Every sport has its glory moments, and golf is no different. But with margins this thin, one mis-hit can shatter championship dreams.

At its darkest, the game has also seen tragedy strike players at the height of their powers. Here are Golf Monthly’s five most heartbreaking moments in golf.

Young Tom Morris

One of the most heartbreaking moments in golf history involved Young Tom Morris. By 21, he had already won four straight Open Championships, establishing himself as one of the game’s true prodigies.

As per Golf Monthly, one day, while playing at North Berwick alongside his father, he learned that his wife had gone into difficult labour. Just a few months later, on Christmas Day of 1875, he died from a pulmonary haemorrhage.

Payne Stewart

Winning the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst with a knee-buckling putt, then helping the United States reclaim the Ryder Cup at Brookline weeks later, Payne Stewart cemented himself as the next big star in American golf.

However, fate had different plans for him. Less than a month after winning the Ryder Cup, he was flying to a tournament in Houston when tragedy struck. His plane’s cabin failed to pressurize, leaving everyone aboard unconscious.

His aircraft flew on autopilot for hours before running out of fuel and crashing in South Dakota, k****** everyone on the plane.

Tony Lema

Tony Lema was at the peak of his career when he turned professional. He played in 18 majors and finished in the top 10 in eight of them.

He was runner-up at Augusta in 1963, and the following year, he won The Open at St Andrews on his first visit to Britain.

While flying to an exhibition near Chicago, Lema’s plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a water hazard on a nine-hole course. He, along with his wife and two pilots, died instantly in the crash.

Darren Clarke

Just six weeks before the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club, Clarke lost his wife, Heather, to breast cancer.

Many thought he would sit it out. However, he chose to tee it up, working on his swing with help from Sky Sports’ Ewen Murray and playing under captain Ian Woosnam’s guidance.

That week, he won all three of his matches, and that Friday morning remains one of the most emotional first tees the competition has ever seen.

Jarrod Lyle

Lyle is one of the most loved figures in the sport and certainly the most loved Australian in the game. He battled acute myeloid leukaemia for years during his career but never called it a day. The father of two died after his disease resurfaced.

“Thanks for your support, it meant the world. My time was short but if I’ve helped people think and act on behalf of those families who suffer through cancer, hopefully it wasn’t wasted,” Lyle’s final message before passing away.

Golf has seen both the best and worst moments in the game. However, despite the good and bad, it has remained one of the most loved sports in the world.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit