World Tour playoffs, and the Barracuda Championship \u2013 which overlapped with the Scottish Open anyway.<\/p>\n We\u2019re yet to be convinced that the frequent flyer card was worth it, especially as he missed the cut 16 times across 35 starts, but he did save his best for last by pitching in for eagle with his final shot of the season in Korea to keep his DP World Tour card. <\/a>That miraculous shot not only moved him the right side of the top 115 in the Race to Dubai standings, but it also catapulted him into a tie for seventh, his best result all year. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was the best shot I\u2019ve hit in my career so far,\u201d the American said.<\/p>\n Worst Intern Error<\/p>\n Winner: Ralph Lauren<\/p>\n Somewhere in Ralph Lauren\u2019s creative department, someone thought it was a good idea to slap Rory McIlroy\u2019s silhouette on a Team USA shirt ahead of the Ryder Cup. The $65 collector\u2019s item promptly vanished from their website faster than their \u2018intern\u2019s\u2019 login credentials, which is usually what brands do when they\u2019ve made a horrible mistake. Lesson learned: always double-check your stars, stripes and silhouettes.<\/p>\n Most Cringeworth Moment<\/p>\n Winner: The Scottie Scheffler chant that never was<\/p>\n Cast your mind back to day two of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, when three overly-enthusiastic announcers decided to kick off a \u201cScottie Scheffler\u201d chant. It was supposed to go to the tune of Queen\u2019s We Will Rock You, but the only audible rhythm was the sound of thousands of fans booing in perfect harmony. What should have been a hype moment turned into a very embarrassing lesson on how not to energize a crowd. <\/p>\n Totally unforgettable\u2026 in the worst possible way.<\/p>\n Most Improved<\/p>\n Winner: Marco Penge<\/p>\n If the DP World Tour have any sense, they\u2019ll turn the last 12 months of Marco Penge\u2019s career into a documentary. He\u2019s battled anxiety, been diagnosed with ADHD<\/a>, and dealt with the fallout from a three-month betting ban to become the only three-time winner on the DP World Tour this season.<\/p>\n He\u2019s now assured of playing in the Masters and on the PGA Tour<\/a> next season, which is pretty good going for someone who had to get up and down at the Genesis Championship last season just to avoid dropping down to the HotelPlanner Tour. He also has one of the best swings we\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n Biggest Underachiever<\/p>\n Winner: Nelly Korda<\/p>\n It feels a little cruel to hand this unfortunate honour to a newly-engaged Nelly Korda<\/a>, but she\u2019s the one who made greatness look routine. Last year she was golf\u2019s golden girl with seven wins and a highlight reel that was comparable to Scottie Scheffler\u2019s<\/a>. This season, though, her star has waned.<\/p>\n She\u2019s already lost top spot in the World Rankings to Jeeno Thitikul and has watched 26 different players crash the winner\u2019s circle on the LPGA while she\u2019s been left empty-handed. It\u2019s not that she\u2019s playing badly \u2013 she\u2019s still third in Scoring Average and Total Strokes Gained \u2013 but when you set an impossibly high bar, even \u2018really good\u2019 feels like underachieving.<\/p>\n Biggest Fashion Statement<\/p>\n Winners: Jason Day and Malbon<\/p>\n An honourable mention goes to Keegan Bradley\u2019s mustache, which had strong Thomas Magnum energy and even stronger \u2018midlife crisis in the pro shop\u2019 vibes. But for the second year running, the title goes to Jason Day, who continues his brave campaign to redefine what counts as \u2018golf attire\u2019<\/a>. <\/p>\n Those stars-and-stripes shorts, in particular, had plenty wondering if he\u2019d lost a bet with John Daly, or if Malbon\u2019s design team had been locked in a room with too many energy drinks and a flag. Still, in a sport dominated by beige and blacks, both parties\u2019 commitment to chaos deserves some recognition.<\/p>\n Weirdest Injury<\/p>\n Winner: Charley Hull<\/p>\n Charley Hull<\/a> just can\u2019t catch a break \u2013 or rather, she keeps finding new ways to almost do exactly that. Last year it was a slip in the shower that forced her withdrawal from the Aramco Team Series event in London with a shoulder injury. <\/p>\n This year she barely made it out of the locker room at Centurion in the same event before tripping over a curb and tearing her ankle ligaments. <\/p>\n To make matters worse, she had only just returned from a virus that saw her faint twice and leave the Evian Championship on a stretcher. At this rate, the LET might need to issue her with a crash helmet and a risk assessment form.<\/p>\n Most Outrageous Round<\/p>\n Winners: Ross Lawrance and Nicolas Brewaeys<\/p>\n You know those rounds where you feel like you\u2019ve been out there forever? These two Cornish golfers practically were. Ross Lawrance and Nicolas Brewaeys set a new Guinness World Record at West Cornwall Golf Club this summer after playing (and walking) 184 holes in just 21 hours and 45 minutes \u2013 which is three more than the previous record by a pair and more than two hours faster.<\/p>\n They teed off at 11am, played through the night using floodlights and head torches, and even convinced members to act as ball spotters. Their efforts helped raise more than \u00a37,000 for Prostate Cancer UK, with Brewaeys estimating that they hit more than 900 shots and covered around 56 miles on foot during the challenge. <\/p>\n Maybe take a buggy next time, lads.<\/p>\n Worst Temper Tantrum<\/p>\n Winner: Wyndham Clark<\/p>\n It won\u2019t surprise you to learn that Tyrrell Hatton contended heavily for this one, but Wyndham Clark stands alone as the only player to be banned from a golf club after he damaged two lockers<\/a> in a post-round meltdown at the US Open. <\/p>\n In a letter sent to members<\/a>, Oakmont\u2019s President John Lynch revealed that the 31-year-old will only be permitted to return to the property if he pays for damages, makes a \u201cmeaningful contribution\u201d to a charity selected by the club\u2019s board, and undergoes counselling and\/or anger management therapy. <\/p>\n Luckily for Clark, the US Open doesn\u2019t return there until 2033, so he\u2019s still got a few years to get back in their good books.<\/p>\n Worst First Impression<\/p>\n Winner: Jose Luis Ballester<\/p>\n Everyone knows you need to be on your best behaviour at Augusta National, so we\u2019re not sure what rookie Jose Luis Ballester was thinking when he treated Rae\u2019s Creek like a personal toilet on the 13th tee. <\/p>\n When asked about the incident afterwards, the Spaniard doubled down with the confidence of a man who forgot to read the fine print on his invitation. \u201cIf I had to do it again, I would do it again,\u201d he said, proudly adding that it drew \u201cone of the loudest claps of the day\u201d.<\/p>\n That sound, Jose, was not applause \u2013 it was Augusta\u2019s membership gasping as one. Still, if you\u2019re going to break tradition, you might as well go all out with a splash.<\/p>\n Toughest Loss<\/p>\n Winner: Marc Leishman<\/p>\n Picture the scene: You\u2019re playing off +5 and you\u2019ve just equalled the course record at Warrnambool Golf Club in Australia with nine birdies and one eagle. Ordinarily, that bogey-free round of 61 would be good enough to win any 18-hole competition, right?<\/p>\n Marc Leishman thought so, too, only to be upstaged by a 12-handicapper in a Stableford competition. Leishman\u2019s score of 42 points was bettered by the brilliantly-named David Greed, who took full advantage of the handicap system to beat the Aussie by a point. It\u2019s not every day a LIV star gets humbled by someone whose last name perfectly sums up their feelings.<\/p>\n Biggest Anti-Climax<\/p>\n Winner: Matt McCarty<\/p>\n Dale Whitnell undoubtedly deserves a mention, given he followed two holes-in-one with a double bogey (and an air shot) at the South African Open, but this year\u2019s crown goes to Matt McCarty for what happened after he made eight birdies in a row at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. <\/p>\n Needing a par on his final hole to break 60, the 29-year-old blocked his tee shot into the trees and couldn\u2019t find his ball. He still did well to make bogey after hitting three off the tee, but even he acknowledged that he was \u201cone [good] swing away\u201d from becoming only the second man to make a 58 on the PGA Tour. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s weird to play that well and come off the course feeling like this,\u201d he said afterwards.<\/p>\n Biggest Attention Seeker<\/p>\n Winner: Michael Block<\/p>\n Rory McIlroy will have you believe it\u2019s Bryson DeChambeau, but we can\u2019t look past former crowd favorite Michael Block,<\/a> who blamed his early exit from the PGA Championship on a lack of support from his fans.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish there was a huge crowd on every hole because that\u2019s when I hit my shots,\u201d Block said after missing the cut by 14 shots. \u201cIt\u2019s the weirdest thing. When there\u2019s no one around is when I hit my worst shots.\u201d <\/p>\n Weird indeed.<\/p>\n Most Relatable Moment<\/p>\n Winner: John Daly<\/p>\n John Daly is very much a man of the people, so you may not be surprised to learn that he added another chapter to his legendary blooper reel after taking 19 shots on the par-5 12th hole at Minnehaha Country Club. <\/p>\n Seven of them went straight into the water, so you\u2019ve got to give him props for persistence, if not his accuracy. <\/p>\n After finally clearing the hazard with his eighth attempt, he managed to get up and down from the edge of the green to card the highest single-hole score in PGA Tour Champions history. To his credit, though, he didn\u2019t quit and recovered his composure to play his final six holes in level par. He ended up signing for an 18-over 88, which is still two shots better than the 90 he shot at the Valspar Championship in 2014. <\/p>\n Silver linings and all that.<\/p>\n Best Feel-Good Story<\/p>\n Winner: Yani Tseng<\/p>\n Forget Rory at the Masters,<\/a> the story that stole our hearts belongs to Yani Tseng. <\/p>\n Once the best player in the women\u2019s game for 109 consecutive weeks, Tseng hadn\u2019t won a title since January 2014. A decade of injuries and the dreaded yips could\u2019ve ended her career but she refused to walk away. Instead, the five-time major champion made what she called the \u201cmother of all changes\u201d last winter, switching to a left-handed putter that has helped her conquer those yips. <\/p>\n The grin on her face after winning the Wistron Ladies Open in her native Taiwan was a beautiful reminder that it\u2019s never too late to fight your way back.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for this trophy for so long,\u201d Tseng said. \u201cTo win this tournament in my home country and in front of my family and friends is amazing. I\u2019ve been really emotional from this win and [it] just shows you should never give up on your dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n Most Over the Top Celebration<\/p>\n Winner: Alejandro Tosti<\/p>\n If you think spending \u00a3230,000 on 240 bottles of champagne, 10 bottles of vodka and 10 bottles of cognac is \u2018over the top\u2019, then whoever footed the bill for Europe\u2019s Ryder Cup after-party wins this award hands down. <\/p>\n Otherwise, allow us to point you in the direction of Alejandro Tosti, who celebrated a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass by swan diving into the lake. <\/p>\n The Argentinean went onto lose his PGA Tour card<\/a> at the end of the season, before regaining it a few weeks later at Q School<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most Outrageous Claim<\/p>\n Winner: Phil Mickelson<\/p>\n This award should really be sponsored by Phil Mickelson. He\u2019s come out with some corkers in the past, but predicting that Scottie Scheffler wouldn\u2019t win a title in 2025? That\u2019s aged about as gracefully as his game and reputation since moving to LIV. But hey, at least he keeps our headlines entertaining.<\/p>\n Biggest Overshare<\/p>\n Winner: Tyrrell Hatton<\/p>\n Of course we couldn\u2019t finish without giving Tyrrell Hatton an award!<\/p>\n![\"England's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/lottie-woad-crowds.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Marco](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/marco-penge-open-de-espana-trophy-sitting.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"World](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/jeeno-thitikul-nelly-korda-lpga-schedule.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Jason](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/jason-day-shorts.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Charley](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/charley-hull-injury-prone.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Ross](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ross-lawrance-and-nicolas-brewaeys.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/matt-mccarty-wayward-drive.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/john-daly-riding-in-a-buggy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Yani](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/yani-tseng-wistron-ladies-open-winner.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Alejandro](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/alejandro-tosti-dive.jpg\")
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