University of Texas golfer Luke Potter apologized after he was removed from the grounds at TPC Sawgrass for rudely heckling Rory McIlroy.
Potter was removed last Friday on the 18th hole of TPC Sawgrass. After McIlroy hit his drive into the water on the 18th hole, Potter made a reference to the 2011 Masters, when he had a meltdown on the back-9 in his last round, and ended up shooting an 80, and the downhill spiral started when he hit a ball into the water. McIlroy walked over to Potter, asked to see his phone, and walked away without giving it back. The video of this has gone viral all over social media.
After his phone was returned, he was asked about the incident by a Golf Channel reporter. Potter replied with “Look, I just made a mistake, and I take ownership for it. I apologize for it. That’s about all that needs to be said… It’s just a good learning experience. Yeah, I apologize.”
Texas Golf Coach John Fields was asked about Potter, he said, “He’s got a hole in his heart. He had no idea that what was coming out of his mouth was going to result in this fashion. With regards to our University of Texas program, I mean it’s an embarrassing moment. It is particularly sensitive to me because our program is built on respect for the game, and I would tell you that we coach 18- to 22-year-olds on a normal basis and they don’t always make the right call, and that’s my responsibility as a coach, and when they do make a mistake, it’s a learning moment.”
Potter received some backlash for his response as it did not seem as sincere as many people think he should be.
Potter and Fields both wrote apology letters to McIlroy, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monohan, and lots of others. Fields is yet to come out and say if Potter will have any sort of punishment for his actions. Although he has not officially said, there are rumors going around that he will not receive any discipline.
On the contrary, McIlroy is also receiving backlash for how he handled the situation. Along with taking Potter’s phone, in a post-round press conference he was asked about the situation but refused to speak on his actions, along with Potter’s actions. Many people are saying that McIlroy responded in a childish manner and if he is getting paid millions of dollars to play golf, then he needs to be able to take some light heckling.
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/44241364/texas-potter-apologizes-heckling-mcilroy-tpc-sawgrass
https://golf.com/news/rory-mcilroy-players-championship/
