‘A Clown’: Amid Phil Mickelson’s Betting Controversy, Max Homa Has a ‘Frustrating’ Run-in With a Gambling Heckler

Golf is without a doubt, a game of concentration. When golfers are trying to make a shot, even a minor disturbance can put them off, and the repercussions of that one missed shot can be as heartbreaking as missing the cut. The funny guy of golf, Max Homa, recently had one such encounter on the course with a gambler that derailed his concentration on the course, and it is safe to say that the golfer was infuriated.

The incident that Homa had to face on the greens left him and his caddie very enraged. After his deballing incident with the heckler, he also indulged in conversation about gambling in golf and how the presence of the fans who have gambled, affects the game on the greens. 

Max Homa discusses the nightmare he faced on the course 

The second round at the $20 million BMW Championship was a good one for Homa as he set the course record, but his third round was not so good as compared to his previous round. The 32-year-old made a triple bogey and he also ended up facing some external disturbances as well, after being heckled by a gambler. 

The golfer was on the 17th hole and was trying to make a birdie putt. He saw that there was a drunk guy on the course in the audience who was cheering for Chris Kirk, and then yelling at Kirk for missing the putt. Suddenly as he was trying to get to the back of his stroke, he heard someone yell “Pull it” pretty loudly. 

A guy beside the fan who shouted said that his friend had $3 betting on Homa making the putt. After the fan yelled, it messed up Homa’s shot and he ended up making it right in the middle. This fumed the golfer and his caddie, Joe Greiner and they both yelled at him. The 7X PGA Tour winner revealed that he called him a “clown”, and his caddie said something that was a lot “meaner.” 

The golfer was happy that even after the messed up circumstances, he was able to make it, but he felt bad for Kirk. Expressing his feelings about the situation he said, “It just s*cks when that happens, I was happy I made it. It was rude what he did to Chris. Whatever.”

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Not only this, but gambling has been making quite a lot more mess in the golf world. The golf veteran Phil Mickelson, was also recently accused of severe betting allegations in Billy Walters’ new book that led to quite a lot of turmoil. Despite all the troubles that Homa went through because of the $3 bet from the spectator, he spoke about the implications of betting on the game. 

Homa ponders on the implications of legal golf betting 

The golfer said that he loves that “People can gamble on golf, but that is the one thing I’m worried about.” Expressing his concern, he said that the guy in the grandstand had nothing to lose, but just $3 and he did not care at all about what the golfer could lose with this kind of heckling. 

The 7X PGAT winer also said that such nuisances on the course are very rare and fans are mostly very considerate when golfers are hitting. He praised the fans for being quiet on the course. He also said that he understands that staying focused is a golfer’s job, “but it’s just annoying when it happens.”

Homa was very dissatisfied with the situation, and to say that it was intentional, that made it worse for him. Lastly about the matter, he spoke, “It just s*cks when it’s incredibly intentional, and his friend specifically said it was for $3, so that was — not that the money matters, but that’s a frustrating number.” 

Despite the hurdles, Homa ended the day in fourth position with a score of 1 over. It was his stellar second-round game that helped him stay in the top 10. Tune in to find how the final round of the BMW Championship unravels at iconic Olympia Field.

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