American golfer Ryan McCormick taped his mouth during a Korn Ferry Tour event in Savannah on Sunday in an unusual attempt to control emotional outbursts amid ongoing struggles on the course.
McCormick, who competed on the PGA Tour in 2024, made headlines during this week’s tournament at The Landings Golf and Athletic Club in Georgia by applying tape across his mouth during play. The 33-year-old later explained the decision came after a series of emotional challenges throughout the year.
“Been having not-so-fun times this year on the golf course. Pretty angry and mad,” McCormick told the tour’s social media team. “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.”
Despite the attention his unusual method received, McCormick was unable to turn his form around. He shot a 1-over 73 in the first round, followed by a 72, and missed the cut.
McCormick turned professional in 2014 and has been searching for answers to recent struggles. He mentioned that he had read books and spoken to others in an effort to improve both his game and mindset.
“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.”
A key motivation for the move, McCormick said, was to avoid negatively affecting others in his playing group.
“Having a tough time, and that was my solution today,” he said.
McCormick’s taped-mouth approach may not have improved his score, but it drew attention to the emotional toll professional golf can take, particularly for players fighting to return to the sport’s top tier.
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