Most Unpopular Golfers Of All Time And Why They Are Disliked

8. Patrick Reed – The Blue Collar Cheat

Quick Facts

Career Achievements:

• 9 tour wins (including 2018 Masters Tournament)

Net Worth:

• $10 million

Overview:

We’re starting off strongly on this one, previously known as “Captain America, Patrick Reed was once the darling of the US Ryder Cup team. Reed was that player who Team USA would look to to lead the charge against the Europeans. Remember that incredible clash with Rory?

Once a bit of a Ryder Cup fan favourite, things have slowly gone sour for Reed as allegations of cheating continue to surround him. Winning the Masters in 2018 was absolutely a career highlight for Reed, he is one of those golfers who you can be confident will win once or twice per season.

Why He Is Hated:

When you’re labelled as a cheat then golf fans watch you closer. Your trust is gone and with that your popularity often is too. He also made some dubious moves which improved his lie at the Hero World Challenge in 2019.

His wife also came out and strongly defended her husband’s honour which brought more laughter on him. When the dreaded label of “cheater” is put on you in golf it can be very difficult to shake, the incident at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2021 was definitely suspect.

7. Gary Player – The Loudmouth

Quick Facts

Career Achievements:

• 9 major wins and 163 professional wins

Net Worth:

• $250 million

Overview:

There is no doubting Player’s golfing prowess, to win 163 pro tournaments including 9 majors means you’re obviously a great golfer. Player changed the shape of golf in South Africa and inspired many top golfers we see today, like Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen.

Gary Player also managed to join Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to turn the big two to a big three to become part of the most illustrious group of golfers ever to play. He can be seen annually hitting the ceremonial opening tee shot at Augusta to start the Masters tournament.

Why He Is Hated:

Many suspected rules infractions have plagued Player’s career, most notably his incredibly dubious moves as he won The Open in 1974. Like Patrick Reed, those who know the stories of these rules infractions really don’t trust Player at all.

He now acts like the angry uncle at a family party who has an opinion on everything and wants to constantly remind you that he’s still in shape. He travels the world asking people to feel how hard his abs are and showing them he can hold two clubs in his fingers.

6. Sergio Garcia – The Petulant Child

Quick Facts

Career Achievements:

• 1 major win and 36 professional wins, most successful European Ryder Cup player (25 wins and 28.5 points)

Net Worth:

• $90 million

Overview:

Always seen as a fan favourite, something that I have never quite understood, Garcia is known for his unique “laggy” swing and his world-class ball striking. He is the most successful Ryder Cup player in European history with 25 wins and 28.5 points in his long career in the event.

Garcia burst onto the professional golf scene as a 16 year old teenager. He had many near-misses in major events with multiple 2nd and 3rd place finished before winning the Masters in 2017. He continues to be a celebrated golfing star, despite many controversies.

Why He Is Hated:

In 2013 he racially abused Tiger Woods causing a public feud between the two. He also often acts like a petulant child fairly often. The worst example of this was at the Saudi International in 2019 when he was disqualified for intentionally damaging five greens, pathetic behaviour.

In this same tournament, he was caught on camera thrashing at a bunker in a fashion you would struggle to see from an angry junior golfer. Many still love Garcia but, if you are aware of this side of his character, it’s hard to support such a golfer.

5. Bryson DeChambeau – The Beefcake Scientist

Quick Facts

Career Achievements:

• 1 major win and 11 tour wins

Net Worth:

• $15 million

Overview:

Known as “the scientist” DeChambeau caused a stir at the amateur level with his unique swing and approach to the game. His meticulous preparation is impressive and his success in college, victory of the US Amateur in 2015 and low amateur at the Masters in 2016 got attention.

Since turning pro he doubled down on his “scientific” approach but has since dropped this to become a beefcake bro golfer. His shortgame is definitely underestimated but he only wants to tell you about how hard he hits it, like a junior golfer finding swing speed for the first time.

Why He Is Hated:

Bryson is loud, can come across as very obnoxious and is the actual golfing incarnation of the “get in the hole” shout. He also uses words that he definitely doesn’t understand himself so that he sounds smarter than everyone else. An all round abrasive and annoying character.

He now competes in World Long Drive Championships and works tirelessly to hit the ball as hard as he can. Despite the monumental changes he has made to his swing and body in pursuit of this, he isn’t much further ahead than other long hitters on tour. He is fast becoming a side-show.

4. Matt Kuchar – Mr Cheapskate

Quick Facts

Career Achievements:

• 17 professional wins, leading PGA Tour earner in 2010

Net Worth:

• $25 million

Overview:

With one of the flattest golf swings you will ever see, Matt Kuchar is one of those golfers who seems to always be in contention. He has made a lot of money from his golf career, a lot! This is one of the reasons his actions are so bloody annoying but we’ll get to that.

“Kuch” as the galleries echo with as he is in contention, has had an impressive career. In fact, his career continues and no one would be surprised if he won a major. He’s hardly Mr Charisma but he gets his job done and has that evergreen feel about his career.

Why He Is Hated:

Kuchar is thought of as one of the nice guys of the PGA Tour, however, at the Mayakoba Classic in 2019 he let himself down badly. Having taken home a winner’s check of $1.3 million, he paid his stand-in caddy $5,000! $4,000 for a top-10 and a measly $1,000 win bonus, cheapskate!

It is only fair to point out that Kuchar publicly apologised for this faux-pas and paid his then caddy, David Ortiz, a fairer fee in the end. The point of the story is that many golf fans and his fellow pros saw something that just doesn’t look good in such a high earning tour pro.

3. Ian Poulter – Americans Love To Hate Him

Quick Facts

Career Achievements:

• 21 tour wins, including 2 WGC titles

Net Worth:

• $60 million

Overview:

Nicknamed “The Postman” because in the Ryder Cup he always delivers for Team Europe, Ian Poulter is both a hero and a villain in golf. Europeans love him because of his Ryder Cup antics and his incredible ability as a matchplay golfer.

Poulter has worked incredibly hard and defied the odds to become a tour pro. His is a story of perseverance. He is also known for some wildly questionable fashion choices through the years and the haircuts to match. He is one of the characters of the game.

Why He Is Hated:

The Americans have always disliked Poulter as he is the talisman of the European Ryder Cup team. He has become someone that that team rally around and so those fans from across the pond target him during events and try to put him off as best they can.

He has very much improved his behaviour, but in the early years of Poulter’s career on tour he was known for fairly frequent poor behaviour toward marshals and fans. Thankfully this seems to have gone as there is absolutely no space for that in golf.

2. David Duvall – Hero To Zero

Quick Facts

Career Achievements:

• 21 tour wins, Open Championship winner

Net Worth:

• $20 million

Overview:

Duval is a strange one. Famous for usurping Tiger Woods as world number one, he was a fitness fanatic who didn’t have much to say to anyone during his time on tour. He won the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes beating many big names to the Claret Jug.

David Duval was so good that when Nike started making golf balls they sold one marked with TW (Tiger Woods) and one with DD (David Duval). He then completely disappeared off the face of the golfing world only to resurface as a pundit many years later.

Why He Is Hated:

Whilst at the pinnacle of his career, Duval had no time for anyone. He barely gave any interviews with the press and spent as little time as possible interacting with fans. This was a world class golfer who treated golf fans as an inconvenience, it did not go unnoticed.

It must be said that Duval has battled many addictions through his life, he has not had an easy time of it. That said, giving back to the game is something that most top golfers take incredibly seriously so when someone actively avoids it it never goes down well.

1. Tiger Woods – A Controversial Legend

Quick Facts

Career Achievements:

• 15 major championships and too many records to mention

Net Worth:

• $800 million

Overview:

Look Tiger is the greatest golfer of his generation, arguably the greatest of all time. He has created some of the most exciting moments in golfing history. Tiger has inspired a modernisation of golf and ushered in the era of the modern golf athlete, he has transcended our sport.

It may seem odd to see him on this list, it is, frankly odd for me to put him on this list. It is worth noting that there is a clear difference between pre-comeback Tiger and post-comeback Tiger. I would argue that in recent years he has been a much better ambassador for golf.

Why He Is Hated:

Tiger has faced a string of controversies through his many years at the very top of the golfing world. These issues have lead many to dislike Tiger, especially women, but there are other issues that many golf fans take exceptions too with Tiger Woods.

Tiger is a robot on the course, he is so myopic on the course that his fan interactions were minimal if present at all. He has clearly improved this and many say that Tiger is great off-course, that being said, this is enough for many to dislike him.

Conclusion

Golf is a unique sport in that you get to see so much of a person’s character as they play the sport. This goes for the best players in the world as much as it does your average weekend warrior.

This can lead many golf fans to have strong feelings about the golfers they watch.

Whether it is fair or not, golf fans expect high standards from our pros but we are also a reasonable bunch and can come back round to former foes when they make things right. We all know who we want to hoist trophies on Sundays and there is nothing wrong with that.