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Max Homa was at the center of a drunken fan interaction on Saturday evening at the BMW Championship, when he and his playing partner were heckled by golf bettors during their swing, and he made sure to sound off after his round.
“There was a probably drunk — I hope, for his case, or else he's just he biggest loser there is — but he was cheering and yelling at Chris for missing his putt short,” Homa said, per The Associated Press. “And he kept yelling — 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.
Homa is concerned about the idea of hecklers that bet on golf trying to influence the action, especially towards the end of a tournament day.
“I love that people can gamble on golf, but that is the one thing I'm worried about,” Homa said. “I don't know what he had to lose. He got kicked out probably, and we were the last group.”
Golf and tennis are two sports that have a specific emphasis on the gentlemanly rules of respect. There is an expectation of silence during a backswing or putt preparation, and Homa gave props to the vast majority of fans for normally incident-free play.
“It's just always something that's on your mind,” Homa said of fans shouting. “It's on us to stay focused or whatever, but it's just annoying when it happens. … Fans are so great about being quiet when we play. I think they are awesome. When anybody ever talks, it's so unintentional.
Homa is hoping to play uninterrupted in Sunday's final round, when he tees off shortly before 2 PM EST. He is currently sitting at 9-under par, and two strokes behind c0-leaders Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick as he looks to make a final run for the title.
