For as long as one can remember, heckling has been an irritating but completely unforgivable part of the golf tournaments. A 1988 Los Angeles Times article, to begin with, once called a 28-year-old heckler “a well-known pest on the PGA Tour.” He was later barred from the tournaments. Publications are now more careful with their use of words, but the hecklers, evidently, still haven’t learnt.

The most recent incident happened on Thursday at the BMW Championship, the tournament that, over the years, has dealt with several unruly fans. Unlike last season, there’s not a single particular victim of the heckling, as per Scott Puryear. However, the fan shouted during one unidentified pro’s tee shot.

Puryear, who was present at Bellerive Golf Course, shared a video of a spectator getting arrested on the 17th. In this video shared by Puryear, a group of four officers worked in a coordinated fashion before they hauled the fan and physically dragged them away from the course. Puryear gave a further breakdown of the entire incident, including a lengthy chase after the fan.

Officers had to chase down the lady

Puryear, the host of The Starting Lineup radio show, confirmed that the fan was a woman. According to his friends, who witnessed the entire incident, the chase started in the stands before the woman ran across the fairway and into the rough. It was then that the officers caught up to her and dragged her away from the premises. There are no updates from the PGA Tour or the unidentified fan; however, Puryear didn’t mince his words on the matter.

In the same X post, he wrote, “Spent two days at Bellerive for the @BMWchamps earlier this week … and thank God I wasn’t near one of the idiots who feels the need to scream ‘Let It Rip’ or ‘Boom-Shakalaka’ or some other ridiculous thing right after one of the pro’s tee shots. Because I’m afraid they might have been also carrying me out like this …”

The troubling thing is that this isn’t an isolated incident. The rise of shouted catchphrases after tee shots, from “Get in the hole” to “Mashed potatoes” and now apparently “Let It Rip,” has become a recurring irritant for players, purists, and fellow spectators alike. What’s the reason? Rory McIlroy said it was betting. But we do imagine the allure of social media virality is hard to ignore.

Regardless, perhaps that is why the R&A announced a fan code of conduct policy, which aimed to reduce, if not completely eliminate, poor fan behavior at The Open.

Does the PGA Tour have policies in place?

That’s up to the Tour to decide; however, the circuit has some rules in place. The PGA Tour Fan Code of Conduct, for instance, highlights two key points:

• Avoid language, gestures and behavior that may disrupt competition and the environment.
• Be considerate of other fans and spectate while keeping a proper distance from athletes.

Ahead of the 2021 Tour Championship, Monahan said, “Comments or gestures that undermine the inclusive and welcoming nature of the game will not be tolerated, nor will any harassment of players, caddies, volunteers, officials, staff, or other spectators.” The Tour continues to remove any unruly fan from the course to this day.

However, any similar policy like The Open would be a positive update and a hallmark decision by the American circuit. And there are multiple reasons in favor of this argument. Let’s talk about last season at the BMW Championship.

Robert MacIntyre was going head-to-head with Scottie Scheffler in R4 when a fan (not his) screamed during his putting. When MacIntyre’s putt dropped on the 14th, he turned, held his fingers to his mouth, and stared down the heckler. Annoyed, he later told the PGA Tour, “If you give me crap, I’ll give you crap back.” The problem isn’t that the pros can’t return the jeers, but do they need to?

They are playing professional tournaments, trying to make something out of their week during pressure-filled moments. Of course, they don’t need to fight back, but sometimes it certainly gets out of hand. Even Scheffler sounded upset, adding, “If you’re a fan, it’s only going to fire the guy up more, and I think just do your best to behave out there. It can be a little bit silly sometimes.”

Back in 2023, one fan yelled during Max Homa‘s putt at the BMW Championship. Homa didn’t miss his, but he later revealed he heard a three-dollar bet was on the line. It is also impossible not to mention what Wyndham Clark faced at the U.S. Open this season or what the European Team dealt with at the Ryder Cup last year.

It’s hard to know exactly what tips a situation like this from “watch it” to “get her out,” although the tweet suggests that the woman was shouting during a shot. However, Puryear’s video or post doesn’t confirm what led up to that moment, whether warnings were given, or the reasoning behind the decision.

Bellerive still has one round left this week, and moments like this shape how the rest of the crowd behaves. Whether that means more visible security, quicker hooks on unruly fans, or just louder reminders over the PA system remains to be seen.