Any sport, no matter its crux, audience, gameplay, and players have to deal with negative press or hecklers from time to time. In England, where a sport like football is more popular than others, has a certain fan following that can get opinionated and aggressive at times.

Such an incident happened with rising star Rickie Fowler during the 151st Open Championship at Hoylake. A fan very passionately shared his views on the golfer’s recent interest and lack of engagement with the Football team, Leeds United.

A fan heckled Fowler

On Thursday, during round 1 at Royal Liverpool, a fan’s video of heckling Rickie Fowler as he passed by went viral. He is heard calling the golfer a ‘coward’ for forfeiting his investment plans in Leeds United.

The Walker Cup winner said on Thursday as reported by Golfweek, “That’s a first. Maybe he should put up his own money.” Despite his calm exterior, Fowler could not let it go. His vested interest in the Football team along with his friends Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas was more than just a fleeting fantasy. He truly wanted to help the team and being called a coward in the aftermath of deciding against the investment was something he did not appreciate.

On Saturday, he revisited the issue and offhandedly said about the heckler, “Other than maybe a ‘coward’ comment here or there, 99.9 percent (of the fans) are amazing.” He also expressed that he had a genuine interest in Leeds United. He and his friends would have been happy to go forward with the deal, if not for a real hiccup.

According to Fowler, his financial team analyzed the situation and found the investment to bear high risks. Given the schedule for Leeds, they didn’t deem it a profitable venture and advised the golfer against it. That, however, does not mean that Fowler lost interest. “I hope they play well and kind of get things turned around because I know JT and Jordan would be very happy with that,” he said.

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The PGA Tour pro wasn’t particularly thrilled about the heckler calling him names. His admirers also agree that no one should be telling him where and how to invest his money.

Does Rickie Fowler have plans for future investments?

During the Saturday interview as per GolfWeek, Fowler also explained his future intentions. “When opportunities like that come up, I would love to be a part of something. We’ll see what the future holds.”

The pro golfer also joked when asked about interest in any particular team, saying, “If there’s some sort of financial involvement, I’m sure they’ll have plenty of support from me. I can be bought.” Although his plans for Leeds were tentative, Fowler had expressed a desire to invest and better a small team to see them soar. With his statements on Saturday, he has made it clear that he is in search of a great opportunity where both parties can benefit.

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