2004: Ian Poulter stood on the edge of water, hips on his hands, wondering what just happened. It was an usually sunny day, and Poulter was lined up for a birdie putt, only to end up with an unsuccessful attempt. The player slowly walked up, aiming to swipe his ball up from the green. What happened instead was a never-seen-before spectacle, and Poulter experiencing viral fame again 21 years later, thanks to JJ Spaun. But before we get that…

After a night of nervousness, a late-night food order, and a ‘Devil Wears Prada’ streaming session, Rory McIlroy finally made it. On Sunday, he was hours away from a 2025 Players Championship victory. The next day, he did so by pulling off a gripping three-hole playoff against J.J. Spaun—his second win at TPC Sawgrass. The dramatic final round saw McIlroy lose a three-shot lead, but regain his composure to seal the win on Monday, taking home a hefty $4.5 million from the $25 million prize pool. This triumph further solidified his legacy, placing him among golfing greats like Tiger Woods. With the 2026 tournament poised for format changes, the future of the event looks even more promising.

“By no means did I have my best stuff this week. But I was still able to win one of the biggest tournaments in the world. That’s a huge thing,” the Irish player reacted after his win. Spaun, on the other hand, was still stuck on a bewildering moment that cost him a chance at his second PGA Tour title. The incident unfolded during the tee shot on the par-3 17th—the infamous island green that saw T14 finisher Alex Smalley’s PLAYERS journey come to a close earlier. After Spaun confidently pulled out a 8-iron, he made his swing. The ball, however, had a mind of its own, landing straight into the water. Later, Spaun reacted, “But it was a great shot. It was probably six, seven feet left of the pin, just perfect if it was the right distance. I couldn’t believe it was long. It just wasn’t my luck of the gust, I guess.” Not long after, Golf Digest’s tweet about Poulter turned heads…

But some context first: During the 2004 PLAYERS Championship, Poulter was lined up for a birdie putt. But as soon as he struck it, he immediately walked knew what was wrong. The ball rolled past the hole, and in an angry response, the British player marked it before swiping at it to pick it up. But instead of just lifting the ball, Poulter inadvertently sent it flying straight into the water. Here’s where things got tricky. As he hadn’t finished the hole yet, Poulter needed to identify his ball, or he’d face a two-shot penalty. He was not going into the water himself, so his physical therapist, Kam Bhabra, came to the rescue. Kam bravely waded into the water, found the ball, and tossed it back to Poulter after 2-3 minutes of search amid a round of cheers and hoots. Poulter confirmed it was his ball and managed to roll it in for a par.

Golf Digest shared the throwback video on their official X account on March 12 and wrote, “That time Ian Poulter accidentally threw his ball into the water at the 2004 Players.” Ian Poulter shared relief about having Kam Bhabra around him, and how he thanked him for the save. He retweeted the post, and wrote, “What a complete idiot. Swiped it up in anger and I didn’t have hold of it properly. Glad Kam my physio at the time was walking around and agreed to go searching for it. Saved me a lot of money so purchased he and his wife a couple of nice watches”.

Notably, this is not the first time Poulter’s 2004 antic had caught attention. Even back in 2022, after the PGA Tour shared the video, the veteran had reacted on X, “Note to self… don’t swipe balls up in anger at The Players Championship.” 

Well, this was not the first time the difficult course of the TPC Sawgrass saw a mishap. And this surely was not the last. Even this edition of the PLAYERS Championship had a huge derail.

Bud Cauley’s gaffe at the 2025 PLAYERS

The spotlight was squarely on Rory McIlroy as the final moments of The Players Championship unfolded on Sunday evening. Fans, both on-site and at home, were all watching closely, but one competitor, Bud Cauley, found himself momentarily distracted as he battled his own challenges on the course. Cauley, who was playing in the final group alongside Lucas Glover and J.J. Spaun, had a rough start to his round. By the time he reached the par-5 16th, he was three over for the day, leaving him at eight under for the tournament—too far back to make a real run. His chances at eagle evaporated when his second shot on 16 found some tough rough left of the green, making it tough to recover.

But then, an unexpected twist. As Cauley walked toward the 16th green to play his third shot, he looked over at the 17th hole, where McIlroy, the leader by one stroke, was getting ready to hit his tee shot to the iconic island green. Cauley watched as McIlroy’s wedge shot landed just left of the flag and spun to 11 feet below the hole. What Cauley didn’t notice was Glover’s ball sitting directly in his path—until it was too late. He stepped right on it, an uncharacteristic mistake for a pro golfer, and one that was caught by NBC’s cameras, leaving fans at home wondering what the rules were in such a situation.

Luckily for Cauley, the answer was simple. In golf, if a ball is moved by an outside force—like a player stepping on it—there’s no penalty. The ball is simply replaced as close as possible to its original spot, and play continues. Had Cauley been rattled by the mishap, it certainly didn’t show. He calmly made par at 16, followed by a birdie on 17 after sticking his tee shot to six feet. Cauley finished with a two-over 74, a frustrating finish for him, but still a significant week overall, considering it was only his second time making the cut at The Players in five attempts. “I just couldn’t get it going,” Cauley said after his round. “I’d follow up a good hole with a bad hole, and as I said before, just unfortunately too many mistakes.”

And, of course, one literal misstep. It’s moments like these that make golf both unpredictable and entertaining. What do you think of Cauley’s unexpected mistake? Let us know in the comments!