Ryan McCormick has not been having much fun this year as a professional golfer, so he decided to control his anger by taping his mouth shut.
“Been having not-so-fun times this year on the golf course. Pretty angry and mad,” he said. “So I figured I’ve tried a lot of things, and I just figured I’d shut myself up. So I put tape over my mouth.”
Did it work? Not judged on his score. After opening with a 1-over 73 at the Club Car Championship, he posted a 72 on Saturday (AEST) and missed the cut.
McCormick, relegated back to the developmental Korn Ferry Tour after a year on the PGA Tour in 2024, has only played the weekend three times in six starts and has yet to finish in the top 40.
He said he has read books and talked to people. Nothing seems to work.
Ryan McCormick with tape on his mouth.Credit: Getty Images
“I’ve run out of ideas, and I thought about the tape thing a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “So just unfortunately it came down to that today. I was hoping maybe it would help me. Can’t say that it did or didn’t.
New golf attire? … Batman villain Bane with his face maskCredit: DC
“I was hoping maybe that it would help me. Can’t say that it did or didn’t. It certainly makes you breathe. I felt like Bane, like Batman, muzzle myself.
“I mean, I’m not like proud. I don’t want to create an experience for my playing partners that’s not fair. And, you know, it’s not fair to me either or other people. Having a tough time, and that was my solution today.
“At this point, I’ve tried about everything. I’ve read a lot of books. I’ve talked to people. Just too angry on the golf course. So I have run out of ideas.”
When he was asked how he discussed on-course issues with his caddie he said: “Mostly just writing down the numbers,” he said. “I would just point and ask for a read sometimes. It made things a lot simpler.”
AP
