Max Homa and Chris Kirk heckled by gamblers at BMW Championship
We all appreciate fans shouting on the golf course at an event, just don’t do it during someone’s shot…
It’s bad enough to be heckled. It’s unthinkable to have spectators call out while you’re taking your shot.
That’s what happened to both Max Homa and Chris Kirk during the third round of the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields.
The pair were in the last group on Saturday afternoon, with Homa leading the tournament at the halfway stage.
On the 17th green, a fan shouted during Homa’s birdie putt. He yelled the words “Pull it”, and although Homa still made the putt.
“There was a probably drunk, I hope for his case, or else he’s just the biggest loser there is,” Homa explained.
“He was cheering and yelling at Chris for missing his putt short. One of them had $3 for me to make mine, and I got to the back of my back stroke, and he yelled, “pull it” pretty loud, and I made it right in the middle.
“Then I just started yelling at him, and then Joe [Greiner, Homa’s caddy] yelled at him.
“I love that people can gamble on golf, but that is the one thing I’m worried about. I don’t know what he had to lose. He got kicked out probably, and we were the last group.”
Fortunately for Homa, he made the birdie putt on his way to carding a one-over-par round of 71.
“[I said] that he’s a clown, with maybe another word. I don’t know what Joe yelled,” he added.
“He was a lot meaner, I think. It just was — I don’t know. Long day, I guess. Hope he has a nice night, but it just sucks when that happens, but I was happy I made it. It was rude what he did to Chris.”
Gambling on golf has become a part of the sport in recent years, with fans winning big money when picking winners.
Homa admitted that fans betting is something that he thinks about, but said the heckler in question on Saturday was a one-off.
“It’s just always something that’s on your mind. It’s on us to stay focused or whatever, but it’s just annoying when it happens.
“It’s the one thing we have in this game, fans are so great about being quiet when we play. I think they are awesome. When anybody ever talks, it’s so unintentional. They don’t know we’re hitting.
“It just sucks when it’s incredibly intentional, and his friend specifically said it was for $3 – not that the money matters, but that’s a frustrating number.”
NOW READ: Five years on from saving his career, Max Homa fires course record 62 at Olympia Fields
What do you think to the situation? Do you think Max Homa was right to have a go at the gambling heckler? Let us know your thoughts with a Tweet!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
