Since 2007, over 1,200 balls have found the water at the Bear Trap. On Friday, one swing cost Billy Horschel three shots, but what followed was more significant than the triple-bogey and made a louder splash.

In the second round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic at PGA National, Horschel missed the green left on the par-3 15th and ended up in the rough near the grandstands. His next shot went into the water, resulting in a triple-bogey 6. The main story, however, was the exchange that followed with a fan in the grandstands, which was captured on camera and widely circulated online.

“I think I said, Who said that, or whatever,” Horschel told reporters in his post-round press conference. “A guy sort of said a couple more things and said I was bad-mouthing the golf course, and that couldn’t be the furthest from the truth. I’ve praised this golf course for many, many years. If I didn’t like this golf course, I wouldn’t come here and play every year.”

The fan’s comment likely referred to Horschel’s public stance on PGA National’s overseeding decision, which he had already explained before the round. Horschel argued that while the Tour has opposed overseeding, the final decision rests with the course ownership. His comments were in defense of the course, not a criticism, but the fan either misunderstood or ignored this.

Horschel addressed the issue directly. He told the fan to read his full comments before making a judgment, then returned to the drop area, finished the hole with a 6, and continued his round.

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Security did not move on as quickly. Officers approached Horschel after he finished the 16th to inform him the fan had been removed, a decision Horschel had not requested.

“I didn’t ask for him to be kicked out,” he said. “They said he’d been saying some other stuff throughout the day, and they proceeded to just escort him out.”

Online reactions leaned critical of Horschel, with several replies labeling him “soft” and arguing that players should absorb whatever a gallery delivers without comment. What Horschel addressed, steadily and without escalation, was the professional standard he believes should be held in both directions.

“Listen, everyone has a right to say things,” he said. “I think there’s just a level of respect that, when somebody is trying to do their job, understand, we’re trying to do a job out here. We are really good golfers, and we can make the game look very easy, but at the end of the day, it is a job.”

The argument is not new to professional golf. At the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, Rory McIlroy told a hostile crowd to “Shut the f— up” after fans disrupted his pre-shot routine mid-swing, later calling the behavior “unacceptable” in the sport. Two incidents, separated by format and setting, but landing on the same unresolved question: where the crowd atmosphere ends, and professional interference begins.

The exchange at the 15th adds another example to the ongoing debate, and the Bear Trap’s reputation only adds to its significance.

Billy Horschel and the Bear Trap’s Long History of Breaking Composure

Jack Nicklaus redesigned PGA National’s Champion Course in 1990. The 15th hole is known for deciding tournaments. In 2016, Adam Scott made a quadruple-bogey there in the third round and still won by a shot. In 2018, Tiger Woods played the Bear Trap eight-over for the week, hit water on 15 in the final round, and finished 12th. Horschel shot a 2-over 73 in the second round, made the cut at even par, and survived the weekend despite trouble on 15. The Bear Trap does not just test ball-striking. It exposes players to pressure from both the course and the crowd.

History shows the Bear Trap rarely ends a player’s week, but it always has an impact. Scott took a quadruple-bogey and still won. Woods struggled on all three holes and still finished in the top 15. Reputation does not matter here. The 179-yard carry over water on 15 and the 175-yard shot on 17 leave almost no margin for error. Players have little chance to recover once they are in trouble. On Friday, Horschel had to keep his composure while the grandstand turned his scorecard into a talking point.

As attendance increases and the audience grows louder, the incident on the 15th raises a clear question. Where does tolerance end, and what will the Tour do about it? Removing fans from the grounds may not be enough. The Tour will need to address this issue directly.