Rory McIlroy, tired of heckling, wants to limit alcohol sales at PGA events
Rory McIlroy is displeased with golf galleries. Again.
The four-time major winner was apparently followed by a persistent fan Saturday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando who wouldn’t stop chiding him about his wife.
“There was one guy out there who kept yelling my wife’s name,” McIlroy, told ESPN. “I was going to go over and have a chat with him. I don’t know, I think it’s gotten a little much, to be honest. I think that they need to limit alcohol sales on the course, or they need to do something because every week, it seems like guys are complaining about it more and more.”
It’s not the first time McIlroy has been irked with fans. In February, he was frustrated with the crowds that have showed up to watch the reemergence of Tiger Woods as a competitive golfer.
“It might always have been like this, like the whole Tiger mania and these dudes, but I swear, playing in front of all that, he gives up half a shot a day on the field,” McIlroy said. … “But it’s tiring. I need a couple Advil. I’ve got a headache after all that.”
McIllroy isn’t the only one complaining about the customers. But he hasn’t gone as far as Justin Thomas. The Honda Classic winner and 2017 PGA Player of the Year actually had a fan removed from the course in February for having the nerve to cheer for his balls to go into the water and bunkers.
“I feel like there’s no place for that, and I hit it and my ball is in the air and it’s not — it’s in the middle of the fairway and he’s yelling for it to get in the bunker. I was like, okay, I’ve had enough,” Thomas said. … “I don’t care how much I dislike somebody, I’m never going to wish that kind of stuff upon them. I felt it was inappropriate, so he had to go home.”
Golf galleries and players are coming at odds. With Woods back and major championship season approaching, this is a situation that’s bound to get more tense before it gets better.
And let’s face it. Those guys who yell “mashed potatoes” at every tee box and “get in the hole” on the second shot of a par 5 are the worst.
The guy who does it during Woods’ backswing is the worst of the worst and should be removed from the course immediately.
But Thomas’ move of having a fan removed for rooting against him is shameful and laughable and deserves all the scorn it has received.
McIlroy complaining about the increased crowds that come with Woods is foolish. And it’s not good for business. Even if Woods ends up winning again at the leaderboard, the rest of the Tour players end up winning at the bank when more people are interested in the game.
Woods has dealt with the bulk of the stress of the crowds for most of his career and still managed to lap the field. His mental game is part of what makes him historically a better player than McIlroy.
Going after fans’ booze is not going to go over well either. People absolutely shouldn’t be overserved, and that’s something that’s very difficult to police. But suggestions that limit responsible drinkers who don’t cross the bounds of proper etiquette from enjoying their leisure time as paid customers how they see fit isn’t a solution.
Remove the fans who legitimately cross boundaries. Serve alcohol responsibly as an event host. And if you’re a player who gets rattled in the face of increased pressure and attention, work on your mental game. It’s part of being a professional athlete.
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