Mardy Fish x Lake Tahoe Golf Championship (ACC) Saga: What exactly happened that possibly made him lose the event?
Mardy Fish was leading the Lake Tahoe Golf Championship, competing head-to-head with NBA legend Stephen Curry.
However, as the tennis star prepared to take his final shot of the day on the 18th hole, someone, most likely a spectator, shouted out loud, distracting Fish and causing him to whack a ball that went totally off the greens. He eventually lost the tournament by two strokes to Curry.
Mardy Fish finished the hole in five shots, resulting in a bogey. If he birdied the last hole, he would have tied with Stephen Curry, and the two would have fought in a playoff to determine the tournament winner.
However, an unexpected diversion from the fans' gallery distracted Fish and caused him to lose his focus.
Fans were outraged by the incidents and turned to social media to vent their rage. Here are a couple of fans' reactions on Twitter:
@NBCSports @ACChampionship @StephenCurry30 @warriors Had to have one of his fans cheat for him but sure
@NBCSports @nbc @peacock @ACChampionship Whoever just did that to Mardy Fish on 18 is the BIGGEST LOSER OF ALL TIME!!
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry also opened up about the incident in an interview with Fox9. He said:
"It was an unfortunate situation. A guy trying to sabotage what was going on for a moment. Mardy is such a class act. I complimented him for the way he bounced back to give himself a chance to win."
"I felt embarrassed for all the other fans," Curry added. "There's so much great love from the 99.9% of the people who come into this environment. And they're so supportive and bring so much energy. You got one guy who loses his mind for a second."
It is worth noting that Stephen Curry won the tournament with a score of 75, while Mardy Fish finished second with a score of 73.
The American Century Championship is a prominent pro-am celebrity golf tournament, including luminaries from the entertainment, acting, and sports industries.
Mardy Fish and golf
Mardy Fish has an affinity for golf. He is an accomplished tennis player. However, after retiring, Fish explored other sports. He has participated in various amateur, celebrity, charity, and sponsors golf competitions.
The six-time ATP singles winner made his PGA Tour debut on a sponsors exemption in the 2022 3M Open. Speaking of the tournament, Mardy Fish said via PGA Tour in 2022:
“Steph (Curry) and I are real close, and so he was texting me out here,” Fish said on Tuesday. “He just said, look, do what you do, do you. He's a really good golfer. We just sort of root for each other in these scenarios as well."
“I certainly don't expect to compete to win the tournament necessarily, but making the cut is something that I'm eyeing big-time," he added. "I’ve worked really hard during the last couple of months to get myself into this type of golf shape, long irons into par-4s and long holes and stuff like that. I've played golf my whole life, ever since I could stand, and so you're just hitting a little white ball around."
Mardy Fish missed the cut at the 3M Open after playing two rounds of 81-74.