ATLANTA, GEORGIA | On a Tuesday when the wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida blew through East Lake Golf Club where the season-ending Tour Championship begins Thursday, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan confronted the tempest that has developed regarding fan behavior at tour events.
To put a sharper point on it, how some aggressive and bellicose fans have made Bryson DeChambeau, arguably the most prominent figure in the sport at the moment, a target on the course.
Monahan wants it to stop.
If that means having fans ejected from the premises for yelling “Brooksy,” that’s what Monahan will have done.
He’s spoken privately to both DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka about their social media spat which has fueled the situation, leading to the deluge of catcalls directed at DeChambeau from spectators, not all of whom have been overserved.
While Koepka has done nothing to stop the obnoxiousness from fans, DeChambeau hasn’t helped himself. As much as he enjoys his outlier approach, DeChambeau’s style and personality have been a turnoff to some fans. He’s become the game’s villain to some, not a role DeChambeau ever sought.
The result is, even on a Sunday when DeChambeau turns in a spectacular performance in his six-hole playoff loss to Patrick Cantlay at the BMW Championship, there was a portion of the sizeable gallery intent on antagonizing him.
“The barometer that we are all using is the word ‘respect,’ and to me, when you hear ‘Brooksy’ yelled or you hear any expression yelled, the question is, is that respectful or disrespectful? That has been going on for an extended period of time,” Monahan said Tuesday.
“To me, at this point, it’s disrespectful, and that’s the kind of behavior that we’re not going to tolerate going forward.”
Monahan said it’s not just about what is going on with DeChambeau but obviously that’s at the core of the issue. After losing to Cantlay at Caves Valley, DeChambeau briefly confronted a fan who barked at him.
It’s easy to point to the excitement fans have about being allowed back at sporting events and suggest that their pent-up enthusiasm is partially responsible for pushing the boundaries, but the DeChambeau case is more personal and direct.
“(DeChambeau will) get to the other side of it and he’ll be better for it. … He’s working through it in a way that he feels is best for him and he knows he has my and our support.” – Jay Monahan
Monahan also said he hopes DeChambeau moves past his current boycott of the print media which dates back to the World Golf Championship event in Memphis last month. Monahan said he will not mandate DeChambeau speak with the media at this time.
“I’m hopeful that that will not be the case on a long-term basis, and I think that sometimes as hard as it is to contemplate and understand, I think human beings and individuals need some space. I think that’s what’s going on right now,” Monahan said.
“I think when we look at this over the long run, I think that this is something that he’ll get through. He’ll get to the other side of it and he’ll be better for it. … He’s working through it in a way that he feels is best for him and he knows he has my and our support.”
As annoying as the “mashed potatoes” shouts have been at tournaments, what has happened to DeChambeau has made for uncomfortable moments. Fans have their favorites – Koepka could no doubt feel it playing with Phil Mickelson in the final round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island – but it’s been rare for spectators to focus their ire on a player.
It happens. Sergio García was hounded at the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in 2002. Colin Montgomerie played with a dartboard on his back for a time. And there’s a different edge to Ryder Cup crowds depending upon which side of the Atlantic the matches are being played. But Monahan is concerned about the tenor of the moment.
“I think we can all agree that we have seen issues as of late across the sports landscape where that pent-up demand plays out in an ugly way. Golf is not immune from unfortunate and disruptive behavior, although I would say that we do have the very best fans in the world. This is about just a few bad actors,” Monahan said.
“And for the record, this isn’t about any one particular player or one particular incident. But in some situations it’s apparent that we have gotten away from the very civility and respect that are hallmarks to our great game.”
Monahan said the Tour is updating its code of conduct for fans to help ensure a better all-around environment for players, fans, volunteers and others on site. As different as golf may be from other spectator sports, it still attracts its share of knuckleheads who find pleasure in screaming at the participants.
“Oh, I’ve heard many things,” Jon Rahm said when asked about spectator behavior. “Bad things about my mom, bad things about my wife. Nobody said anything about my son yet, but I can imagine that’s coming in the Ryder Cup. I can’t in good conscience say what some people have said. I don’t know what goes through somebody’s mind to say something like that. Some bad things.
“That is one percent of all the public out there. Everybody else is great. They create a great atmosphere. There’s just going to be the usual people that, whether they had a few too many drinks or they’re getting influenced by their friends or they’re just simply trying to be funny, they’re going to say some things that are just maybe not (the) nicest to hear.”
To those people, the commissioner delivered a simple message on Tuesday:
Zip it.