Fansided

Golf year in review: Superlatives from the 2021 PGA Tour and golfing world

By Cody Williams

May 23, 2021; Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA; Phil Mickelson gives a thumbs up to the fans on the 18th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2021; Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA; Phil Mickelson gives a thumbs up to the fans on the 18th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jon Rahm (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Heartbreaks and unbelievable things that happened in golf throughout 2021

Full disclosure, this isn’t a full list of five. But these were three moments that I wouldn’t necessarily describe as the “best” moments of the year but undoubtedly were 100 percent worth noting in regards to the year in the sport.

3. Louis Oosthuizen comes up short in majors again, and again, and again

No matter the situation, it’s always tough to see a talented golfer do almost everything right but come up just short, particularly in an event like a major championship. So to have Louis Oosthuizen essentially experience that on three different occasions.

The South African finished T2 at the PGA Championship while in serious contention after an errant tee shot on No. 13 caused him to shoot a double bogey. He did something similar in contention at the U.S. Open on the 17th hole with a bogey, causing him to finish second. The wheels also fell off at The Open Championship, where he finished T3.

To play that good of golf on the biggest stage and walk away with nothing is just so, so brutal.

2. Bryson DeChambeau makes the finals of long drive competition

In a lesson in how truly absurd the sport of golf can be, particularly when Bryson DeChambeau is involved, the beefy one was simultaneously training for the world long drive championships and the Ryder Cup. Then, after performing much better than many anticipated at Whistling Straits, he went out and did things like this in Las Vegas.

DeChambeau didn’t win the long drive title — that went to his friend Kyle Berkshire, who defended his championship — but the fact that he was making his debut and

1. Jon Rahm forced out of the Memorial while leading after third round

One of the best rounds of the 2021 PGA Tour season that won’t go talked about all that much was Jon Rahm in the third round at the Memorial. It was a true masterclass and the embodiment of how good Rahm was this year. Then it all came to a crashing halt as he was told he’d tested positive for COVID coming off the 18th green and was forced to withdraw.

Patrick Cantlay went on to win the event but he had little chance of catching Rahm had the Spaniard been able to compete. And it was quite the heartbreak to d

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