The 10 Most Hated Golfers Of All Time

One of the most enjoyable parts of watching sports is that we get to “hate” athletes.

Do we actually hate them? No, because most of us don’t really know them.

Regardless, it’s a beautiful pastime to loathe athletes for their arrogance, their greatness, their post-playing careers, their lack of self awareness or whatever else makes us revel in their struggles.

Maybe we would happily have a beer with them in the clubhouse if given the chance. Maybe we would even enjoy ourselves. That’s not the point—we’re hating for the sport of it.

The realm of professional golf, being such a gentleman’s game, has fewer of these characters.

For that reason, they stand out even more.

Here are the 10 most disliked golfers of all time in my opinion. A reminder that being hated doesn’t mean you weren’t loved—some of these players are among the most polarizing golfers in the game’s history.

10. Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh’s Hall of Fame career, and the work ethic it took to achieve it, is grossly underappreciated.

He won 34 times on the PGA Tour, including three majors. Remember that 2004 season when he won nine times? He was a spectacular talent.

Despite that, Singh’s reputation beyond his golf skill is less than stellar.

It started in 1985 when he was banned from the Asian Tour after an alleged cheating incident at the Indonesian Open. He was reportedly charged with altering his scorecard although clear details never came to light.

When you are accused of cheating in golf, fairly or unfairly, it’s hard to shake that label.

Singh did himself no PR favors over the years. In 2013, he admitted to the use of deer antler spray, a product that contained the banned substance IGF-1. He initially faced a 90-day suspension, which was later awkwardly dropped, and he then sued the PGA Tour for public humiliation, a lawsuit that was eventually settled in 2018.

More than anything, Singh’s notoriously acrimonious relationship with the golf media—a benign group relative to the rest of sports journalism—was telling of how most felt about him.

When he did talk to the media, he often gave prickly quotes, like when he said he hoped Annika Sorenstam missed the cut during the 2003 Colonial because she didn’t properly qualify. And if he was paired with her, he would withdraw.

When the 20-year anniversary of his 2000 Masters victory came, barely a word was said. That’s all you really need to know.

9. Cyril Walker

A name not familiar to modern golf fans, Walker would have been eaten alive in today’s world.

According to reports, his glacial pace of play would make Patrick Cantlay look like a speed golfer.

The 1924 U.S. Open champion was actually disqualified during the 1929 L.A. Open because of how slow he was (imagine that today?). Refusing to leave the course after his DQ, Walker had to be physically escorted off the property by police.

Known for being combustible and perpetually annoyed at fans, Walker was said to be heavily disliked by his peers. Although he built up considerable wealth after his U.S. Open victory, he lost it all in the stock market crash and ended up homeless. He died of pneumonia in a New Jersey police station after moving in for shelter.

8. Phil Mickelson

Perhaps a controversial selection here.

During the glory days of Mickelson’s career, many saw him as the lovable family man who was an admirable underdog until he started breaking through in the majors. They appreciated his go-for-broke style, his charming personality and how he signed autographs for hours.

But even then, there was a huge contingent of people who felt Mickelson’s persona was more showmanship than substance. That too much of it was an act, which made it corny. His nickname being FIGJAM (f— I’m good, just ask me) was telling of his arrogance. Issues with gambling and insider trading were troublesome.

After the 2021 PGA Championship victory, Mickelson’s stock had never been higher. It made people want to see him more as the American folk hero and less for his issues.

But since taking a blowtorch to his reputation with the move to LIV and everything that surrounded it, Mickelson has become known more as a clown spouting nonsense on Twitter. Suddenly, it’s become clear that Mickelson, while still a folk hero to some, is easily disliked by the rest.

7. Frank Stranahan

Sometimes hate comes in the form of jealousy.

It wasn’t Frank Stranahan’s fault that he was a rich kid who had the luxury of being bankrolled by his dad, so much so that he remained an amateur for 18 years (1936-1954) and even won four of his Tour titles without collecting a check.

For obvious reasons, his amateur status was called into question. This was seen as problematic during a time when even successful pro golfers struggled to make ends meet.

It didn’t help that Stranahan was also viewed as an arrogant playboy early in his career. In Curt Sampson’s book “The Masters: Golf, Money and Power in Augusta, Georgia” he tells the story of how Masters co-founder Clifford Roberts was upset Stranahan had dated his blonde secretary, leading Roberts to disqualify him from the 1948 Masters because he had played multiple balls during a practice round (which Stranahan denied).

Stranahan also came under fire in the 1947 British Amateur for allegedly claiming he won a hole against his opponent on a concession technicality that reporters felt was poor sportsmanship.

There are other parts of his legacy—Stranahan was very into fitness and inspired a young Gary Player to take care of his body—but he received a lot of vitriol from players during that era.

6. Johnny Miller

Often seen as acerbic and egotistical, Johnny Miller went from a flashy and brash player—he once said his loud outfits were a signal to the competition—to an announcer willing to say anything.

His career as a broadcaster mirrored his playing career, making the Hall of Famer a polarizing figure.

Many appreciated his transparency and harsh analysis despite the occasional over-the-top commentary. Nowadays, it’s hard to get any ruthlessness out of announcers because they don’t want to offend anyone. Miller didn’t have that problem.

Who can forget the 2008 U.S. Open when Miller said Rocco Mediate looks like “the guy who cleans Tiger’s swimming pool”? Ouch.

Others became fed up with his sometimes ferocious attacks on players and remarkable ability to shoehorn his own accomplishments into the broadcast.

While different from others on this list, Miller has a following of passionate haters.

5. Rory Sabbatini

Someone who is decidedly not a polarizing figure? Rory Sabbatini.

There was once a survey by Sports Illustrated in which 25 percent of pros polled named the South African as their least favorite playing partner. That’s an alarming number (can we bring back this poll?).

Sabbatini responded: “I don’t know 25 percent of the guys on Tour, and there are probably 25 percent I wouldn’t want to play golf with.”

The feeling was mutual, I guess.

His most famous incident of being unlikable came at the 2005 Booz Allen Classic when Sabbatini started playing ahead of his partner, Ben Crane, as a protest against Crane’s slow play. The crowd booed Sabbatini on the 18th green.

Sabbatini’s resume also includes berating a teenage volunteer at Riviera, a heated argument with Sean O’Hair in New Orleans and conveniently becoming a citizen of Slovakia, the home country of his wife, which enabled him to play in the Olympics (he won silver in Tokyo).

He also once described Tiger Woods in his prime as “more beatable than ever” which goes into the Stephen Ames HOF of unnecessarily motivating the greatest golfer to ever hold a club.

And, finally, there was the 2021 Players Championship when Jordan Spieth accidentally hit into Sabbatini on the 11th hole. A hot mic at the tee picked up a conversation between Spieth and Collin Morikawa.

“God, I couldn’t pick a worse person to hit into,” Spieth said.

Morikawa then relayed a conversation he had with Sabbatini earlier in the week about his then-girlfriend, Katherine. 

“I think he loves Kat,” Morikawa said. “He was like, ‘Oh, I said hi to Kat yesterday,’ and I was like, ‘Really? She’s not here. How did you say hi to her?’ He said, ‘I FaceTimed her.’”

Huh? And yuck.

4. Colin Montgomerie

Well, being hated isn’t exclusively a bad thing.

Colin Montgomerie had a 20-9-7 Ryder Cup record, torturing the Americans during a string of European dominance. That brought on a lot of hate from hecklers, inspiring the “Mrs. Doubtfire” nickname. Montgomerie admitted he didn’t handle the heckling well, regularly getting into confrontations with American crowds he called “not as knowledgeable.”

But beyond Montgomerie’s Ryder Cup record and bitter relationship with U.S. crowds, he has often incited the game’s best with his words.

It was prior to the 1997 Ryder Cup when Montgomerie said of American Ryder Cupper Brad Faxon: “He’s going through a divorce and mentally I don’t think he will be with it.”

Fred Funk called Monty “the jerk of the world” for those comments.

Earlier that year at the Masters, Montgomerie had brazenly said that experience would prove critical over the final 36 holes at the Masters. Instead, Tiger Woods happened.

Later in his career, he defended Sergio Garcia’s “fried chicken” comments in reference to Tiger (more on that below) and European Tour CEO George O’Grady using the term “colored” to describe Woods.

And ahead of the 2024 Open Championship, Montgomerie called for Tiger’s retirement and got buried.

“As a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60,” Woods said. “Colin’s not. He’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt.”

3. Greg Norman

With a blend of cockiness, failure to come up clutch in the biggest moments, an unrelenting desire to disrupt the PGA Tour and constantly talking about himself in a self-aggrandizing fashion, Greg Norman is among the most disliked golfers in history.

He has many fans in Australia, given his golfing legend and the fact he helped bring elite tournament golf back Down Under with LIV Adelaide. It’s easy to forget Norman held the No. 1 spot in the world for 331 weeks. He’s a hero to many.

But few, if any, golfers in history have carried a larger (and more fragile) ego. The night before Norman blew a six-shot lead at the 1996 Masters, he famously got bent out of shape when commentator Peter Kostis predicted a collapse because Norman had reverted back to his old grip.

In recent years, Norman has become synonymous with LIV Golf and everything it stands for. It should come as no surprise since Norman had previously tried to create a world tour back in the 1990s.

It’s also not just that Norman was LIV’s frontman but how combative and vindictive he was throughout the process.  

Although he was one of the most compelling figures in golf history, Norman has a throng of haters.

2. Patrick Reed

Reed’s incidents of playing loose and fast with the rules are well documented, starting when he allegedly (I said “allegedly”, Larry Klayman) got kicked off the University of Georgia golf team for cheating (and stealing several items from the team locker room) as a teenager.

Allegations of cheating followed him throughout his career as he had incidents at the 2019 Hero World Challenge, 2021 Famers Insurance Open and 2023 Dubai Desert Classic.

On top of all that, Reed has steeped himself in controversy several times, including at the 2018 Ryder Cup when he said Tiger apologized to him for their failed partnership (despite Reed playing like a 7-handicap). After the event, he made incendiary comments about Jordan Spieth and Jim Furyk.

It would take another 2,000 words to flesh this one out but I think you get the point. I also don’t want to get sued, which Reed has a lengthy history of pursuing.

1. Sergio Garcia

Here is an incomplete list of reasons Garcia is disliked:

• Dozens of on-course temper tantrums, the most famous at the 2019 Saudi International when he intentionally damaged five greens and had a complete meltdown in a bunker. My personal favorite, however, is when he slipped during a tee shot at the 1999 World Match Play Championship and decided to throw (and subsequently kick) his own golf shoe. Absolute cinema.

• Several instances of him being a poor loser who threw pity parties for himself, like when he narrowly lost the 2007 Open Championship to Padraig Harrington. “I’m playing against a lot of guys out there, more than the field,” Garcia said, alluding to the golf gods being against him.

• Asked a question at the 2013 European Tour Awards dinner if he’d invite Tiger to dinner during the U.S. Open the following month, Garcia jokingly said, “We will have him ‘round every night. We will serve fried chicken.” He later apologized for the inferred racial stereotype.

• He spit into the cup after missing a par putt on the 13th hole during the 2007 CA Championship at Doral. A lot of players spit but the intentional nature of it—and it being in the hole itself—caused controversy.

• During the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, Queen Elizabeth’s death postponed the second round. Garcia, who shot 76 in the first round, withdrew without explanation and was next seen posing for photos at the Alabama-Texas football game across the ocean in Austin. Many called out Garcia for wasting a spot that could’ve gone to first-alternate Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, a rising young player battling to keep his tour status.

There have been other players throughout golf’s history who had tempers. Tommy “Thunder” Bolt comes to mind. But whereas Bolt’s antics were more performative, Garcia came across as a spoiled child.

What do you think of this list? As always, let me hear it in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Patrick Reed shushes the crowd at the 2018 Ryder Cup. (GETTY IMAGES/Jamie Squire)