Rickie Fowler. He’s one of the most level-headed players on the PGA Tour. So, when he uncharacteristically lost his cool at THE PLAYERS Championship, the what and the why surrounding the outburst became the talk of the town. Given how rare an occasion Fowler expressing his anger is, most people in the golf community believed there was a good reason behind it. As it turns out, there was.

During the third round at TPC Sawgrass, Rickie Fowler was preparing to hit his tee shot on the par-5 16th hole. But just as he was about to do so, phone camera shutters went off which disturbed the six-time PGA Tour winner. That led to his caddie, Ricky Romano, requesting everyone on the sidelines to put their phones on silent. However, it was to no avail.

Fowler appeared to shrug it off like he usually does, before hitting his tee shot. But just before he did, a camera shutter went off again, and Fowler couldn’t hold back any longer. After hitting his shot, the furious 35-year-old, pointing towards the viewer and yelled out, “YOU!” Another voice, presumably another fan, could be heard as well, questioning the culprit, “What are you doing?”

It was especially shocking because the Jupiter native is known for his calm demeanor, which has earned him a huge fanbase among youngsters. Just yesterday, a group of kids asked the PGA Tour Pro for an autograph on their foreheads. Fowler happily obliged. Last year, too, the Oklahoma University alum didn’t mind when a heckler called out while he was trying to make his putt. Fowler shrugged as someone yelled at the 2023 US Open, “What are you doing?” At that time, he was at the top of the leaderboard.

To make it even more apparent that Rickie Fowler’s outbursts are few and far between, this is what the commentator had to say: “Wow, I’ve never seen that out of Rickie. Totally understand it, though. Never seen that out of Rickie.” Per PGA.com, “Fans at PGA tournaments are allowed to take pictures during practice rounds, but not after play begins.” This is why Fowler’s furiousness resonated with fans as well.

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The internet sides with Rickie Fowler on the heated matter

Most golf fans agreed that Fowler had enough reason to be angry. Even more so because the fan had been warned before. Just a few weeks ago, at the WM Phoenix Open, many players, including Billy Horschel, Zach Johnson, and Jordan Spieth, had awkward fan encounters. The internet believes the tour shouldn’t cut any more slack for unruly fans.

In light of this, an X user expressed how any other golfer would have reacted the same way. Fowler, to his credit, stayed patient for quite some time before showing his anger. They also claimed that it was likely a professional photographer, which made it all the more worse.

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Some fans felt this was a growing problem in the courses. Advising the audience to be more involved in the moment rather than their gadgets, another user wrote, “Be alive. You need more of this.” Others were ruthless in slamming the viewer in question. One user demanded to “boot the guy off the property” right away. 

This was probably the first time Rickie Fowler reacted this way when it came to an onlooker. A few years back, at the WM Phoenix Open, Fowler encouraged fans to raise the decibels. But this was surely too much of a distraction for the 35-year-old. Referencing how uncommon it is for Fowler to have such outbursts, a user wrote, “how much of an a** do you have to be to get a reaction like that out of Rickie Fowler?”

However, a section of the fans also pointed out that there might be a WM Phoenix Open-like situation at the TPC Sawgrass, too. The Tour should be more cautious about letting fans drink on the course. “They’ve let the patrons get a lil too drunk at TPC last couple years… 17 has turned into a madhouse with zero golf watching going on… they’re gonna have a WM issue on their hands if they don’t limit some bev intake IMO… and the golfers are gonna get more and more frustrated,” they wrote.

A section of the fans, however, felt that the reaction was compounded by Fowler’s subpar performance at THE PLAYERS Championship. The six-time PGA Tour winner carded 4-over 76 to end his third day. 

Rickie Fowler came to THE PLAYERS Championship after a T36 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Jupiter native has failed to break into the top 30 in any of his 7 outings so far this season. He has made sudden equipment changes as well. Right after the heckling incident at the 16th, Fowler carded a double bogey on the 17th.

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