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Every year when we sit down to compile the most popular GolfDigest.com stories of the year, we are left to determine how we want to define “popular.” Page views, unique visitors, time spent—a story’s resonance can be measured a bunch of different ways. In a number of instances in 2022, the impact was obvious. Dan

Great photography is a pillar of Golf Digest, and most of what we do falls into three categories. With Instruction Photography we try to convey as cleanly and memorably as possible physical lessons about how to swing a golf club. With Course Photography, we tease and provide transport to the most beautiful landscapes our strategic

On Wednesday, the governing board of the Official World Golf Ranking sent out a press release announcing a new golf tour that plays 54-hole events is set for inclusion in the OWGR system in 2023. If LIV Golf players and executives felt a momentary sense of excitement upon seeing the release, it was just that—momentary—after

You remember that Scottie Scheffler won the Masters, that Tiger Woods returned to golf (while possibly saying goodbye to St. Andrews), that Phil Mickelson said some things he shouldn’t have said. But it’s been a busy year in golf, so big that perhaps you forgot all that happened. This brief quiz on the year that

Before awakening to the tragic news of March 15, there’s a good chance you had never heard of the University of the Southwest, a small, private Christian school in Hobbs, N.M., that sponsored NAIA men’s and women’s golf teams. But when word that a van, driven by a first-year coach and carrying eight team members,

Editors Note: The following is a feature written by Golf Digest’s Ron Sirak published in June 2009. Whitworth, the LPGA Tour’s all-time leader in wins with 88, died on Christmas Eve 2022.  The main dining room at Trophy Club Country Cub outside of Dallas gazes upon the rolling hills and old oak trees through which

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A World Ranking milestone that wouldn’t exactly please Phil Mickelson went almost unnoticed for two weeks: The six-time major winner dropped out of the top 200 for the first time in more than 30 years. On Dec. 11, 45-time PGA Tour winner Mickelson dropped nine places on the Official World Golf Ranking to No. 201.

Legendary LPGA Tour player Kathy Whitworth, the winningest golfer on any professional tour, has died at the age of 83. Whitworth passed away suddenly on Dec. 24 during Christmas Eve celebrations with family and friends, according to a release via the LPGA Tour from Whitworth’s long-time partner, Bettye Odle. “It is with a heart full

4:46 PM ET Associated Press Kathy Whitworth set a benchmark in golf no one has ever touched, whether it was Sam Snead or Tiger Woods, Mickey Wright or Annika Sorenstam. Her 88 victories are the most by any player on a single professional tour. Whitworth, whose LPGA Tour victories spanned nearly a quarter century and

The race for the 2023 FedEx Cup title resumes shortly as the 2022-23 PGA Tour season gets ready to begin again at the Sentry Tournament of Champions the first week of January. The season-long FedEx Cup points standings will help determine who keeps their PGA Tour cards and who’ll be eligible for the FedEx Cup

What a long, strange year 2022 turned out to be. The rise of LIV Golf dominated conversations and headlines, leaving a trail of questions and angst that lead us, somewhat sheepishly, into 2023. But in reaching out to members of our staff for their lasting memories of the past 12 months, LIV was nowhere to

Over the summer, when Jason Gore left his job in player relations with the USGA to take on a similar position with the PGA Tour, it came as something of a surprise. After all, Gore seemed born to play the role, had close ties within the USGA and professed a newfound appreciation for the East

Christmas has come early for some of the best golfers in the world. A handful of players took to social media to announce—let’s be honest, show off—their invitations from Augusta National had been delivered this week, signaling their entries into the 2023 Masters field. Adrian Meronk got the fun started, as the Polish golfer, thanks

A couple who won a $5 million lawsuit against a country club for errant golf balls hitting their home have had the verdict overturned. A Massachusetts jury awarded Erik and Athina Tenczar $4.93 million last December, concluding that Indian Pond Country Club was at fault for not protecting the Tenczar’s home from a constant barrage

I often get asked about the players who have changed their careers through a Monday qualifier, so I have compiled a list featuring some of the more recent success stories. A couple of major champions, a winner of the U.S. Amateur, grinders young and old, all with one commonality: One of the most important days

When you think of golf hotbeds in the United States, places like Florida, California and Arizona come to mind given the sheer number of golf courses found in each state. Yet according to data the USGA mined from the World Handicap System, none of the three can boast having the lowest average Handicap Index. In

Gary Player has filed a lawsuit against his son and grandson, alleging the duo has sold or tried to sell his memorabilia despite an agreement requiring the items be returned to Player. In August the nine-time major winner released a statement on social media claiming his trophies and clubs were being sold without his permission.

MELBOURNE, Australia—If you are a golf romantic, there is nothing quite like the sight of Geoff Ogilvy playing Royal Melbourne. They were made for each other, a soulful and cerebral golfer trying to unlock the secrets of a timeless and deeply fascinating test. Ogilvy grew up 500 yards from Royal, playing a humble muni nearby.

I’d say 22 or 23, once he has earned a degree from Stanford. When his old man waxes about his two years at Stanford, it is clear those were the happiest times of Tiger’s life: finally away from his omnipresent parents, surrounded by other high-achievers, who didn’t care that much about golf, and part of

There was plenty to talk about in golf in 2022. The emergence of LIV Golf and Tiger Woods’ return to competition, of course, rank near the top. There was plenty to talk about in the area of equipment, too. An old set of irons sold for millions, a high-profile player’s equipment deal was placed on

A swim across an alligator-infested canal, a lost pair of boxer shorts and a foot gushing blood … last Monday at the Fountains December Classic, an event on the Minor League Golf Tour, was just another day in the life of mini-tour player Mason Carmel. The fourth hole at West Course at Fountains Country Club

It’s inarguable. This year, there was more talk about money in professional golf than at any time in the sport’s history. It was a conversation thrust upon us by the arrival of Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf, whose investment of $750 million in its first year of existence changed the way that tours and fans viewed

Augusta National announced Tuesday that it will not ban LIV Golf members from the 2023 Masters tournament. In a statement, Augusta National and Masters chairman Fred Ridley wrote that, “Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it.” However, while

10:03 AM ET Augusta National Golf Club announced Tuesday that any golfer who qualified for the Masters tournament based on its previous criteria will be invited to play in 2023, including 16 players who are currently competing in the LIV Golf League. Six past Masters champions are part of the group that defected from the

MELBOURNE, Australia — The first tee at Kingston Heath is one of the most majestic spots in golf, with an endless expanse of closely mown turf stretching toward the horizon. The teeing area is so hard against the pro shop it feels like you might break the glass on your backswing. As the second annual

The good news? The USGA and R&A continue to make strides when it comes to revising and—perhaps more importantly—simplifying the Rules of Golf. The bad news? Golf is still, and will always be, a complicated game with complicated rules no matter how straightforward they are. That’s why it should come as no surprise that 2022

Playing at the 2021 U.S. Open cost Taylor Montgomery a PGA Tour card. Players who find themselves in a similar position won’t face the same dilemma. The PGA Tour Policy Board and Korn Ferry Tour Player Advisory Council formally announced a policy change on Monday that will enable Korn Ferry Tour members who earn FedExCup

The work has been done. Now comes the wait to see if, indeed, it will pay off. Since 1999, Augusta National officials have invited all those inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of the previous calendar year to compete in the upcoming Masters. Assuming this tradition continues, and

ORLANDO — Tiger Woods, at his best, could do unimaginable things with a golf ball. Yet when all is said and done, the defining moments of the 15-time major champion’s career have come when he was battling through his worst, claiming the U.S. Open on a broken leg or slipping on another green jacket after