We can’t call him ungentlemanly, but it certainly is bizarre any way you cut it. From the number of balls in the water hazard to his inability to actually fix the problem to taking his balls and going home (literally) this will go down as one of the weirder moments in professional golf.

(h/t Big Lead Sports)

With that being said, allow us to introduce you to Rahil Gangjee, a professional golfer from India who not only hit a hole-in-one on the 318 yard, par-4, 15th hole at the Nationwide Tour’s Mylan Classic over the weekend, but he was somehow able to make it look rather easy.

Unfortunately for Rahil, he was unable to make the rest of the course look equally simple, as his ace was only good enough to propel him into a tie for 32nd, which was good enough for a whopping $3,300 pay day.  I’m pretty sure most charity events give away more money than that to anyone who hits a hole-in-one on a par-3.

Hat Tip – [USA Today]

Perhaps no other professional sporting organization allows for its participants* to express themselves through their attire as much as the PGA Tour. More often than not, athletes are limited by official uniforms or the need to wear as little as possible in order to compete (as with swimming, for example). But golfers are lucky. They get to wear shoes, pants, hats, shirts, vests, sweaters, jackets, gloves, and sunglasses—a vast array of options that a player can mix and match to find the exact combination that expresses their inner being.

Unfortunately, when it comes to style, some golfers got it, others don’t. Today we’re going to take a look at the golfers whose attire would benefit from from a little constructive criticism. So without further ado, behold: the 11 Worst Dressed Golfers on the PGA Tour.

*Sue me, but I just can’t bring myself to call pro golfers “athletes.” It feels…weird.

11. Ryan Moore

The outfit you see Ryan sporting here would be totally appropriate if he were attending a professional skateboarders awards banquet. In my opinion, I don’t think it really works on the golf course. Of course, in this 2009 photo, Ryan is just trying to promote his own golf equipment company, Scratch Golf. I guess the idea was to make golf “cool” so more hip youngsters would give it a try. Little did they realize that what mainly keeps hip youngsters away from golf are $45 greens fees, not the sport’s image. Plus, that hat is stupid.

10. Jesper Parnevik

This wacky Swede is a tough nut to crack. Back in the day, Jesper Parnevik was consistently one of the worst dressed golfers on the PGA tour—a feat accomplished by rocking the ball-cap-with-up-turned-bill look (right photo). Shockingly, these days, every once in a while, Jesper shows up for a tour event looking damn good (left photo)—like the (much older) Justin Timberlake of golf. I ended up putting him on the “worst dressed” list because, well, that’s how most people remember him.

9. Tom Purtzer

Okay, Tom Purtzer’s shirt, though not particularly fashionable, isn’t that bad for a guy his age. It’s a typical dad shirt. What really cements his status as one of pro golf’s worst dressers are pants like these. Oh, and that ridiculous belt, which is like the kind that was popular among boys at my elementary school circa 1992. He must really take care of that thing, rubbing it with mink oil and polishing the buckle once a week, because I don’t think you can buy a belt like that anymore. Except maybe at some hipster thrift shop, but from the looks of it there’s not an ironic bone in Mr. Purtzer’s body, so I doubt that’s where he got it.

8. Rory Sabbatini

Rory Sabbatini is perhaps best-known for a perceived “feud” with Tiger Woods. In 2007, he made several comments to the effect of, “Tiger is slipping,” about which the press and fans gave him a hard time. I suspect people wouldn’t have made as big a deal of it if he were not from South Africa. The unfortunately thing, however, is that all this phony controversy has distracted the golfing world from the real issue: his ridiculous golf attire. Those hats? God. Aweful. Period. Now, I actually kind of like the green and white outfit on the left (minus the hat), but the red and black outfit with big belt buckle? Better suited for the rodeo than the back nine.

7. Shingo Katayama

Hey, nice work Shingo. You found a hat that’s stupider than Rory Sabbatini’s. Not an easy task. Also, love the short-sleeved mock turtleneck and alligator skin belt. Plus, baby pink? Definitely your color. With ensembles like these, it’s no wonder you’ve finished as high as 4th at both the Masters and PGA Championship.

6. John Daly

I think John Daly buys his pants wherever Don Cherry buys his coats. Which is a good thing, because what would the PGS Tour be without the closest thing we’ve ever had to a real Happy Gilmore? (Boring. Boring is the answer I was looking for.)

5. Woody Austin

Some Woody’s are cool (like Harrelson, or Guthrie). Some aren’t. Woody Austin fits into the latter category. The shirts he wears are some of the most gaudy monstrosities you will see at a pro golf tournament. And dude, chill with the tropical theme. I know you’re from Tampa, but come on. You don’t see dudes from Edmonton wearing shirts with igloos and polar bears.

4. Rickie Fowler

In case you couldn’t tell, 22-year-old Rickie Fowler is one of the youngest pros on the tour. Hopefully this is not a sign of where things are headed. I mean, I like that he has Puma for a sponsor. That’s much better than something lame, like TaylorMade. But he needs to chill with the head-to-toe neon. Not cut it out altogether, just scale it back. Also, he must—absolutely must—lose the Justin Bieber hair cut. He’s young, but he’s not that young. It’s just embarrassing.

3. Ryo Ishikawa

Red pants—check. Red cabbie hat, backwards—check. Red vest—check. White long-sleeved turtleneck—check. Yes, I’d say Ryo Ishikawa has all the ingredients for one of the worst individual outfits in the history of pro sports. I think the order would be the 1976 White Sox unis with the shorts, then the Vancouver Canucks “V” jersey from the 1980s, then this beauty from Ryo Ishikawa. Simply aweful. On the other hand, when the tournament is over, Ryo can head straight to the local discoteque for a swinging good time.

2. Bubba Watson

You gotta wonder if Bubba has a 12-gauge in his golf bag so he can shoot him some ducks while waiting for his partner to tee off. Otherwise, why the silly getup? Still, I must give Bubba credit for going all-out with this ensemble. He didn’t just wear these pants with a normal golf shirt and shoes. He got himself a nice military polo complete with general stars and name tag, plus black military boot-looking golf shoes. So at least he was fully committed to this fashion statement.

1. Ian Poulter

Ian Poulter is from merry old England. So why does he look like a skeezy Vegas hotel and nightclub owner named Jimmy “Shakes” Bondarelli from 1973? He really is the worst dressed golfer on the PGA Tour, isn’t he?

John Daly’s win was one of the most improbable and surprising wins in golf history.  Daly was the ninth and final alternate for the tournament and after Nick Price dropped out and no other alternate was able to make it, John got his opportunity.  Although he did not play a practice round, Daly still shot a three under 69 in the opening round.  He followed that up with rounds of 67, 69 and 71 to finish the tournament at 12 under par, three strokes better than runner-up Bruce Lietzke.

After his win, John Daly became an instant fan favorite.  His massive drives, eccentric personality and colorful wardrobe still makes him one of the most popular players on the tour to this day.

Here is a clip of Daly teeing off of a beer can.

Notable Birthdays:

Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea, WWE – Born August 11th 1953 (age 58) in Augusta, Georgia

Craig Ehlo, NBA – Born August 11th 1961 (age 50) in Lubbock, Texas

Melky Cabrera, MLB – Born August 11th 1984 (age 27) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

As for the creepy ginger, he knew that this interview was his moment of internet fame.  He could either take it by the horns, or let it slip away uneventfully.  After contemplating for several seconds, the best idea he could come up with was some shifting eyebrows.  Strangely enough, it worked.

Hat Tip – [Sports Grid]

Tiger finished Day One in fourth place, three shots behind leader John Huston, but he would take the lead on day two and never look back.  He dominated the rest of the weekend and would go on to break the four-day tournament record, shooting 18 under par (270).  His 12-stroke win over second place finisher Tom Kite was also a Masters record, as well as a major championship record.

Woods would earn $486,000 for his victory in 1997.  As for the 2011 Masters tournament champion, Charl Schwartzel, he earned $1.44-million for his victory on Sunday.  I guess golf has done quite well over the past decade, or so.  I think they can thank Tiger for that.

Here is Tiger at the 1997 Masters.

Notable Birthdays

Sergei Gonchar, NHL – Born April 13th 1974 (age 37) in Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union

Baron Davis, NBA – Born April 13th 1979 (age 32) in Los Angeles, California

Quentin Richardson, NBA – Born April 13th 1980 (age 31) in Chicago, Illinois

Tiger Woods has a new woman in his life, but unlike the many others that have been unveiled over the course of the past year, this one is actually a legitimate girlfriend, rather than an over-priced sex partner.

Alyse Lahti Johnston, a 22-year-old student at Northwood University’s West Palm Beach campus, has recently been identified as Tiger Woods’ new girlfriend, although she would prefer to characterize their relationship as something other than a serious one.

When asked about their relationship, a friend and former classmate of Alyse said the following:

“She sent a BBM to a mutual friend of ours saying she didn’t consider herself Tiger’s girlfriend.  They were just having a good time hooking up…(Alyse) is a really nice girl, smart and super friendly.  And she’s also a bit of a wild child.  She definitely likes to have fun.”

Alyse is the daughter of an executive at IMG, the sports agency currently representing Woods.  She has also expressed an interest in playing on the LPGA Tour, and was introduced to Tiger through her private golf coach.  The two have been together ever since, and one can only imagine that Woods has provided her with some tips of his own on how to “find the hole in less strokes.”

Hat Tip – [Radar Online]

John Daly has always been know for his rather odd fashion sense when it comes to the clothing he wears out on the golf course, and now it appears as though he is applying a similar tacky taste to his golf bag.

Tired of the same old bag that does nothing more than simply hold his clubs, balls and tees, Daly has decided to spice things up a bit with his latest innovation: a golf bag with a television embedded in it.  According to Daly, we should expect to see some advertisements, videos and maybe even a bit of music playing on that screen while he is out on the course.  Seems like a great idea from one of the PGA’s most recognized figures, but I know one person who will not be very pleased about this new innovation; his caddy.

Hat Tip – [Sports Crackle Pop]

It has been one long year for Tiger Woods after his private life became a public matter when he was busted for having affairs with several females while married to now ex-wife Elin Nordegren.  Since then he has had to deal with a car accident, a barrage of jokes from all angles, and a lack of success on the golf course, but not even that could suck all the humor out of this Tiger.

In an attempt to reconnect with his fans, Woods took to Twitter late last year and he appears to be having some fun with the social networking tool.  When asked by a fan what he thought about being played by Dave Chappelle during the “Racial Draft” skit on the popular comic’s hit series The Chappelle Show, Tiger responded by saying, “At least I was #1 pick back then, fo’ shizzle.”

You are still a number one pick in our books Tiger.  Fo’ Shizzle indeed!

Hat Tip – [Sportress of Blogitude]

The rule is simple, “Any persons (Except players) caught collecting golf balls on this course will be prosecuted and have their balls removed.“  Take it for what you want, the rule sounds pretty legit to me.  So next time you think about sneaking onto a golf course and look for some golf balls, remember this sign if you truly cherish your balls.