Golf Wrapped 2024: The year’s most unforgettable moments

You've heard of Spotify Wrapped - but what about Golf Wrapped?

In this first-ever edition, Gulf News highlights the standout moments from 2024, including the Shot of the Year, the Most Heartbreaking Moment, and our Local Star of the Year.

Shot of The Year

Needing only a par at the 18th to secure his second U.S. Open title, Bryson DeChambeau found himself in trouble at Pinehurst No. 2, making it anything but easy.

A wayward drive off the tee left the American hunched under a tree branch with a dreadful lie and stance. Unable to take a full swing, he managed to punch his ball into a greenside bunker, still 55 yards from the hole.

Under immense pressure - and knowing a bogey would force a playoff with Rory McIlroy - DeChambeau produced the shot of his life. His miraculous bunker shot left him just four feet from the cup.

With everything on the line, he calmly sank the putt, later calling his escape from the bunker "the shot of his life."

Win of The Year

This was a tough category to decide, but Matteo Manassero’s fairytale victory at the Jonsson Workwear Open stands out. It ended an agonizing wait of nearly 11 years for his fifth DP World Tour title.

The Italian has experienced the full spectrum of emotions that golf can offer since making history as the youngest-ever DP World Tour winner at just 17 years and 188 days, a record he still holds after triumphing at the 2010 Castelló Masters Costa Azahar.

When he secured his fourth victory at the 2013 BMW PGA Championship, the golfing world seemed at his feet. Few could have imagined it would take another 3,942 days before he would lift another DP World Tour trophy.

But by 2018, Manassero had lost his full playing privileges, and his struggles culminated in a dismal 2019 season, where he made just one cut in 18 starts. He even stepped away from golf briefly.

A win on the Alps Tour in 2020 offered a much-needed boost, and in the 2023 season he clawed his way back with two victories on the European Challenge Tour, regaining his DP World Tour card after five long years.

At Glendower Golf Club, the comeback story reached its crescendo. On the Friday, Manassero fired a career-low 61 to take the lead, but the final round was anything but straightforward. With five players sharing the lead on the back nine, the tournament turned into a nail-biter.

A storm delay of over two hours late in the round added to the drama, but the 30-year-old held his nerve. A closing 66 secured a commanding three-shot victory at 26 under par, beating local favourites Thriston Lawrence and Shaun Norris, as well as Jordan Smith.

Player of The Year

It’s hard to overlook Scottie Scheffler after another stellar year, highlighted by his second Masters victory and an Olympic gold medal. However, this accolade belongs to Nelly Korda.

The American star delivered a sensational season, winning five consecutive events early in 2024 and seven titles overall. She clinched the LPGA Player of the Year honor with three tournaments to spare, contributed to the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup team, and claimed her second Major title at the Chevron Championship.

At just 26, Korda cracked the top 20 in career earnings and amassed nearly $4.4 million in prize money this year. Her streak of five straight wins placed her in elite company, making her only the third player since 1978—alongside Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez—to achieve the feat on the LPGA Tour.

With seven victories, Korda also became the first player since Yani Tseng in 2011 to win that many events in a single season and the first American to do so since Beth Daniel in 1990.

Korda’s dominance in 2024 cemented her place among the game’s greats and marked one of the most remarkable seasons in LPGA history.

Moment of The Year

My Moment of the Year takes us all the way back to January. Just three months after helping the U.S. team secure the Eisenhower Trophy at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Nick Dunlap stunned the golf world by winning the PGA Tour’s American Express tournament by a single shot—becoming the first amateur in 33 years to claim victory on the PGA Tour.

Dunlap’s triumph marked the first amateur win since Phil Mickelson’s in 1991 and, at just 20 years old, he became the youngest winning amateur since 1910.

"Nothing like I've ever felt," Dunlap said of his clutch putt on the 18th green. "It was so cool to be out here and experience this as an amateur. Whether I had made that or missed that, if you had told me on Wednesday night I’d have a putt to win this tournament, I wouldn’t have believed you."

Though unable to claim the $1.5 million prize money due to his amateur status, Dunlap turned professional days later - and earned an impressive $2.9 million over the rest of the season.

Heartbreak of The Year

There’s only one moment that fits this category: Rory McIlroy’s heartbreaking collapse at the U.S. Open, where he came agonisingly close to ending his decade-long Major Championship drought.

McIlroy surged up the leaderboard on the final day at Pinehurst No. 2, firing four birdies in a five-hole stretch to take a two-shot lead over overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau with just five holes remaining.

But disaster soon followed. At the par-three 15th, McIlroy missed a putt from inside three feet - his first failure from that range all season after making 496 consecutive attempts. Although he also bogeyed the 16th, McIlroy still shared the lead as he approached the par-four 18th.

However, another short miss - this time from under four feet - dropped him to five under, leaving the door open for DeChambeau. The American seized the moment, delivering a brilliant 55-yard bunker shot to set up a tap-in par and secure a dramatic one-shot victory.

McIlroy, visibly dejected, declined to speak to the media after finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open for the second year in a row, leaving the course just minutes after DeChambeau’s win.

Controversy of The Year

In one of the most bizarre moments of the year, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler found himself at the centre of controversy when he was arrested while attempting to drive around the scene of an accident and onto the grounds of Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, the site of the PGA Championship.

Scheffler initially faced serious allegations, including second-degree assault of a police officer, after an officer claimed he was struck by Scheffler’s car and briefly dragged before the vehicle stopped. Despite being booked following his arrest, Scheffler returned to compete in the second round of the PGA Championship just hours later, ultimately finishing the tournament tied for eighth.

Weeks later, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell announced that Scheffler would not face any charges, and both parties reportedly agreed not to pursue further legal action.

Local Star of The Year

This accolade could easily go to Dubai-based Paul Waring for his victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Dubai resident Tommy Fleetwood for claiming the Olympic Silver Medal, or even Dubai-born Rayhan Thomas for winning his first professional event and earning Korn Ferry Tour status.

However, my pick goes to Dubai resident Oscar Craig for his incredible performance on his Challenge Tour debut at the UAE Challenge at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. With his stepdad, Tommy Fleetwood, on the bag, Craig opened with a flawless bogey-free 69, finishing just four strokes behind the leaders. His second-round performance was even more remarkable, as he overcame the nerves to become the only amateur to make the cut, cementing a memorable debut.

“It’s been such a cool experience, everything about is has been brilliant,” said Craig after finishing in a share of 60th.

I’ve loved it and hopefully I can be here again.”