Everyone accepts that golf etiquette may not be as strict at the WM Phoenix Open as it might be elsewhere, and that’s ok with most people.
The constant buzz of the crowd and the eruption of noise after every tee shot at the 16th hole, for example, replaces the normal near-silence found on many golf holes around the world. Even fans getting a tad rowdy here and there at TPC Scottsdale is almost always in good fun.
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The players competing in the People’s Open have come to expect it and they say they love the atmosphere. They also say they wouldn’t want this every week but for this week, it’s all good.
However, someone, in the name of creating content, decided to take things too far. In fact, he paid a fan to take things too far on Saturday.
As Gabby Herzig of The Athletic details, a streamer named Jack Doherty was the one stirring up trouble during the third round.
Herzig also reported on the PGA Tour’s response to the incident, which led to his Doherty’s ejection from the tournament grounds.
Doherty later posted a video in which he called the whole thing “harmless” and called anyone bothered by this, and in particular tournament organizers, “soft” for kicking him out.
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And that led PGA Tour pro and frequent social-media contributor Michael Kim to respond:
“Hey Jack, just have a little bit of respect for guys trying to do their jobs. You’re the one that sounds soft for talking like a crybaby after getting kicked out of a golf tournament.”
Former PGA Tour player and Golf Channel reporter Smylie Kaufman also had an opinion:
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: WM Phoenix Open kicks out prankster for paying someone to yell at fans
Read the full article here
