AI lies and fake news are taking over golf social media

I am a self-confessed golf geek. It means that I consume as much info on social media as I can find. And I cannot possibly be the only golf fan who has been struck by the proliferation of utter nonsense that we are being subjected to. Call it click-bait, call it fake news. Call it whatever you want. What I want to know is how the hell they get away with it.

Let me give you a couple of examples that I have stumbled across on Facebook.

This one came from something called Golf World News:

"The footage they didn’t want you to see! The golf world is in absolute uproar after leaked footage of Rory McIlroy’s explosive meltdown surfaced online - showing a side of the star fans were never meant to see. The shocking clip allegedly captures a heated confrontation in the parking lot where McIlroy can be seen furiously shouting at officials and team members after a tense finish. 

"Insiders claim the video, which was quickly taken down, exposes just how deep the emotions - and divisions - ran inside Team Europe during the event. PGA sources are reportedly scrambling to contain the fallout as fans demand answers. One thing’s for sure - this footage has rewritten everything we thought we knew about the Ryder Cup’s most dramatic moment."

Where to begin? 

I have pretty intimate knowledge of the golf world and I can assure you all that we are not in uproar. You will also note that the supposed video referred to was "quickly taken down" - that’s because it never existed. 

Divisions within Team Europe? Did the people who wrote this rubbish actually watch the Ryder Cup? This was arguably the most united European team we have ever seen. It all just makes my blood boil. If there were divisions then they existed within the American team.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

To be honest, Golf World News is a serial offender. 

I have just read another Facebook post in which they highlight how today’s leading players allegedly spend their money and talks about a "world of outrageous wealth, excess and pure indulgence." Apparently many of them live in huge houses, own yachts, fast cars and, shock horror, some even have second homes. 

Of course they live in big houses, wear expensive watches and buy luxury cars, but what Golf World News fails to point out is that most of these same golfers donate millions of dollars to charities and to their own charitable trusts. 

Tommy Fleetwood has pledged $6m to establish a network of homes and learning centres that will create safe housing and educational facilities for more than 1,000 underprivileged children. Justin Rose almost single-handedly saved women’s golf in Europe at his own expense.

McIlroy features again in a "story" posted by Fairway Legends. You will love this one:

"BREAKING NEWS: A sudden injury photo of Rory McIlroy has left fans worried and confused. Many fear this could mark the end of his peak career. But the golf superstar immediately reassured everyone: he’s fine! And he shared five words that made everyone exclaim in surprise." Those five words were allegedly: "Don’t worry, Im all good."

Of course he is all good. To be absolutely clear, the image of McIlroy that accompanied this work of fiction showed him with his right foot in a surgical boot - and was taken when he injured himself ahead of the 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews!

Then there was this from Golf Swing Elite:

"Rory McIlroy explodes on live TV - the brutal attack that left America stunned! Rory McIlroy did not hold back during his latest monologue, launching a brutal attack on Fox News personality Pete Hegseth. In a shocking moment that had the audience roaring, McIlroy didn’t mince his words, calling Hegseth a ‘five-star douche’."

Guess what? It never happened. I would be surprised if McIlroy even knows who Pete Hegseth is.

McIlroy seems to be a serial target. There was this another from Fairway Legends: 

"He's just a low-level golfer - those were the exact words Richard Gere uttered, and the situation immediately became extremely tense. Gere showed indifference to McIlroy's success in winning the Ryder Cup, bringing glory to Ireland. Barely ten minutes after the show ended, McIlroy posted a ten-word comment, but it was enough to make Gere blush and spark outrage on social media." To be absolutely clear, Gere said no such thing.

Then there was the claim that McIlroy had left a waitress a $900 tip on a $60 bill. The previous week Andy Murray and Max Verstappen left exactly the same tip on exactly the same bill. To the same waitress!

And then there was the news that Fleetwood and his wife, Clare, are expecting their second child. Erm, how can I put this? Clare Fleetwood is 57 years old!

Perhaps the most absurd of all comes from SportNova which tells us that Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch have all quit LIV Golf and rejoined the PGA Tour, where they have been welcomed back with open arms. According to SportNova, the players describe LIV as a dying tour and say they that payments have either been delayed or not made at all. It is beyond belief because it is not happening. 

There are many who will dismiss all of this as harmless nonsense but the most concerning thing for me is reading the comments, something that makes it clear that many, many gullible people believe everything they read. Let’s hope they haven’t bought Tommy and Clare any baby clothes!

And then there is AI, an abomination of our times because you simply cannot believe anything you see now. 

A video has emerged of McIlroy declaring that he is finished with competing in America. It has been viewed more than 17 million times. Again, it is a work of fiction but the worrying thing is that after the abuse he received at the Ryder Cup it is believable. The mannerisms, the voice, the words - to all intents and purposes it is McIlroy. Except that it isn’t.

I suppose that nothing I see or read on social media should surprise me but there really needs to be greater accountability and better policing of this absurd content.