Jack Nicklaus once said that “golf is 90% mental,” but in 2025, even the calmest players like Rory McIlroy lost their composure. The year delivered moments that left professionals a little embarrassed and fans laughing. From broken putters to triple driver smashes, these outbursts reminded everyone that golf’s mental game can break anyone.

Oakmont’s tough setting at the U.S. Open pushed several players past their breaking point. Other events saw comparable eruptions. These moments went viral on social media in a matter of hours, getting millions of views and a lot of comments from fans who could relate to the challenges of these great sportsmen on the weekends.

Let’s take a look at the five most memorable club-throwing moments.

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5. Rory McIlroy’s wedge toss at Oakmont – rating: 5/10

It was Round 2 of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club when Rory McIlroy’s frustration reached its peak. After missing a wedge shot on the third hole, which was a par-3, the Masters champion flung his club in disgust. The wedge bounced harmlessly off his luggage, without hurting anything, but getting a lot of attention on the internet right away.

McIlroy had already made two double bogeys in his first three holes, which put him eight over for the event. The club throw was a clear sign of his struggles on one of golf’s hardest courses. Oakmont’s greens and narrow fairways had already claimed several victims by Friday afternoon.

His desire to escape became obvious as the tournament wore on. When reporters asked him Saturday about his goals for Sunday’s final round, Rory McIlroy delivered a blunt answer. He hoped for “a round in under four and a half hours,” and leave right away. This early throw captured his mounting frustration, though more dramatic outbursts would follow before the championship ended.

The frustration was visible among the women golfers as well.

4. Maja Stark’s putter break at KPMG Women’s PGA – rating: 7/10

Maja Stark’s emotions spilled over as she went off the 15th green after having a hard time in the final round at PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch East. In anger, the current U.S. Women’s Open winner swung her putter at her golf bag. As soon as it hit, the putter head broke off, complicating things for the rest of the holes.

Stark made 38 putts in the last round, which is an average of 2.1 putts per hole. She had trouble putting all week, with 128 putts over four rounds. She had to use a wedge to finish the championship since her putter broke. This led to terrible three-putts on both the 16th and 18th holes.

Her caddie’s shocked response made the moment go viral. She threw her hands in the air as the putter head sailed by. Stark ended up in a tie for 47th place, 12 over par, which is a long way from the form she showed in the major tournament just a few weeks previously. The event brought to light how mentally taxing putting problems can be, even for major champions.

Talking about broken putters, one European legend took club destruction to a whole new level at The Open.

3. Sergio Garcia breaking his driver at The Open – rating: 8/10

Sergio Garcia was seething on the par-5 second hole of the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. He slammed his club into the ground after hitting a bad tee shot. The contact made the lower part of the broken club bounce away from him and toward his bag. This left him without one of his most crucial weapons for the rest of the round.

According to the Rules of Golf, a player can fix or keep using a broken club, but they can’t replace it if they broke it in anger. This meant that he had to finish the competition with 13 clubs.

Garcia said when he got back to the clubhouse that the break wasn’t on purpose. He said he hadn’t meant to break the club and was “surprised” to see it crack in half. He told reporters, “I’ve done that 50 times and I’ve never broken a club.” He said that the shaft broke in the middle in a way that was not expected.

Later, he changed his strategy after losing his driver and played well for the rest of the round, scoring his lowest score of the week with a 3-under 68.

But hold on, Rory wasn’t done with his Oakmont show yet. The internet gave him a standing ovation for his second act.

2. Rory McIlroy’s boomerang club throw – rating: 9/10

The grand slam winner gave not only one but two moments, and interestingly, both came from the same event we talked about earlier. It was so smooth that it made it second in the list.

Rory McIlroy threw his club in the last round at Oakmont, and it was one of the cleanest tosses in recent memory. His wedge hit his bag and bounced perfectly back to him. The moment that broke the laws of physics went viral right away, with fans and experts alike praising how precise it was. McIlroy collected the returning club with ease, as if he had planned the whole thing out.

The boomerang throw came after another frustrating shot, where McIlroy finished 10 over and well outside contention. He had already broken a tee marker and flung several clubs by Sunday. This throw was both athletic and funny, which made it instantly memorable.

But the most aggressive display of 2025 came from an unexpected source at Detroit Golf Club.

1. Stephan Jaeger’s triple driver smash – rating: 9.5/10

Back in June, Stephan Jaeger hit the unusual triple driver smash during the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Friday at the Detroit Golf Club. The German golfer hit his driver into the tee box three times in a row with incredible force after his tee ball went left on the par-5 fourth hole. The club didn’t break even after being hit three times.

The PGA Tour Live commentary did a great job of capturing the scene, pointing out Jaeger’s clear strength and anger. The triple smash went viral right away, getting hundreds of thousands of views in just a few hours.

Jaeger miraculously recovered from his bad drive to birdie the hole. He struck a recovery shot close to the green and got up and down for an improbable four. The comeback added another layer to the story, proving that professionals can be strong even when they are upset. The triple smash was the most important moment of 2025 for destroying a club. It was full of intensity, survival, and final redemption.

These five moments showed how golf is a unique mix of skill and emotion. While many thought it was disrespectful, most fans could relate to the challenges of these top athletes. These pros reminded everyone that golf is still the most mentally tough game, whether they threw clubs or broke them.