Golf has long been regarded as one of the most frustrating sports to play given just how much precision is required at any moment. And unfortunately, the frustrating sport recently got the better of PGA Tour golfer Patton Kizzire, who let his emotions get the better of him on the course.
Earlier this month, Kizzire took part in the Valspar Championship. But his time in the tournament didn’t last too long, as he withdrew from the tournament.
While the official reasoning Kizzire gave was that he had a back injury, most seem to believe that there was an entirely different reason for his withdrawal from the tournament.
In particular, Kizzire went viral on social media after being captured missing a putt, which frustrated him to the point that he picked up his putter and punted it across the green.
Unreal hang time on this putter punt 👏 pic.twitter.com/WuQvbfr0el
— Skratch (@Skratch) March 20, 2025
Kizzire ultimately issued an apology for his rather childish temper tantrum during the event. But even after that, this situation prompted Rory McIlroy to share his thoughts on the matter, asking Kizzire to set a better example for kids in the future.
“It can be relatable, but at the same time, you want to try to set a proper example,” he told the media, transcribed by The Daily Express. “Like you don’t want… You don’t want 10-year-old kids punting their putters across the green every time they miss a putt. But at the same time, it does show that we are human, and it shows the human side to ourselves. But at the same time, we have a responsibility to set an example, and golf is a lot about the etiquette of the game and doing the right thing. There’s a balance to be struck there.”
McIlroy has long been an advocate for the game and for the future generation of golfers. So it isn’t exactly all that shocking to see him sharing his thoughts on the matter.
Hopefully, Kizzire has learned from this moment and will refrain from repeating it in the future. But if he doesn’t, we know that McIlroy will likely be one of the first to speak up.
