The US Open 2023 at LACC is nothing but consistent in providing amusement. If the incidents with Adam Hadwin, Jon Rahm, and Keith Mitchell & Si-Woo Kim weren’t enough to make the crowd laugh out loud, here’s another. This one actually revolved around a fan and Harris English’s golf ball in the middle of the game.

A golf fan accidentally picks up the ball during the US Open

Under normal circumstances, players are delighted to offer the game ball to their die-hard fans as a gesture of appreciation. The fan gets to take the ball home, mostly signed, and display it in their home or workplace as a reminder of the monumental event.

Sadly, that was not the case at the Los Angeles Country Club, during the Sunday round of US Open 2023. The naivete of a member of the audience almost cost Harris his game and his position on Sunday.

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Harris English took a shot, and the ball flew to land near the refreshment trash bins. NUCLRGolf shared the video of the incident on Twitter where a woman in a black t-shirt and black slacks, with a blue cardigan draped across the shoulders, dashed towards the ball.

After picking up the ball, she seemed prepared to take it but was quickly interrupted in her plan. It appears that someone called out from behind instructing her to place the ball back exactly where she found it. A gentleman in a black shirt, enjoying the refreshments, appears to be pointing at the location where she needed to place the ball.

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The woman appeared flustered for a nanosecond after obliging to the request. Then she casually walked away as though nothing happened. The downward angle of the camera did not offer a clear view of her face or suggest any hints as to her identity.

Say what you will, but the LACC remains a cornucopia of rib-tickling incidents.

Golf fans speculate about the woman’s behavior

The internet is an arena of speculation. Therefore, many people in the audience as well as fans watching the incident on social media have a lot to say. Some assumed that due to the urban settlement near the LACC, she may not have been a fan at all.

In fact, they hypothesized that she could very well be a member of the Country Club and has no knowledge about the ongoing championship.

They went as far as to claim that she was there for just networking purposes, and had zero knowledge of the sport itself.

There is an uproar among golf fans in response to her almost ruining Harris English’s game. The golfer, who eventually finished tied 8th, could have lost his spot due to her negligence.

Some fans connected the incident with the players’ complaints about the course at LACC and the venue in general.

While others leaned toward the woman’s ignorance and guiltless reaction. “That’s Golf 101,” said one fan.

Another fan summed up the incident in a single word.

Other supportive members of the golfing community focused on the levity of the situation. Brent Wiesflock, community manager for NUCLR Golf, shared a hilarious meme to commemorate the event.

Fairway Funnies also joined in the jocularity with a meme.

Some fans gave her the benefit of the doubt and said it could have been a child. Sadly, that does not seem to be the case. If truth be told, the security team could have been really useful in this situation. The security team at the Canadian Open earlier this month did tackle Adam Hadwin after mistaking him for a fan, but when they were really needed at the LACC, they were nowhere to be found.

Several people in the audience seem to be unaware that golf balls can only be touched by the player and his club. Security protocols need to be tightened to guard the players’ balls during play to avoid such incidents in the future. Maybe that’s a call the tournament organizers need to make real fast.

What do you think of this “fan’s” behavior? Do you agree she was a fan or do you think she was just there by coincidence?

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