“He’s got a hole in his heart" - University golf coach drops major statement on Rory McIlroy's heckler and the consequences he's facing
Earlier this week, on Tuesday at The Players, Rory McIlroy had a strange incident with a fan. He missed a shot on the 18th, and the ball went straight into the water.
A fan named Luke Potter, who himself is an amateur golfer studying at the University of Texas, heckled the World No. 2 and shouted, "Just like 2021 at Augusta," at McIlroy's shot.
However, McIlroy did not let it go, and he snatched the fan's phone before continuing with his game. Potter was escorted out of the venue and reportedly even wrote an apology letter to the four-time Major winner.
Amidst all this, University of Texas Coach John Fields opened up about the incident. He said (via Golf.com):
“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," he added.
However, Fields did not reveal if any disciplinary action was taken against Potter. He noted that along with Rory McIlroy, Potter also wrote an apology letter to Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and the director of The PGA Tour University, Brendan von Doehren.
Meanwhile, The Players Championship started with its opening round on Thursday, March 13, and McIlroy had a decent start to his game at the event.
A look into Rory McIlroy's performance at The Players Championship
Finally, this week's game at TPC Sawgrass started its first round on Thursday, March 13, and Rory McIlroy played a decent round of 5-under 67. He started the game with a birdie on the first hole before adding one more on the second.
But the good start had a little hiccup on the par-3 third hole as he ended up making a bogey on it. He again struggled and carded a bogey on the seventh but quickly bounced back with a birdie on the ninth.
Meanwhile, on the back nine, McIlroy carded three back-to-back birdies from the 10th to the 12th and finally wrapped up by making another birdie on the 18th for a solid round of 5-under 67.
He settled in a tie for fourth after the first round at 5-under with Min Woo Lee, Billy Horschel, Akshay Bhatia, and Max McGreevy. However, the opening round of the tournament was abruptly suspended due to darkness on Thursday, with five players remaining to complete their game. The play will resume on Friday, March 14, at 8:50 a.m. ET.