Ryan Gerard was pushing hard to get to the top of the leaderboard to win his second PGA Tour title. With J.T. Poston leading the charge, the 26-year-old was already in a tough position chasing the mammoth score. And the fans behind the ropes also weren’t making his life in the tee zone easy for him.

As Gerard hit his drive on the 482-yard par-4 18th hole, a spectator screamed, “Get in the bunker!” After following the trajectory of the ball for a moment, he responded to the fan loudly, confirming, “It’s not in the bunker, dog!”

The ball certainly didn’t land in the bunker. In fact, it landed on the fairway close to the right rough. Even though Gerard hit a strong 310-yard drive, he could only reach a few yards before the bunker. That was enough for him to get a good view of the green for his approach shot.

However, it was Gerard’s quick response to the fan that really caught everyone’s attention. Once he was confident that the ball wasn’t dropping in the sand, he rightfully claimed that he had aimed it well enough not to find the trap. And it was much more appropriate than Rory McIlroy asking a spectator to “shut the f**k up” during the 2026 PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club a few weeks ago.

Then again, McIlroy has never shied away from dealing with hecklers immediately before they get on his nerves. And the netizens have observed a lot of it ever since the 2025 Ryder Cup. At Bethpage, McIlroy and Team Europe faced a lot of heat from behind the ropes after they humiliated the Americans on home soil.

During the second day of the prestigious event, McIlroy had asked a group of fans to “shut the f**k up” after they were making too much noise during his approach shot. He ended up not only striking an excellent iron but also setting up an amazing putt for his partner, Tommy Fleetwood, in the foursome match.

McIlroy experienced something similar during the 2026 Masters Tournament. During the penultimate round of the major, a fan screamed, “Give me back my son,” after his stroke.

He is not the only one to face such treatment from the fans. Matt Fitzpatrick also faced scrutiny when he faced off against Scottie Scheffler in the 2026 RBC Heritage. The spectators at Harbour Town were cheering for the #1 while booing the Englishman. Fortunately, Fitzpatrick channeled that fuel to triumph on the course and wear the plaid jacket.

It’s not only the European golfers who constantly get heckled by the fans. As Ryan Gerard proved, even the American pros face scrutiny for their poor display on the golf course.

Scottie Scheffler & Co. tackle the heckle

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and living in Jupiter, Florida, Ryan Gerard is certainly an American. But so were Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler, who were subject to heavy criticism because of their poor showing during recent events.

During the 2026 WM Phoenix Open, Thomas talked about how unforgiving the crowd at TPC Scottsdale can be. And they don’t let anyone get away with making mistakes that easily.

“I once hit the green on 16 @WMPhoenixOpen on a Saturday and 4-putted for a double… after making an 8 on the previous hole, I can confirm you can’t want to get off that hole fast enough, and the boos (rightfully so) are on another level,” JT tweeted while watching the event. Still in recovery, he couldn’t be a part of this year’s tournament.

Scheffler also faced some hecklers during the 2026 PGA Championship. Being a Dallas local and fan of his city’s football team, fans teased him, “Dallas sucks, Scottie. We’re gonna smash you on Thanksgiving.” That got a grin out of the #1 as he enjoyed the banter.

That said, there is a stark difference between the heckling JT and Scheffler have faced and what Rory McIlroy and other international golfers have faced. There seems to be a bias in how the spectators treat top national golfers compared to their international rivals. Do American fans not like foreign golfers winning on their soil, even when they aren’t competing for the Ryder Cup?