Whether you’re at your local course with a few buddies, or playing at the highest levels of competition, celebrations on the golf course can be as electric as the moments that precipitate them. Here’s a deep dive into some of the best celebrations we’ve seen from the world of golf.
10. Rich Beem’s Winning Wiggle
Rich Beem went into the 2002 PGA Championship with little fanfare, but after 72 holes of competition, the relatively unknown Beem became a fan favourite. After tapping in for the unlikely victory, Beem didn’t fist pump or give the classic putter raise, instead he gave us what can best be described as a “jiggly-wiggly” move. Beem’s celebration was unexpected and amazing—just like his play that week.
9. Phil Taking Flight
Phil Mickelson held the title of world’s best player without a major for a long time, but all that changed at the 2004 Masters when he won his first of three green jackets. After draining a 20-footer to seal with victory, Phil took flight. Well, sort of. To win majors one has to stay grounded, something Phil did exceedingly well when jumping for joy. Legend has it that his victorious vertical exceeded that of the fringe’s length. Must be those golden calves of his.
8. Suzann Pettersen’s Solheim Cup Moment
At the 2019 Solheim Cup, the Americans and the Europeans were tied 13.5 points apiece when Pettersen lined up a six-footer for the win. The ultimate do-or-die moment was all do, no die, as her putt found the bottom of the cup. The combination of Pettersen’s epic double fist pump with the American team storming the green makes this an unforgettable celebration.
7. Costantino Rocca’s Clutchest of Putts
At the 1995 Open Championship at St. Andrews, Rocca needed a birdie on the Par-5 18th hole to tie John Daly, a task that seemed too heavy a burden after horrendously duffing his pitch into the infamous Valley of Sin short of the green. Sixty-five feet of undulating terrain stood between Rocca and his chance at a playoff. Then the improbable happened. Rocca fell to his knees like Andy Dufresne escaping Shawshank State Prison. Rocca ultimately lost the playoff, but his celebration made the history books.
6. “Oh My Goodness”
You knew you’d find it on the list. The 2005 Masters was an epic duel between Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco, which gave way to perhaps the most viewed golf shot of all-time. Woods tee shot went long off the green at the par-3 16th and needed the most delicate of pitch shots to nestle it close and save par. Tiger did us one better, draining the shot in the most dramatic of fashions. The high-five fist-pump whiff between Woods and caddie Steve Williams wasn’t nearly as perfect, but the celebration was a memorable display of pure exuberance.
5. Boom Baby!
Jeff Overton and Bubba Watson were down two against their European counterparts Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez as they played the 8th hole of their 2010 Ryder Cup match at Celtic Manor. Overton ended up jarring his approach for an eagle two, subsequently unleashing a flurry of “Boom Babys” and “Come Ons.” It was loud, impassioned, somewhat funny and a little awkward—the perfect recipe for a hall of fame celebration.
4. Poppie’s Pond
A cool tradition (pun intended) at the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club involves the winning player, her caddie, and anyone else on the team, jumping into the greenside pond on the 18th hole. Amy Alcott was the first to do it in 1988, and since then it’s grown to become a must-do celebration.
3. Tiger’s Walk-Off
Tiger’s triumphant return in 2019, the year that saw him claim his fifth green jacket, was capped off with a stellar performance at the President’s Cup at Royal Melbourne, which is where this understated yet phenomenal celebration took place. With a 15-footer on the 16th hole to clinch the match, Woods walked it off like a total boss, removing his hat and turning to Abraham Ancer to shake hands before the ball hit the bottom of the cup.
2. Leonard’s Legendary Putt
Justin Leonard will forever be synonymous with the putt he made to win the 1999 Ryder Cup at The Country Club in Brookline. Leonard’s long-range bomb elicited utter pandemonium as the U.S. team, their wives, and a handful of others stormed the green to celebrate, hug, kiss, jump up and down, and scream. It was a nuclear reaction to an incredible moment, but it dismissed the fact that José María Olazábal had a putt of his own to extend the match. Olazábal missed his putt and the U.S. team officially sealed the victory.
1. James Hahn’s Dance Floor.
The par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, site of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, is no stranger to truly memorable celebrations. Of all the great moments we’ve seen at the rowdiest hole in golf, few compare to James Hahn’s Gangnam Style dance after making birdie. Some of us call the green the “dance floor,” but Hahn turned it into one.
Think we missed a celebration worth noting? Let us know you’re favourites in the comment section.