Here's something that'll make you feel REALLY good about your golf game ...
PGA Tour star Bryson DeChambeau just carded a 10 -- YES, A TEN!!! -- on a Par-5 15th hole at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio on Friday ... and it's one of the worst holes EVER by a pro!!!
The entire hole -- from start to finish -- took Bryson 26 minutes to complete ... with 4 commercial breaks!!!
Things were bad right from the jump ... DeChambeau shanked his tee shot off some trees down the left-hand side of the fairway and was forced to take a drop.
He tried to make up ground by pulling out a 3-wood and swinging for the fences ... but overshot and hit the ball out of bounds.
In other words, it went from bad to worse quickly.
Bryson re-dropped -- and instead of playing it safe, he AGAIN went for a power shot to try and get to the green ... and again, he shot out of bounds!!
The announcers couldn't believe it ... especially Jack Nicklaus, who compared Bryson's meltdown to a scene from "Tin Cup" when Kevin Costner's character melts down and can't stop from hitting balls into water.
Meanwhile, Bryson continued to try and power his way back onto the green ... and on his 3rd attempt, he finally got close.
Although DeChambeau was finally out of the trees and in the clear ... there was still more drama -- he claimed one of the OB balls he clanked off a fence earlier wasn't actually out of bounds.
So, Bryson argued with TWO rules officials ... before they finally shut him down.
Eventually, after nearly a half an hour on the hole, DeChambeau chipped onto the green and putted twice for a quintuple bogey!!!
He took so many swings in total, he had trouble counting them all up!!!
Everyone on the broadcast was stunned ... with most guys saying the worst score they've ever carded themselves was a 9, 10 or 11!!
To his credit, Bryson came back and parred the 16th ... but dude now has ZERO chance of making the weekend cut after the blow up.
3:45 PM PT -- Tiger finished his round with a rock-solid 1-under score ... and he's just 5 shots off Tony Finau for the lead heading into Friday's Round 2.
Tiger Woods is back ... and, yup, dude's still good at golf!!!
Playing on the PGA Tour for the first time since mid-February ... El Tigre is showing no signs of rust at the start of his opening round at The Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
Woods has two birdies through his first three holes ... and has nailed all three fairways and all three greens in regulation.
Of course, it ain't TOO surprising ... dude is the greatest golfer of all time -- but the last time we saw him on Tour at the Genesis Invitational, he finished last among those who made the cut and complained of back pain afterward.
But, Woods looks perfectly healthy to start the day Thursday ... which is not an easy feat, considering the wind his howling at the course and the greens are firm as hell.
Tiger's only 2 back from the lead through 3 holes ... and while there's a long day of golf ahead -- the guy just hit another green at #4 and has yet another birdie putt coming up.
PGA star Brooks Koepka has elected to back out of the Travelers Championship tournament this week ... after his caddie tested positive for the coronavirus.
Ricky Elliott reportedly tested positive Wednesday morning at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut ... just 48 hours after testing negative for the virus.
"I’m going to pull out to protect everybody else. I think it’s the right thing to do." Koepka -- the #4-ranked golfer in the world -- said.
"I don’t want to risk anyone’s life if they have respiratory issues or underlying conditions. The only way this Tour can continue is if guys do this sort of thing and be proactive about it."
Koepka had been isolating at a rented home in Connecticut ... and may leave the area if his GF Jena Sims and personal chef test positive as well.
PGA Tour stud Nick Watney was forced to withdraw from this week's RBC Heritage tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 ... officials announced Friday.
Watney, who played in the first day of the South Carolina tourney on Thursday, woke up feeling ill Friday ... and, according to PGA Tour reps, tested positive shortly after.
FYI, the Tour tested EVERYBODY prior to the start of the week's tournament ... with all results -- including Watney's -- coming back negative.
The Tour says Watney will now have to undergo strict quarantine and isolation rules to eventually return to action ... and says it's taking precautions for everyone and everything that might have come in contact with Nick at this week's event.
"Nick will have the PGA TOUR’s full support throughout his self-isolation and recovery period under CDC guidelines," Tour officials said in a statement.
Watney played with Vaughn Taylor and Luke List in Thursday's opening round ... but neither golfer has withdrawn -- with both dudes still currently in the middle of their Friday rounds.
Watney -- who shot a 3-over 74 on Thursday -- is the first PGA Tour player to test positive for coronavirus.
A massive fire scorched PGA Tour star Davis Love III's Georgia home to the ground on Friday ... but fortunately, officials say no one was injured in the giant blaze.
Glynn County Fire officials say they responded to Love III's home at around 5:20 a.m. ... but when they arrived, the home was completely engulfed by fire.
Firefighters weren't able to save the house ... but they say no one was hurt -- and add that an investigation over the cause of the blaze is now underway.
"While everyone in our family is saddened at the loss of our home that was filled with so much laughter and incredible memories, we're very blessed that everyone is safe and unharmed," Love III said in a statement.
"We're very thankful to the first responders who made a valiant effort to save our home, and we're keeping things in perspective as people across our community and around the world are struggling with the current unprecedented health crisis."
Love III added, "We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers and your respect for our privacy."
Love III has been a star on the PGA Tour for decades ... winning 21 events, including the 1997 PGA Championship.
The 55-year-old has reportedly earned over $44 MILLION in winnings on the Tour in his 30-plus-year career.
Famous golf courses all over the country are still keeping their fairways open despite the coronavirus pandemic ... with some telling TMZ Sports there are no restrictions on the course.
Golf ain't exactly a contact sport ... and it seems well-known courses in the U.S. know this, 'cause most clubhouse officials tell us they aren't changing a whole lot of policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Most major private clubs -- a la Augusta National and Pine Valley GC -- aren't in season yet ... but officials from some of those courses tell us they're planning on business as usual when they open in April and May.
As for public courses ... the ones that are in-season -- like Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Bethpage in New York -- explained to us tee times can still be had with little-to-no limitations on play.
A few notable public courses in Northern California tell us they're closed due to the "shelter in place" regulations inputted by local authorities ... but the plan for those courses is to open up once the orders are lifted.
As for the Los Angeles area, prior to governor Gavin Newsom's "stay at home" order Thursday night ... we're told public courses were still open with regulations.
Officials from one course told us they removed ball washers from tee boxes, and rakes from bunkers ... and instructed players to not pull pins on the greens.
It seems clear they'll all be shutting down after Newsom's speech Thursday, however.
Meanwhile, almost every other course we spoke with tells us their food and drink shops are takeout only.
Of course, golfers all over the U.S. still want to play -- as O.J. Simpson pointed out in a video Wednesday, it's pretty easy to social-distance while playing the sport.
Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey's sex solicitation case is headed toward a happy ending for the popular golfer ... he just cut a deal with prosecutors to avoid time behind bars.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Gainey agreed to serve 11-months of probation, take a human trafficking class, do community service and pay fines and fees.
In exchange for completing all of that, prosecutors agreed to drop his misdemeanor solicitation charge ... and even gave him the chance to end his probation early if he quickly meets the requirements of the deal.
Of course, it's a solid deal for Gainey ... who was facing jail time after he was caught up in a major prostitution sting -- dubbed "Operation Santa's Naughty List" -- back in December.
As we previously reported, cops in Polk County, Fla., say Gainey offered money for sex acts to an undercover officer posing as a prostitute on Dec. 8, 2019.
In police footage of the alleged incident, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see clear as day Tommy offering up $60 for a "quick visit" with the woman.
TMZSports.com
Gainey was arrested ... and at a press conference a few days later, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd ribbed him over it all.
Polk Co. Sheriff's Office
"He's married. He told us that he was here for a charity golf event and it was to be, like, the next morning tee off. He didn't make it. He was a scratch ... We charged him with soliciting. He missed his tee time the next morning."
Gainey hasn't let it all affect him on the course ... he played lights out just days after his arrest -- and even won the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour season opener last month.
Here's Eli Manning clearly devastated he ain't playing football any -- AHHH JUST KIDDING!! ELI'S HITTING THE LINKS WITH HIS BIG BRO AND OBVIOUSLY LOVING RETIREMENT!!!
The ex-NY Giants QB -- who just officially called it an NFL career on Jan. 22 -- hit the pro-am at Pebble Beach on Thursday ... and he sure didn't look like a guy who's missing getting hit for a living.
Eli and Peyton were part of a foursome alongside pros Kevin Chappell and Luke Donald ... and the Manning bros actually played pretty well.
Eli -- a 10 handicap -- posted an 8-under total with Chappell ... while Peyton -- an 8 handicap -- carded a 5-under with Donald. Not bad for two old retired guys!!
Of course, the tournament's also filled with a TON of other celebs and athletes ... including NFL legends like Steve Young and Larry Fitzgerald.
But it was another QB who stole the highlight show for the day ... Aaron Rodgers made some tremendous shots on the course -- and even walked in one of his putts!!
And, as for the non-professional athletes, country superstar Jake Owen really had himself a day ... check out these two shots he poured in from distance!!!
Amazing tribute to Kobe Bryant on the golf course Friday ... Tony Finau took the green in a Lakers jersey -- and after the PGA Tour star sank a huge birdie putt, he celebrated with a Kobe follow-through!!
The cool moment all went down at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, Ariz. ... where Finau honored Bryant at the famous 16th hole for the 2nd straight day.
The 30-year-old golfer -- sporting the classic No. 8 yellow Bryant uni -- hit his tee shot just off the green ... but he channeled his inner Kobe on the ensuing putt.
The roll -- which was about 20 feet total -- wasn't an easy one ... but Finau jarred it. Afterward, he hit the Kobe celly, and the fans went wild!!!
Of course, golfers at the tourney have been honoring Kobe all week ... Finau himself donned the same Bryant jersey in his opening round Thursday.
Other stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas also sported their Bryant swag this week ... and the tributes have been really amazing.
We broke the story, Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter were two of the nine people who tragically died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Kobe's old team -- the Lakers -- are hitting the floor Friday night in the Staples Center for the first time since his death ... and the tributes there are expected to be spectacular.
Amateur Canadian golfer Laurent Hurtubise -- who was born without most of his right arm -- was competing in the PGA American Express tournament on Thursday ... when he swung away and sank a hole-in-one!!!
It all went down at the 4th hole of the PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, CA ... which is a 151-yard par-3 hole.
Hurtubise has been playing golf since he was 11 ... and has worked his whole life to be an inspiration to people living with similar conditions.
Inspirational. ❤️
Laurent Hurtubise was born with one arm and started playing golf at age 11.
The best part?? He did it with a bunch of pros watching ... and the whole group lost it when he hit the shot!!
"That was the coolest experience I've had on the golf course," Troy Merritt said.
Fellow tour member Greg Chalmers added ... "It landed around the front of the green and we were all watching it closely as it tracked toward the hole and then, bang, it disappeared."
"We all went up in celebration and Laurent went ballistic and maybe let out a few choice words, but who could blame him? It was an incredible shot."
10:42 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained the arrest video from the prostitution bust ... and it's clear as day Gainey offered $60 for sex acts to an undercover officer posing as a prostitute.
UPDATE
During the exchange, captured by a hidden surveillance camera, Gainey negotiates a price for a "quick visit" and then tells the officer he's in town "the rest of the week" -- clearly implying he could be a repeat customer.
UPDATE
According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, after Gainey handed over the cash, cops busted in and arrested the golfer ... and it sounds like something you'd see on Dateline.
UPDATE
The video is obviously embarrassing and serves as a reminder as to why Robert Kraft is fighting like hell to keep video from his prostitution case under wraps forever.
Pro golfer Tommy Gainey -- famously known as Tommy "Two Gloves" -- was arrested in a major prostitution sting in Florida ... TMZ Sports has learned.
The 44-year-old was 1 of 124 people busted in an undercover investigation in Polk County, Florida dubbed, "Operation Santa's Naughty List."
According to officials, Gainey was arrested for soliciting a prostitute -- and is facing a 1st-degree misdemeanor solicitation charge.
The sting op was a 6-day investigation using undercover detectives to target prostitution, human trafficking and child predators.
Cops say they used Internet advertisements to arrange meetings between the detectives and suspects.
Officials presented a "Naughty List" showing all 124 people arrested -- Gainey is on the board.
Jail records show Gainey was booked on Dec. 8 and was released on Dec. 9 after posting bail.
Sheriff Grady Judd explained the situation moments ago ...
Polk Co. Sheriff's Office
"He's married. He told us he was here for a charity golf event and it was supposed to be in the next morning tee off. He didn't make it. He was a scratch."
Judd added, "We charged him with soliciting. He missed his tee time the next morning."
Gainey has been a pro golfer since 1997 and joined the PGA Tour in 2008, where he gained notoriety for wearing gloves on both hands, unusual in the sport.
He's never won a major tourney but he's become a fan favorite for the way he dresses and plays -- in particular, he has a unique swing.
Gainey has had major sponsors over the years -- from Under Armour to Adams Golf and A.O. Smith.
Phil Mickelson nearly carded the greatest hole in PGA Tour history Friday -- missing a hole in one on a 353-yard Par 4 ... by INCHES!!!!
Lefty was playing in the second round of the CJ Cup in South Korea ... when he stepped up to the tee box on the 14th hole at Nine Bridges -- and nearly did the unthinkable.
With a driver in his hand ... Phil took a violent swing and ripped a golf ball that hit the green on the fly.
It tracked all the way to the hole ... but had just a little too much heat on it -- and instead of falling, it kicked off the pin and settled just inches away from the improbable ace.
Of course, Phil was able to roll in the eagle putt ... but you just know the dude was fuming over missing history!!
There's only been one Par-4 ace EVER on the PGA Tour -- and it was a wacky 332-yarder by Andrew Magee at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona back in 2001.
There's no video of that shot ... which means Phil's swing Friday would have been truly the most legendary one in PGA Tour history!
PGA Tour stud Paul Casey nearly had one less trophy on his mantle this week ... and it's all 'cause he struck a bug with his golf ball on a routine putt!!
Here's the deal ... Casey was playing in the European Tour's Porsche European Open in Germany last week -- when he lined up for a short putt on one of the holes.
Casey pulled back his club, struck the golf ball ... and he sank the shot no problem!
BUT ... turns out, there was a small issue -- video replay showed Casey's ball had struck a tiny bug on its way to the hole.
And -- as every no golfer knows -- hitting a bug on the green is giant no-no ... and could have resulted in a huge penalty!!!
Per golf rules, when a ball hits a person, animal (including bugs!) or movable obstruction on the green, the stroke is NOT supposed to count.
But, since Casey did not KNOWINGLY hit the little critter ... tournament officials let it slide -- and the 42-year-old ended up winning the event by two strokes.
As for the bug, we're pretty sure it survived the brutal assault.
G-strings ain't just for chicks ... just ask golf superstar Brooks Koepka!
The #1 ranked PGA player in the world decided to thong out for a friend's birthday party in Florida on Friday -- and it's clear ... dude ain't shy about it!!!
The 29-year-old butt-flossed up and bared his bod while drinking beer on a PonTiki boat in South Florida ... and tested the thong durability when he jumped off into the water.
The theme of the party seemed to be some sort of redneck vibe -- at one point, Brooks was rockin' a shirt that read, "Save a Horse, Ride a Cousin."
BK's hot girlfriend, Jena Sims, got in on the costume fun -- sporting a bathing suit inspired by that neon green man-thong from "Borat."
The birthday boy is a friend named Dan -- so ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!!!
Michelle Wie says she's straight-up "angry" over "racist and sexist" comments made by legendary golf coach Hank Haney ... telling the guy straight-up, "Shame on you!"
63-year-old Haney -- who was Tiger Woods' longtime swing coach -- went on his SiriusXM radio show Wednesday and made stunningly offensive comments about the number of Korean players competing in this weekend's LPGA U.S. Women's Open.
"I couldn't name you like 6 players on the LPGA Tour. Nah, maybe I could -- well, I'd go with Lee. If I didn't have to name a first name, I'd get a bunch of them right."
Haney added, "Honestly, Michelle Wie is hurt. I don't know that many. Where are they playing, by the way?"
Well, Michelle Wie heard the comments and was PISSED -- firing back on social media:
"As a Korean American female golfer, these comments that @HankHaney made disappoint and anger me on so many different levels."
Wie added, "Racism and sexism are no laughing matter Hank ... shame on you. I don’t ever do this, but this must be called out."
She also directed this at Haney ..."Too many of these girls, Korean or not, have worked countless hours and sacrificed so much to play in the US Open this week. There are so many amazing players in the field. Let’s celebrate them ... Not mock them."
For his part, Haney later issued an apology, writing, "This morning I made some comments about women's golf and its players that were insensitive and that I regret."
"In an effort to make a point about the overwhelming success of Korean players on the tour I offended people and I am sorry. I have the highest respect for the women who have worked so hard to reach the pinnacle of their sport and I never meant to take away from their abilities and accomplishments."
Haney added, "I've worked in this game with men and women players from many different cultures and I look forward to continuing to do so."
South African born athlete Nick Price gained international fame as a great golfer in the early '90s after he won two PGA Championships -- the first in 1992 at Bellerive Country Club ... and the second in 1994 at Southern Hills Country Club.
Nick Price's other major championship win was also in 1994 at the Open Championship where he squeaked out a one-stroke victory over Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik.
Price was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in back in 2003.
Fun Fact: The winner's share for the 1992 PGA Championship was $280,000 ... while the winner's share for this year's championship is close to $2,000,000.
