Look, we’re in the content game. We applaud most of the golfers on this list making headlines—that is usually good for business. When Bryson DeChambeau’s rules situation went viral at the British Open, it brought us insane engagement on our social handles, views on our website, all that. Hatred is one of the strongest human emotions, and golf is no stranger to it.

So when we saw this list published recently by Rotowire, it was intriguing. It matches a lot of the ‘content kings’ who bring a ton of engagement our way.

We’ll run down the top 10 in reverse chronological order … again because we’re content people. There were only a few surprises to us:

10. Tyrrell Hatton

We would’ve assumed golf’s angriest star would be beloved by many for his cheeky comments and emotional outbursts—especially by fans in the United Kingdom, who have rooted him on in Ryder Cup victories. But Hatton it seems like he’s making headlines nearly every time he plays, so maybe folks are getting fed up with his antics.

9. Billy Horschel

One of golf’s fieriest competitors has been rather quiet recently, so he was a surprise to see on this list. Especially since he never made a Ryder Cup, famously being snubbed in 2014 before the Americans got drubbed at Gleneagles, so the Europeans have never been rooting against him. We’d guess his fast-talking outspokenness rubs some people the wrong way.

8. Sergio Garcia

This one was not necessarily a surprise, given Sergio’s legacy in the Ryder Cup, leading the way for Europe with the most points ever by an individual. If this list was published more in the prime of Sergio’s career, we’d bet he’d be in the top three.

7. Matt Kuchar

Proof that golf fans don’t forget. This is a shocker on the surface, given the fact Kuchar’s relevance has drifted of late, playing in just 13 PGA Tour events in 2026. But he is a complicated figure for golf fans—given his apparent snubbing of the caddie in Mexico when he won the Mayakoba in 2018. That was nearly 10 years ago! Then, of course, there was the bizarre finish at the Wyndham Championship in 2024, when Kuchar refused to finish in the dark, forcing tournament organizers to extend the event into Monday … just for him.

6. Patrick Cantlay

Another one of golf’s complicated figures, Patrick Cantlay has caught the ire of golf fans on more than one occasion. It’s tough to say whether his slow play or “hat gate” from the 2023 Ryder Cup has a bigger impact on his ranking here. But the reality is that they are both big elements that, again, golf fans won’t forget.

5. Phil Mickelson

One of golf’s most beloved figures for nearly the entirety of his career, Mickelson’s legacy has taken a hit in recent years—first with the LIV and anti-PGA Tour stuff, then recently with the alleged inappropriate contact at a club where he was kicked out in his hometown. For golf fans who rooted for him hard across three decades, this is a tough one to reconcile.

4. Wyndham Clark

If you would’ve asked us during U.S. Open week, we would’ve expected him to land No. 1 on this list. The way he was treated by American golf fans at our country’s national championship is still tough to believe. But after witnessing those actions, it’s not tough to believe he’s in the top five on this list.

3. Rory McIlroy

This is a tough one to fully believe. Rory McIlroy seems to be beloved by most golf fans, so the fact he’s the third-most hated golfer in the world is one we’ll doubt. Rotowire interviewed 750 golfers for this survey … I bet if you went up to tens of thousands of people at a golf event and asked them who their favorite golfer was, McIlroy would probably be the most popular answer. Sure, he’s very famous for flip-flopping his opinions with regularity, but hated by the masses … that’s a tough one to believe.

2. Bryson DeChambeau

Golf’s No. 1 content king has really had a love/hate relationship with fans. After his U.S. Open win at Pinehurst, it seemed he had the golf world a string—and he had finally gotten in the good graces with fans. Things can change quickly. Bryson can conjure up a lot of emotion with whatever he does, with the rules fiasco at the Open being the latest thing. He’s golf’s most interesting person, and we can’t get enough of him making headlines—like we said at the top, we love it for business reasons and also for entertainment.

1. Patrick Reed

Captain America has always been a villain in golf—and we sneaky love him for it. The top-five golfer in the world comment, the shush at Gleneagles, his caddie (and brother-in-law) getting in a fight at the Presidents Cup, the rules situations, the stories from college … they all add up to being a truly complicated figure. And yeah, this isn’t necessarily a surprising one, though we love Patrick Reed as another content goat next to Bryson. We need them both back on the next Ryder Cup team.

Article originally appeared on: GolfDigest.com