‘It Had to Be Someone From the Public’: How a Die Hard Golf Fan Turned into the Infamous Phil Mickelson Heckler, the Story of Hardcore Traditionalist

While athletes are loved and adored by their fans, there is always a certain section that churns out criticism at every opportunity. Though there are various ways of showing your abomination towards a person, an on-field rage in front of thousands is what you call a heckler.

While golf aficionados were celebrating Wyndham Clark’s heroics at the Los Angeles Country Club, many missed a major heckling incident targetting veteran golfer Phil Mickelson. What’s more, the identity and the reasons for his actions have been revealed.

Why was Phil Mickelson heckled at LACC?

While ‘Lefty’ has a wave of followers due to his iconic memories on the PGA TOUR, he ran the wrath of the traditionalists after joining the PIF-funded LIV Golf Series. Among the hurt was a certain man named Chris Rigby, who decided to risk his life for a fatuous series of incidents.

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A 54-year-old with familiarity in equity trade, the lifelong golf fan was affected deeply by the 9/11 attacks in the country, which ensued him to explore the meaning of life. He thus traveled to more than ninety countries, but coming back to his home, the question of patriotism clouded his thought.

The inception of the LIV Golf Series and the following change of alliances irked Rigby, who decided to showcase his displeasure at the exclusive Los Angeles Country Club in this year’s US Open. But his antics were reserved for a special player; a seasoned golfer and LIV campaigner, Phil Mickelson.

The incidents that caused the heckler’s warranted arrest

Rigby chalked out his plan to launch a verbal attack on Mickelson after purchasing tickets for the entire event. This included three practice days and four match-day passes, two of which didn’t go as planned.

“What those guys have done is wrong and someone had to call them on it,” Rigby said later, “and it had to be someone from the public.”

After carefully analyzing the best seats in the stands, Rigby took his position for the opening day of the tournament. When silence swathed the whole course, the 54-year-old rose with his well-prepared line, which received absolutely no support from his co-enthusiasts.

Yet, his tickets weren’t confiscated, which meant Rigby returned to the course the next day, unashamed. Another round of barbs followed, which failed to win a single cheer from onlookers.

Rigby’s laborious work of putting together further Mickelson heckles was put to waste after the six-time major championship winner failed to make the cut. However, he directed his detest towards another LIV golfer, this year’s PGA Championship winner, Brooks Koepka.

Having avoided an arrest so far, Rigby made no hesitation to howl his lines on Koepka after the golfer’s last hole on Saturday. Strangely, the regular recurrence of his fellow peers’ humiliating silence wasn’t enough to convince him of the otherwise, by which he was escorted off the course.

The Mickelson heckler spent the rest of the day in prison, following which his presumptuous spirit was shattered in pieces. He made the trip to LACC for the final round’s play and despite the presence of several LIV golfers, Rigby chose to remain silent.

The 54-year-old was in the best viewing space to witness Clark’s final putt for his maiden major championship title. For someone accustomed to hurling abuses, Rigby responded with a thunder of claps, just like the hundreds of others on the course.

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