SAVANNAH, Georgia – Korn Ferry Tour player Ryan McCormick, struggling with his game this season, decided to take an unconventional approach to control his frustration during a recent round: he taped his mouth shut.
Video shared by the Korn Ferry Tour shows McCormick with clear tape over his mouth, explaining his unusual decision.
“I haven`t been enjoying myself much on the golf course this year. I`ve been quite angry and frustrated,” McCormick admitted after his round. “I`ve tried many solutions, and I thought, why not just silence myself? So, I put tape over my mouth.”
Following an initial round of 73, one over par, at the Club Car Championship, McCormick shot a 72 and was set to miss the cut.
McCormick explained that a key reason for this extreme measure was to avoid negatively impacting his playing partners with his frustration.
“I hoped it might help me. I can`t definitively say if it did or didn`t. It definitely makes you focus on breathing. I felt a bit like Bane, you know, like Batman, muzzling myself. I`m not exactly proud of it. I don`t want to create an unpleasant experience for my playing partners, or for myself and others. I`m having a tough time, and this was my solution for today.”
McCormick, who returned to the Korn Ferry Tour after playing on the PGA Tour in 2024, has only made the weekend cut in three out of six events this season and hasn`t finished in the top 40 yet.
He mentioned trying various self-help strategies, including reading books and seeking advice, but nothing has seemed effective.
“I`m out of ideas, and the tape idea came to me a couple of weeks ago,” McCormick said. “Unfortunately, it came to this today.”
