Rory McIlroy believes alcohol sales are fueling golf tourney hecklers and has suggested the PGA curb its consumption.
His comments were in response to rowdy fan behavior on Saturday at Bay Hill Golf Course, after shooting 67 to move within two shots of the lead at the third round of the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational, USA Today reported.
“There was one guy out there who kept yelling my wife's name,” McIlroy said, per ESPN.
“I was going to go over and have a chat with him. I don't know, I think it's gotten a little much, to be honest. I think that they need to limit alcohol sales on the course, or they need to do something because every week, it seems like guys are complaining about it more and more.”
His feelings weren’t hurt bad enough to affect his play, though. McIlroy went on Sunday to win the invitational en route to the 14th PGA Tour victory of his career. His 64 tied for the best round anyone shot all week, adding up to a three-stroke win over Bryson DeChambeau, CBS Sports reported.
McIlroy’s alcohol remarks come a month after he suggested the attention and commotion from Tiger Wood’s fans was distracting.
“It's tiring,” he said at the time, according to Sporting News. “I've got a headache after all that.”
Back to booze, the four-time major champion noted that people used to just bring beer to the golf course.
Now, he said, it seemed as if “everyone’s walking around with a cocktail,” suggesting that perhaps it should “just go back to people walking around with beers in their hand.”
McIlroy noted that golf was nothing like football, and that there was a certain etiquette to the sport.
“You don't want people to be put off from bringing their kids when people are shouting stuff out,” he said, per CBS. “You want people to enjoy themselves, have a good day.”
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