16 big golf stories you might have missed over Christmas

Happy New Year, everybody!

From all of us at bunkered, we truly hope you and yours had a wonderful time over Christmas and New Year, and took the opportunity to relax and reflect on an unforgettable, incident-packed 2024.

Of course, the news cycle doesn’t stop for anybody – not even Santa Claus – and whilst you were gorging on tubs of chocolate and playing charades with your cousins, golf headlines were still being made.

To bring you up to speed, here are the most important stories you might have missed over the last few weeks…

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1. Happy’s back!

The first trailer for Happy Gilmore 2 dropped on Christmas morning, giving fans a first look at the hotly anticipated sequel to the 1996 golf comedy smash. It’s only 46 seconds long but if it doesn’t whet the appetite for the full movie then why don’t you just go eat some hay, make things out of clay, lay by the bay? What d’ya say? If you missed it, watch it here.

2. Wedding belles

There’s been nuptials galore on the Ladies European Tour over the last few weeks. Two-time winner Alice Hewson tied the knot with husband Stephen Smith; Solheim Cup winner Bronte Law married her partner Alexa Clark; and tour duo Laura Fuenfstueck and Rosie Clark also said ‘I do’. Congratulations to all!

3. Scottie’s surgery

To say world No.1 Scottie Scheffler had a strange 2024 would be the mother of all understatements what with winning nine times, becoming a dad for the first time, getting arrested… His year ended in appropriately chaotic fashion, when he was forced to get emergency surgery on his hand after slicing it open on broken glass whilst making Christmas dinner for his family. Honestly, you couldn’t make this stuff up. Full details here.

4. Hovland shocker #1

Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024, Ryder Cup hero Viktor Hovland has, once again, split with his coach. And, judging by his comments, it sounds like there won’t be any mid-season reunion this year…

5. Hovland shocker #2

Not content with making one headline, Vik Hov decided to make another when he disclosed – via X-ray photo – that he had broken a toe in a freak bedroom accident. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be too bad, with the Norwegian fit enough to peg it up in the PGA Tour’s season-opener The Sentry this week.

6. TGL gets a UK TV partner

The much-anticipated TGL golf league gets under way this month, and golf fans in the UK and Ireland now know where they’ll be able to watch it. You’ll get the details here. Spoiler alert: no, it’s not the BBC…

7. R&A man honoured

Rules of Golf guru David Rickman was the sole member of the golf industry to feature in the UK New Year’s Honours List. Rickman, who retired from the R&A last year after a 37-year career in golf administration, was made an MBE in recognition of his contribution to the game. “I am delighted at this unexpected recognition,” he said.

8. Dame Lydia

Did you know New Zealand also operates its own Honours List? Nope, us neither. We only found out when news reached us that Lydia Ko was made a dame in recognition of her spectacular contribution the sport. At 27, she is the youngest New Zealander ever to receive the honour, which came at the end of a year in which she won the AIG Women’s Open and completed golf’s Olympic medal slam by winning gold at the Paris Games in August.

9. Another LPGA star retires

Lexi Thompson, Brittany Lincicome, Ally Ewing, Marina Alex – they were just some of more than a dozen LPGA stars who called time on their careers in 2024. And before the bells chimed for 2025, another did likewise. Emma Talley, the 2013 US Women’s Amateur champion, jumped on the LPGA’s ‘Inside The Ropes’ podcast to reveal that she, too, has decided to step away from the tour. The 30-year-old also revealed she is expecting her first child in the summer.

10. Here comes the bride…

Announcing her intention to hang up her clubs last year, Lexi Thompson revealed her decision had been sparked, in part, because she wanted to settle down and start a family. On New Year’s Day, she took the first big step towards realising that dream when she announced her engagement to boyfriend Max Provost. He got down on one knee during a festive break in Whistler, British Columbia.

11. Golf mourns DiMegs

The sport lost one of its greatest advocates and writers over the Christmas period with the passing of journalist Steve DiMeglio. The 63-year-old sadly succumbed to cancer, just over two years after his diagnosis. One of the longest-standing and most respected members of the golf media corps, DiMeglio was loved by colleagues and players alike. Tiger Woods was amongst the many to pay tribute to him after news of the former USAToday man’s death broke. “This a very sad day for all of golf,” said the 15-time major champ. “We have truly lost a friend.”

12. ‘BAFTA Bob’ is back

Back in December 2021, Bob MacIntyre celebrated receiving his invitation to play in the 2022 Masters with a fun video filmed in his hometown Oban and featuring music from The Proclaimers. The 28-year-old missed out on the first major of the year in 2024 but wins in the Canadian Open and Scottish Open assured him of a return visit to Augusta National in April – which, of course, had to be celebrated with another video. Judge for yourself here but we reckon this might be one of the few occasions where the sequel is better than the original.

13. Max on the move

January is traditionally the time of year when golfers announce new sponsorship deals. For some, that means aligning with new equipment partners. Max Homa, for instance. After spending the entirety of his professional career to date with Titleist, the 34-year-old is moving forward with Cobra-Puma Golf. He described the move as “undoubtedly a natural fit for my game, style, and personality”, adding: “I’m looking forward to a long-term relationship that will be fun and exciting for years to come.” The six-time PGA Tour winner has a new apparel partner for 2025, too. Full details here.

14. Elyte launch

Speaking of equipment, Callaway kicked off New Gear SZN with the unveiling of its brand-new Elyte range. Comprising drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons, it’s a highly impressive line-up that you can read more about elsewhere on this site. If you want to know more about the drivers, in particular, we highly suggest you watch this review by our gear editor James Tait. It tells you everything you need to know. There are loads more new clubs to come before the month is out, so bookmark this page of our site so that you don’t miss a thing.

15. Brandel’s epic rant

When Brandel Chamblee talks, it’s always a good idea to listen. Even if you don’t always agree with what the tour-pro-turned-analyst has to say, you’ll probably learn something. He filled some of his time between Christmas and New Year addressing some of the most common criticisms of the sport on X and it’s a seriously compelling read. Have a read.

16. John Daly doing John Daly things

Last but by no means least, John Daly closed out 2024 by hitting golf balls across a busy street in downtown somewhere. Because of course he did! See for yourself…

Expect anything different? 😅🎉 @PGA_JohnDaly pic.twitter.com/TnXiDPylw9

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) January 1, 2025

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor