Professional golf seems to be in the minority when it comes to fan behavior affecting the players. Other sports have fans trying to distract players at times during the game (shooting free throws in basketball, free kicks in soccer, disrupting players at bat in baseball, etc). Golf seems to be more refined in those areas but golf also is one of the few sports where the fans can actually influence the result of a shot. I know the players can handle the distraction (as evidenced by the 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale during the Waste Management tourney) so what is really the issue with fans yelling during a players shot? These guys (and gals) at the professional level are good enough to be able to focus even with the distractions.
So what say you? Is fan etiquette on the golf course really all that big a deal? We've all seen players "blame" a mistimed photo click or yell causing a poor outcome of their swing or putt but is it really that big an effect?
What are some of the worst instances of this you can remember and did they result in changing the outcome of a tournament/match?
So what say you? Is fan etiquette on the golf course really all that big a deal? We've all seen players "blame" a mistimed photo click or yell causing a poor outcome of their swing or putt but is it really that big an effect?
What are some of the worst instances of this you can remember and did they result in changing the outcome of a tournament/match?