Golf might be known as a gentleman’s game of sportmanship and dignity in the main but that doesn’t mean things don’t boil over and this was never more prevalent than when Keegan Bradley met Miguel Angel Jimenez.
While golf is often played in groups with stroke play determining the eventual winner, we also see Match Play events often bring out the best in golfers.
The Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup are the two biggest examples of this in the game but it’s easy to forget there are certain events on the PGA Tour that have that matchplay element.
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Indeed, one such even back in 2015 was the World Golf Championships – or Cadillac Match Play – that saw passionate American Keegan Bradley come up against fiery Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez.
And it’s safe to say that in the end, we saw fireworks.
When Keegan Bradley squared up to Miguel Angel Jimenez
It’s not often we see things boil over in golf and while there’s the odd flare of tempers, things are usually kept low key and blow over.
However, at the 2015 World Gold Championships, Jimenez and Bradley very nearly came to full blows as they argued over official rulings.
Both players had needed rules officials to step in and help them determine the next steps after wayward tee shots but after Jimenez got his own ruling, he couldn’t help but go over and interfere with Bradley’s ruling.
This led to Bradley gesturing to Jimenez to return to his own ball, before the Spaniard told Bradley’s caddie to ‘shut up’, escalating the situation further.
Bradley would then stand up square on to the Spaniard, in what is one of the closest we’ve ever come to seeing two players go at it on the golf course.
Indeed, the altercation carried on even after the match had finished, with both players keen to make their point and not lose face.
Golf’s biggest rivalries
Golf might not be like the NBA or Premier League football, where teams are huge rivals and it sometimes gets out of hand between players and fans.
However, that’s not to say there hasn’t been examples of great rivalries over the years.
Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka famously fell out for some time, while Seve Ballesteros once accused American Paul Azinger of cheating to heighten their tensions.
Likewise, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson have come to blows in the past too, with Singh once accusing Mickelson of damaging the course and coming to blows in the locker room.
So, while golf is a calmer sport than many, things can boil over in the heat of battle and sometimes, you just have to let it ride.
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