Justin Thomas Ejected A Fan At The 2018 Honda Classic, But Was It Warranted? The Professionals Weigh In
- Updated: March 1, 2020
“Enjoy your day, buddy, you’re gone.”
Justin Thomas won the 2018 Honda Classic at PGA National in a playoff over Luke List giving him his 8th PGA Tour win in his young career (…He now has 12.)
How good is that? Only two other players in the last 30 years have had 8 or more wins before age 25: Tiger Woods (24) and Jordan Spieth (11…and counting).
However, the victory didn’t come without some controversy when the then 24-year-old was caught on live TV booting a spectator from the gallery after his tee shot on the 16th hole for making an “inappropriate” comment:
A fan yelled “Get in the bunker!” after Justin Thomas’s shot so Thomas quickly had him kicked out and told him to “Enjoy your day buddy” 👀 pic.twitter.com/0NxACneAzT
— High & Outside Sports (@HighandOutside_) February 26, 2018
Ironically, just recently Thomas went on record stating that PGA Tour crowds are getting “out of hand.”
“Who said that? Who just yelled for that ball to get in the bunker? Was that you? Enjoy your day, buddy, you’re gone.” – Justin Thomas
Coincidence? Maybe…
After the victory, the reigning PGA Champion was asked about the incident in the media center. Here was JT’s response:
We were walking up on the tee and this guy, I don’t know who he was talking to, but sounds like it was me. He said something like — he was like, “I hope you hit it in the water, hit it in the water,” something like that. I just kind of like looked back there. Didn’t say anything.
Just, again, I feel like there’s no place for that, and I hit it and my ball is in the air and it’s not — it’s in the middle of the fairway and he’s yelling for it to get in the bunker. I was like, okay, I’ve had enough. So I just turned around and asked who it was, and he didn’t want to say anything, now that I had actually acknowledged him. So he got to leave a couple holes early.
I don’t want to kick someone out just to kick them out. It’s just it’s so inappropriate. We’re out here trying to win a golf tournament. I would have done it if he said it to Luke, just like Rory did to the guy that said something to me at L.A.
Just because you’re standing behind the ropes doesn’t mean that you can — I don’t care how much I dislike somebody, I’m never going to wish that kind of stuff upon them. I felt it was inappropriate, so he had to go home.
He later apologized with a series of tweets which you can read here.
So … was the ejection warranted? We asked the professionals.
After the tournament concluded, Two Inches Short spoke to 2002 Players champion Craig Perks, who’s also played with Tiger Woods in his prime.
“It’s moronic that these guys [fans/spectators] feel like can yell anything at the players, especially something ill-fated … but warranted getting tossed, probably not,” Perks said. “I played with Tiger Woods at Doral during the final round in 2002. It was an electric atmosphere, but fans were extremely courteous. No buffoonery!
[Nowadays] people have ‘paid’ for the right to scream whatever they want, that’s the mentality we’re dealing with,” Perks explained. “Just because they’re making millions doesn’t give them the right to act like an arse.”
Two-time Web.com Tour winner Edward Loar echoed these sentiments.
“I’m conflicted honestly. Golf is an entertainment business but in recent years with that ‘entertainment’ in mind, more tournaments have turned into parties … so you get the jackasses that drink too much & say stupid crap. So I get JT’s reaction but it’s becoming more of the norm realistically.”
However, for some the answer is simple.
As Golfweek columnist Eamon Lynch so eloquently told us, “Absolutely. Those loudmouths are a cancer. Boot them all.”
So … how does a seasoned veteran handle negative comments inside the ropes?
It’s no surprise that JT isn’t the first guy to encounter negativity from fans on the course. It’s been happening for years. The difference is how you handle it.
2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman exclusively told Two Inches Short, “I didn’t hear any [negative comments], not cause there weren’t any, but cause I was more into what I was trying to do rather than what someone else was doing.”
Now that right there is a free lesson!
So … where do we go from here?
If we want to grow the game, the professional tours have to expect this issue will only continue, and frankly get worse. Bigger stars + bigger crowds + day drinking = less control. Is it up to the player? According to Perks, the answer is no.
“The onus is on the individual Tournaments themselves. Commissioner gives authority to tournament directors, staff & security to enforce the rules and kick out any unruly fans,” Perks said. “Players need only make marshals aware of who the guilty are, and then go about their own business of shooting the lowest score.
If players start policing this behavior themselves, that’s going to be wrought with danger! A bigger target will be placed on that individual’s back.”
Somebody has to take responsibility for their actions … that’s what we know! Just please don’t ban alcohol sales…
So … are some of the new superstars in golf soft? Or is the sport at a crossroads?
I’ve heard both sides of this argument from “there’s no place in the game for this kind of behavior” which usually come from people who actually play the game for a living to “rooting against players makes golf fun … just like we do in every other sport” generally from millennials.
If we’re being honest never have I ever attended a Uconn basketball game (my alma mater) and not shouted some sort of obscenity at the other team, even if I was sitting way up in the rafters. Heck, we used to read newspapers and turn the other way when the other team was introduced. Fine, you got me … guilty!
We’re not condoning being assholes, but it’s generally fun to be passionate regardless if you’re rooting for or against somebody. It’s sports and it’s awesome.
Of course, the prime example in golf is the Ryder Cup. While it only happens every other year, the atmosphere is electric. Granted it’s a team event, it’s still one of the most sought-after trophies in the sport. It also usually is the most fun to watch. Why? Because everybody is into it and nobody holds anything back, including the fans.
And what about the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open? Sure half those people have never swung a golf club and may only know one golfer named Tiger Woods, but it draws record crowds and makes the game somewhat appealing to an entirely new audience.
Golf is arguably in the best place it’s ever been, but unfortunately every time a situation like this comes up the entire sports world thinks we’re a joke. If you really want to grow the game, it has to be open to change.
The problem we see is that whenever there’s a shift in attitude or norm in a sport that’s been around since 1457, people seem to have a hard time accepting it. Makes you wonder if golf really wants to grow or it wants to grow the only way it knows how.
Be better, Golf!
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