It's one thing to heckle the best player in the world -- Tiger Woods is used to it and it comes with the high profile. It's something entirely different to heckle the world No. 2 a month after learning his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. But that's exactly what happened to Phil Mickelson at Bethpage Black Sunday. According to Newsday, one fan called Phil "fat," while another noted, "Time to raise some money, Phil," apparently in reference to the recent news about Amy Mickelson. Classy, I know.
Look, all else equal, heckling is relatively harmless. Sure, it might occasionally rile up golfers not used to the abuse (as it were), but it also helps us keep things in perspective: golf is a game, it's not a congressional hearing.
When heckling, discretion is obviously important, but alcohol -- also a heckling staple -- counteracts common sense and good judgment. Which is why the USGA changed the beer policy mid-tournament:
The rowdiness that prompted Woods to shush fans Saturday night carried over into U.S. Open play Sunday. The USGA shut down beer stands at 6 p.m. - 15 minutes earlier than Saturday - but there they were at the first tee Sunday at 6:30 p.m., a dozen fans mercilessly ripping every golfer who teed off to start the fourth round.Yep, that's right, the USGA shut down beer sales 15 minutes early. Problem solved. There are mitigating circumstances, of course. Save a hurricane, the weather couldn't have been worse. And fans, with nothing else to do between stoppages of play, passed time by downing beers.
Despite a few isolated incidents (fans jeered Ian Poulter for his pastel ensemble, although it's not clear they were drunk, possibly just offended), the New York State Police said that they had made no arrests, and the USGA had the foresight to have cabs on site to take fans from the grounds once play ended. One tiny oversight: the unintended consequences of good intentions:
[Steve Dash, vice president for operations for Long Island Yellow Cab] said the USGA has made the drinking problem worse by not allowing cabs to queue up near the taxi stand on Winding Road. The result on Saturday was drunken fights over scarce rides, said Charles Kappauf, operations manager for the cab company.The real loser in all this? Sergio Garcia, who was ripped (and re-ripped) mercilessly in 2002, the last time the Open was at Bethpage. And everybody just pretended like it didn't happen. Well, except the hecklers.
"There's some yelling, some brawling. It gets a little dicey," said Kappauf, who's on site trying to control the crowds. "They don't form a line. They form a mob."
Comments (Page 1 of 11)
Simple solution: Beer and other alcohol has no place at golf tournaments. The only reason it's sold there, or at any other sporting event, is to serve as an income generator for whoever stands to profit. In this case it's the PGA. People have become cruder, ruder and generally less genteel overall in the best of sober conditions, and adding alcohol to the mix merely aggravates the problem. Cut out the beer sales, PGA, and you'll not suffer one iota in fan attendance. Instead, you'll attract many more wholesome and decently behaved fans, while the sots can stay home and be annoying in front of their own televisions. But when you choose to place profit before prestige, you'll lose every time.
GREED,this is a no brainier Stop the sale of alcohol or remove the drunks
The US Open is a USGA event, not PGA.
I say sell Everclear if you want to, but allow the players to carry one club specifically for beating drunk specatators who choose to heckle in bad taste. Not only will you have less hecklers, but I guarantee more money will be made in viewership than could ever be imagined through the sale of alcohol...
It's not the PGA for the U.S. Open...it's the USGA. But, I get your idea.
beer has nothing to do with this! golf is not a sport. you do not see anyone that is fit or athletic, and its booooooooooooring!
Nothing wrong with alcohol at golf tournaments....the rule should be no New Yorker's at golf tournaments.
Hay nitwit, for one thing the PGA didn't run the tournament, the USGA did. For another thing, a great deal of that "beer profit" goes to local charities. Have enough security like they do in ballparks, and remove the people that can't act responsible.
I'm an adult and enjoy adult beverages. "throw out the bums" should be the rule rather than to hamper the responsible people. It'll be a significantly smaller problem if held in someplace besides New York (but then again holding it in New York does generate more revenue!)
I agree. There are always those Hooligans that have no sign of good sense or common curtesy. Not only should the beer be stopped but the jerks should be escorted off the golf course. Even the rowdy ones who are not drinking should be escorted off. Golf is not the place for these kind of antics. Take it to a baseball field or a football game.
Why take it to ANY other game or sport? Why not just learn to behave in public? We have parents being banned from kids' games because they cause riots, drivers exiting their cars to punch other drivers, "fans" who act as if they have a divine calling to ruin the very sport for which they profess loud loyalty. If people have too much of a sense of entitlement or too few manners to police themselves, then it's time we started doing it for them and removing the idiots from the games. Any games. Rooting for your own team or favorite player is fine, but heckling, insulting and provoking any player within earshot just because your mouth works better than your brain is not.
ITS A GAME,PHIL IS FAT, I THINK BRINGING HIS WIFE INTO IT WAS WRONG. THINK ABOUT THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER WHO GOT A BUS LOAD OF SCREAMING RUG RATS DRIVING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN PASS ON SNOW COVERED ROADS. NOW THATS PRESSURE.ITS A GAME AND IF A PRO GOLFER CANT HANDLE IT THEN MAYBE HE REALLY AINT A PRO GOLFER.CANT STAND THE HEAT THEN GO AWAY. THE ELITE PEOPLE,A$$HOLES, TRY TO MAKE GOLF SOME THING THAT IT ISNT. ITS JUST A GAME.
Rick said...
Leave it to an American audience to produce rude, insensative, behavior.
Do we witness this kind of crap from, say, the British venues? It's an AMERICAN embarrassment!
Hey Rick, you've never seen riots at soccer games in Europe or South America?
You're the "American embarrassment."
It was a while back I read where a fan said to Phil Mickelson as he was on the tee box, "hey Phil (at this time Phil smiled and waved his hand), nice t*ts"! I am not here to critique Phil's or anyone elses anatomy, and at my age I can relate to the meaning of man boobs. This comment by the spectator was way below the belt and it was my understanding there was a bit of laughter that went with it. When Phil's wife was diagnosed with breast cancer I assumed anyone that remembered this comment might be just a little bit humbled, I am humbled that I would have expected we humans should have gotten it. This comment by a specator that Phil needs to raise some money (because of her procedure) leaves me not knowing what to think. I cannot change the world and this helps me to be more aware of my compassion, still I am a believer in what goes around comes around.......
Leave it to an American audience to produce rude, insensative, behavior.
Do we witness this kind of crap from, say, the British venues? It's an AMERICAN embarrassment!
30 years ago the scum would have been quietly beaten to....but them again such classless scum would have never been at a tournament 30 years ago.
It ain't the beer. Every state has a few bad apples. New York just has more than most.
It is not golf fans, it is NEW YORK golf fans. I vote no more Bethpage for 100 years
I agree. Classless New Yorkers would act the same even with no beer sales at all.
Agree. This NY crowd is as nasty as the Arizona crowd was earlier this year. These people need to go to a football game or hockey game and leave golf alone. REALLY nasty and zero class.