Justin Thomas under fire after what a hot mic caught him telling a fan
Justin Thomas used an incredible approach shot to set up a birdie on the 18th hole to force a playoff, then birdied the hole again in sudden death to defeat Luke List and take home the title Sunday at the Honda Classic.
But it wasn’t Thomas’ outstanding play that made headlines after the competition. It was Thomas having a fan ejected from the tournament for something the fan said after the golfer hit his tee shot on the 16th hole.
“We were walking up on the tee and this guy, I don’t know who he was talking to, but sounds like it was me. He said something like, ‘I hope you hit it in the water, hit it in the water,’ something like that. I just kind of like looked back there. Didn’t say anything,” Thomas said Sunday, according to Sporting News.
“Just, again, 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, ‘OK, I’ve had enough.’ So I just turned around and asked who it was, and he didn’t want to say anything, now that I had actually acknowledged him. So he got to leave a couple holes early.”
"Who said that? Who was cheering for that ball to get in the bunker? Was that you?"
"You're done, buddy, you're gone."A fan pulls for Justin Thomas' drive to get in a bunker. You then hear someone (Thomas' caddie? or course security?) identify him. pic.twitter.com/piGiWDbtww
— Hayes Permar (@DHPIV) February 25, 2018
CBS’ microphones caught Thomas asking, “Who said that?” moments after his tee shot on the 16th. He was then heard saying, “Enjoy your day buddy, you’re gone.”
Thomas said the fan was acting inappropriately, especially when considering what is expected of galleries at golf tournaments.
“I don’t want to kick someone out just to kick them out,” Thomas said. “It’s just it’s so inappropriate. We’re out here trying to win a golf tournament. I would have done it if he said it to Luke.
“Just because you’re standing behind the ropes doesn’t mean that you can — 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.”
Thomas’ reaction to the heckler generated quite a debate on Twitter. Some fans said people who root against golfers have no place at a tournament. One fan also said the PGA Tour hasn’t done enough to control unruly crowds at some events.
But many fans were critical of what Thomas did, saying if the heckler didn’t interrupt Thomas during his swing, they saw no problem with what was said.
Others believe Thomas has opened himself up for further heckling down the road.
Some golfers complained about fan behavior at last year’s Honda Classic, which also led to fans being ejected.
“When it gets a little bit out of hand, then it becomes a little bit too much of a party time,” Sergio Garcia said prior to this year’s event. “The people have to realize that, yeah we’re trying to make sure they have a good time, but if they are making it harder for us to create good golf, it’s tougher for them to enjoy it, too.”
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