Devil Ball Golf’s most popular posts of 2014

There was hardly a dull minute in golf in 2014, and we here at Devil Ball Golf kept you plugged into it all as it unfolded. Here’s a look at our 20 most-viewed Devil Ball Golf posts in ’14.

1. Lexi Thompson’s newest photo shoot will catch your attention (Sept. 16): Lexi Thompson is no longer the 12-year-old girl who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open. She’s an adult, and apparently wants everyone to know that. A photo shoot for Golf Punk magazine showed Thompson in a whole new light.

2. Rory McIlroy calls off his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki after sending out wedding invites (May 21): For Rory McIlroy, sending out invitations for his pending nuptials to tennis player Caroline Wozniacki let him know he wasn’t ready to get married. He called off the ceremony and the relationship, announcing the split before the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship. McIlroy responded to the fallout from the announcement by winning the tournament.

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Other popular posts in the Yahoo Sports Blog family
Ball Don’t Lie (NBA) • Big League Stew (MLB) • Cagewriter (MMA) • The Dagger (NCAAB) • Devil Ball Golf • Dr. Saturday (NCAAF) • Fourth Place Medal (Olympics) •
From The Marbles (NASCAR) • Puck Daddy (NHL) • Shutdown Corner (NFL)

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3. Washington golfer makes hole-in-one and albatross in the same round (April 2): Jim Dyer, a 39-year-old man from Washington, was playing the Highlander Golf Course when he made an albatross and a hole-in-one in a nine-hole stretch. It takes a lot of players a lifetime to notch either of those, but this 18-20-handicapper got ’em both in one day.

4. Pablo Larrazabal’s golf ball ended up in a pretty unusual spot at the BMW PGA (May 22): In the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship, Pablo Larrazabal, who had been attacked by a swarm of hornets earlier in the year, saw a shot of his land in between the legs of a spectator. The Spaniard obviously got a drop, but he lamented why so many strange things were happening to him on the golf course.

5. Former PGA star Anthony Kim reportedly could make $10 million by not playing golf (Sept. 17): A lot of golf fans have been wondering what happened to Anthony Kim, who hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour since 2012. It turns out that Kim is healthy and able to play, but probably won’t return to competitive golf because he can cash in on a $10 million insurance policy if he stays away from the sport. Meanwhile, Kim rarely even touches his sticks, having turned into a bit of an urban legend in Dallas, where he lives.

6. President Obama says Jordan should worry about Hornets, not his golf game (Nov. 5): It took him a few days, but President Barack Obama jabbed back at Michael Jordan, who said in an interview that the Commander-in-Chief was a “sh***y” golfer. Obama told His Airness to worry about the Charlotte Hornets, or Bobcats — since he couldn’t keep up with the name change of the Queen City’s NBA team. Well played, Mr. President.

7. Tom Watson disparaged U.S. players, gift, leading to Mickelson comments (Oct. 3): Perhaps the Phil Mickelson-led mutiny against 2014 Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson could have been avoided had he just been more thankful for the team’s gift to their leader. Instead, Watson apparently disparaged the replica Ryder Cup trophy the team got him, saying he wanted the real thing. After the U.S. got blown out, marking a third-straight Ryder Cup loss, the gloves came off.

8. Richard H. Lee hits two of the worst golf shots you will ever see, in a row (May 11): Even pro golfers hit terrible shots — sometimes consecutively. Richard H. Lee was on the par-3 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass in the final round of The Players when he nearly whiffed on consecutive shots. It was pretty bad, but Lee had a great reaction on Twitter.

9. Rory McIlroy hit a 436-yard drive on Thursday at the Scottish Open (July 10): Rory McIlroy isn’t a big guy, but he’s got big power. On the 13th hole at Royal Aberdeen in the Scottish Open, McIlroy drove the green at the 436-yard hole en route to an opening 7-under 64. McIlroy joked to Ian Poulter, who was in the group ahead, that he used a 3-wood to get home.

10. Tiger Woods snaps at a cameraman during the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational (Aug. 2): Tiger Woods wasn’t in the best of spots on the sixth hole in Round 3 of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. After an errant drive and a chopped-out second shot from the tall lettuce, Woods berated a cameraman for getting too close to him, asking for some space — with an expletive thrown in there for good measure.

The Next 10
11.Tiger Woods withdraws on Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational (Aug. 3)
12. Payne Stewart’s daughter gives us the photo of the week from Pinehurst (June 11)
13. Shane Lowry was not very pleased about his U.S. Open pairing (June 12)
14. Phil Mickelson, the king of the flop shot, gives us another great one (June 5)
15. PGA Tour player shoos away alligator with a bunker rake (April 26)
16. Floyd Mayweather buys 15-year-old son Bentley golf cart (Nov. 17)
17. Paula Creamer made incredible 75-foot putt to win HSBC Women’s Championship (March 2)
18. Tiger Woods blasts satirical Golf Digest piece by legendary Dan Jenkins (Nov. 18)
19. Michelle Wie has some fun with her putting stance (July 15)
20. Nicolas Colsaerts hit a 447-yard drive at the Wales Open (Sept. 18)