A shot of the year award category will, no doubt, cause some debate amongst your golfing buddies and, when it comes to the best shots of 2024, it's no exception.
Whether it's Major Championships, PGA Tour events or LPGA Tour tournaments, the year has been littered with high quality moments and, below, we at Golf Monthly HQ reveal our ten favourite contenders (plus a few that some pros would rather forget)...
Now, we must stress that there are some shots that haven't made the list and that this is all for fun. What's more, given the amount of shots that have been played in 2024, there are bound to be some which we have missed.
So, without further ado, let's reveal the contenders for the Golf Shot Of The Year 2024...
Golf Shot Of The Year 2024 Nominees
- Bryson DeChambeau - 72nd hole bunker shot at US Open
- Robert MacIntyre - 72nd hole birdie putt at Genesis Scottish Open
- Lydia Ko - Road Hole approach shot at AIG Women's Open
- Byeong Hun An - Driver off the deck at 15th hole during final round of Genesis Championship
- Si Woo Kim - Flop shot hole-out at Presidents Cup
- John Catlin - Hole-in-one at JCB Golf Club's 17th hole
- Lilia Vu - Approach at final hole of Solheim Cup to win the title
- Alejandro Tosti - drove the island green on the 13th hole at the PGA Championship
- Rasmus Hojgaard - holed bunker shot at par-4 17th at the Irish Open.
- Nelly Korda - Smooth 5-iron to 2-feet for tap-in eagle at Solheim Cup
The Results
10. Alejandro Tosti
The short par-4 13th at Valhalla Golf Club, host of the 2024 PGA Championship, is one that can be played in a couple of different ways. Lay up for a nice easy wedge shot onto the green, or take it on for all the glory.
Big-hitting Alejandro Tosti did just that, flushing one right out of the middle with an impressive 180-mph ball speed. He then went on to hole the eagle putt from short range - completing one of the most impressive twos in the 2024 season.
9. Robert MacIntyre
Having previously interviewed Robert MacIntyre earlier in his career, I know first-hand how important winning the Scottish Open was to the Scotsman. Earlier this year, he played some superb golf to reach the 72nd green tied with Adam Scott on 17-under-par.
With Scott already in the clubhouse, MacIntyre stalked a birdie putt that would hand him the title. From around X feet, MacIntyre set the ball rolling in front a tense crowd of fans and as it started to slow by the right side of the cup it softly tumbled in to an eruption of noise. Putter thrown, emotion outpouring. Absolute scenes.
8. John Catlin
It might appear to be a questionable decision to rank a hole-in-one in eighth place, but when you consider the context of the tournament and Catlin's position on the leaderboard – I hope you can forgive me.
Catlin arrived at the scenic par-3 17th, at the JCB Golf and Country Club, sitting in 41st place at one-over-par for the round. From the raised tee box, he sent the ball on its way to island green with a silky smooth swing. The ball took a friendly hop to the right, off the bank situated at the side of the green, before snaking its way into the bottom of the cup. Perhaps the greatest super-sub since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
7. Nelly Korda
Nelly Korda has completely dominated Women's golf this year, winning seven times in a season that will go down in history. There will have been so many shots that I could have picked for Korda, but I went with this sweet 5-iron at the Solheim Cup.
The poster star for Team USA, Korda struck a perfectly executed 5-iron to around 2-feet from the hole at the 14th, leaving a tap in eagle and delivering a hammer blow to the morale of Team Europe in the process. Superhuman!
6. Byeong Hun An
Byeong Hun (Ben) An teed it up on the DP World Tour in Korea during the latter stages of 2024, trying to end a nine-year wait for a top tier tour title. On the 15th hole of the final round, Ben An gambled on driver off the deck, from a wet fairway up to a raised green with water down the left side. Gulp!
The ball soared through the air towards the flag, landing softly on the front edge before feeding its way past the pin to leave a makeable putt inside 10-feet. Easy as that... oh, and of course he went on to win his second DP World Tour title.
5. Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko played some fantastic golf on the Old Course at St. Andrews, and to be honest I could just as easily have included her bunker shot on the 16th hole of her final round as she battled to a Major victory at the AIG Women's Open.
Instead, I went for the approach shot at the road hole (17th). In the teeming rain, Ko, in a three-way tie for the lead, pulled a wood from her bag and fired an aggressive shot through the mist. The ball scampered up towards the green, momentarily flirting with the edge of the famous bunker guarding the putting surface, before settling safely to leave a birdie putt.
4. Si Woo Kim
Si Woo Kim entered the 16th hole at the Presidents cup, alongside team mate Tom Kim, one down to formidable American opponents, Xander Schuaffele and Patrick Cantlay. With a filthy lie on the side of a steep hill, stuck in tangly rough and perilously close to a bunker below, Si Woo Kim decided to go upstairs.
With soft hands and deft touch, Si Woo hit a beautiful flop shot which took a soft bounce and rolled proudly into the hole. The galleries exploded into rapturous applause, while Si Woo Kim fully commited to what I can only describe as the type of celebration a Premier League footballer would be proud of. The magic of team golf!
3. Rasmus Hojgaard
Rasmus Hojgaard, desperately attempting to rectify the disappointment of missing out on a PGA Tour card the season before, was a man on a mission at the end of the 2024 season. Entering the week after a 3rd place finish at the British Masters, the young Dane produced one of the most impressive back-nine displays of the season to pip McIlroy to the Irish Open title.
The highlight of a returning 31 was a holed bunker shot from over the back of the green on the 71st hole of his tournament. That secured the second of three consecutive birdies to close his tournament and secure a 5th DP World Tour title in dramatic fashion.
2. Lilia Vu
Another highlight from an incredible Solheim Cup, but this time it comes courtesy of Lilia Vu. With Team USA needing just half a point to win, Lilia Vu stepped up to hit her approach shot into 18th green, with just a wedge in hand.
A crisp strike and penetrating ball flight appeared to take an age to reach its destination, as the crowd held its breath in anticipation. A hard kick forwards on the first bounce, followed by a soft hit on the breaks and a little check towards the hole set up the easiest birdie putt for Team USA. Celebrations were led by team captain Stacy Lewis, as she watched on from the side, before Lilia duly obliged and tapped in the short putt to seal victory.
1. Bryson DeChambeau
We are finally here, at what is (in my humble opinion) the golf shot of the year 2024. With Rory McIlroy already in the clubhouse, after missing a short putt for par on the 72nd hole at the US Open, Bryson DeChambeau was faced with a long greenside bunker shot that looked almost impossible to get close.
Holding a one-shot lead at the time, he just had to get the ball up-and-down to win another Major title. As the crowd fell silent, Bryson thumped the sand with the sole of his wedge and sent the ball hurtling towards the flag. A strong first kick forwards, followed by a controlled roll towards the hole, left DeChambeau a short putt to win the US Open. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Moments To Forget...
In the interest of parity, let's look at some of the less impressive moments of the season. However, as I am in the Christmas spirit, there won't be a ranking per se. Instead, let's appreciate that while there are many highs in this special sport, there are also inevitables lows.
The resilience that these top professionals show to carry on in the face of adversity is admirable, setting a great example for golfers around the world. It's always about the next shot after all.
Sebastian Soderberg
Things went from bad to worse for Soderberg in the final round of the Scandinavian Mixed, throwing away an eight shot lead to miss out by one shot to Linn Grant. Overall, however, it was a good season for the Swede with six top-10 finishes in 2024. One to watch next year.
Rory McIlroy's putt on the 72nd hole at the US Open
Having already introduced this above, I won't dwell too much on the details. Ultimately, a short putt to save par was the requirement as he battled for a first Major win in ten years. Sadly, it wasn't to be, but impressively he recouped to finish the season with four top-3 finishes in his last five starts including a sixth Race To Dubai title.
Tiger Woods shank at the Genesis Invitational
As a huge Tiger fan, I always get excited when he returns to tee it up after a break from the game, and the Genesis Invitational was no different. While I have come to accept that the glory days are behind us with regards to Tiger, I still love to watch him play golf... but even I didn't expect his stone-cold shank.
An inexplicable shank from the 18th fairway left onlookers stunned, with Woods struggling to recover as he recorded a closing bogey. He explained that the cause was a back spasm, but that is the only time in my life I have ever been able to relate to Tiger Woods, so it deserves a mention on this list.
Scottie Scheffler topped snap hook at Royal Troon
Speaking of relatable moments in the 2024 golfing calendar, that brings me to the final entry into this year's record. Scottie Scheffler, World No.1 and two-time Masters Champion, stood on the 18th tee at Royal Troon for the Open Championship - and hit a horrible toppy snap hook!
Between the club drop, the audible sigh and the toptracer line heading low and left, everything added up to offer a stark reminder that Scheffler is in fact human and all amateur golfers watching the coverage will have taken a fleeting moment to feel sympathy for his frustrations.
