Worst sporting moments of 2021

Wedge game. 💯

A near hole-out and big smile from @TigerWoods. pic.twitter.com/jJgXdZcfin

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 19, 2021

Remarkably golf’s number one name has made a comeback to the sport in recent weeks playing alongside his son in the PNC Championship, but it remains to be seen if he will be able to ever again compete for major championships.

Euro 2020 final

As if losing to Italy on penalties was not bad enough, the racism directed at some of England’s players and the chaotic scenes in and around Wembley ensured the Euro 2020 final will go down as a shameful moment in English football history.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were bombarded with racist abuse on social media after their misses in the shoot-out, while more than 20 “near-misses” which could have resulted in serious injury or death were identified in a review of the reckless behaviour of ticketless individuals who tried, and in some cases succeeded, to gain entry to the stadium.

As one of the worst sporting moments of 2021, England’s chances of hosting a major tournament in the near future appear to be up in smoke.

However, Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions could provide one of the best sporting moments of 2022 if able to go one better in Qatar and England are the 13/2 third favourites for glory in the middle east.

Ryder Cup defeat

Europe went into their defence of the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits as underdogs given the strength of the United States team, but few could have imagined the result proving so overwhelmingly one-sided.

Padraig Harrington’s side slumped to a record 19-9 defeat as a US team boasting 12 players all ranked inside the world’s top 21 lived up to their reputations and laid down a worrying marker for future contests.

England’s Test troubles

It has been a chastening year for England’s red-ball cricketers who have won only five of the 14 Test matches they have played in 2021.

Having started the year with a 2-0 series win away in Sri Lanka, England have come off second best in their next three series and ended the year with a humiliating Ashes defeat.

Despite Joe Root’s prolific summer they managed to win just one Test against both New Zealand and India on home soil this summer and the year has been hallmarked by some cataclysmic batting collapses and selection gaffes from under-fire head coach Chris Silverwood.

Rahm suffers double Covid-19 blow

Jon Rahm looked set to make a successful defence of his title in the prestigious Memorial Tournament after completing his third round with a six-shot lead, only to be told before he left the 18th green that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and had to withdraw.

The world number one bounced back brilliantly to win his first major title in the US Open 15 days later, only to test positive again shortly before the Olympics and have to miss the Games in Tokyo.

Rahm is 9/1 favourite to defend his US Open crown in 2022, while the same odds are available on him collecting a first Green Jacket in the year’s opening major.

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