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.
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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.”
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