Korn Ferry Tour veteran Ryan McCormick has been struggling in recent months, both on the course and with his anger.
On Friday, during Round 2 of the Club Car Championship, McCormick attempted to regain control of his emotions in a rather unconventional way: By taping his mouth shut.
The concept, which quickly went viral, was designed to quell his angry outbursts.
“Been having not-so-fun times this year on the golf course. Pretty angry and mad,” McCormick said, as transcribed by ESPN. “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.”
McCormick said he’s sought counsel from a number of people and read several self-help books but nothing worked. It was time to try something different.
But did it help?
“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,” he said. “I mean, I’m not like proud. I don’t want to create an experience for my playing partners that’s not, you know, fair. And, you know, it’s not fair to me, either, or other people. Having a tough time, and that was my solution today.”
The tape also prevents McCormick from communicating with his caddie, so he resorted to writing things down on a notepad and simply pointing.
McCormick lost his PGA Tour card in 2024 and was relegated back to the developmental Korn Ferry Tour here in 2025. His recent struggles have him no closer to returning to the PGA level.
