Earlier this year, former US Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson got into it with fans at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. That situation, and a number of others that occurred at TPC Scottsdale that week, led to much debate over if the WMPO atmosphere had officially gone too far. One couldn’t help but escape the thought of “stuff like this would NEVER happen at Augusta National.”
Or would it?
No, no one in the crowd at the 2024 Masters heckled the 2007 Masters champion, per se. But there was a semi-sarcastic cheer back at the 12th tee on Friday when Johnson holed out for a triple-bogey six. The type of cheer that implies the patrons are saying “finally, he’s done.”
Johnson clearly did not appreciate it, the Amen Corner feed on Masters.com picking up Johnson looking back towards the tee and saying “F— OFF” as clear as day.
#Soundup 🔊 — After putting for triple bogey at Amen Corner, Zach Johnson tells spectators to, “F off” and then proceeds to throw his ball in the water #themasters pic.twitter.com/O9Tp24d1UM
— Fairway Updates (@fairwayupdates) April 12, 2024
100% did pic.twitter.com/UuiRwi9xoE
— BK (@BKacinko) April 12, 2024
Boy, that is one bold, bold move. It’s one thing to drop a few F-bombs in anger toward yourself, a la Jon Rahm. It’s another thing entirely to direct an F-bomb TOWARDS the patrons at THE Augusta National Golf Club.
Seems like something you can only get away with if you own one of them there green jackets, which Johnson does. Even still, I’d be sleeping with one eye open if I were ZJ tonight.
