Greetings Golfers,

I want to talk about Justin Thomas … and the heckling incident last Sunday.

Who is Justin Thomas? He won the Honda Classic last week. He won 5 times last year. He won the FedEx Cup last year and was PGA Tour Player of the Year. He once shot 59 in a Tour Event. And he’s only 24 years old.

He’s also ranked #3 on the PGA Tour. He’s 5’10” 150 lbs and drives it long – averages 314.6 yds a drive so far this year. And has a scoring average of 69.84. He doesn’t have a weakness … and he plays better on Sundays – he’s under par on each of his last 12 final rounds.

And I think he’s really likable. He’s not arrogant or cold or bizarre. It’s going to take him longer to develop his public persona than develop his golf game. I don’t mean in a phony way … just that it takes time to deal with fame and the media … as I said – he’s 24 years old.

So, last Sunday, on the last few holes, a “fan” was harassing Justin. Not during his swing … but before and after. One time he yelled at him to “hit it in the water” and on another hole he yelled at his shot to “get in the bunker”. Justin confronted the guy and had the Marshals remove him from the tournament.

I think Justin did the right thing. But, the next day, Justin said that he over-reacted. I do think Justin over-reacted … but not about kicking out the “fan” … he over-reacted because he was taking some heat for what he did. He should stick to his guns. Should Justin be able to handle heckling? Absolutely. Does that mean it should be happening? Absolutely not. A golf tournament is different from a football game with people yelling in the stands. The fans are right next to the players … and golf is not a team sport. The Ryder Cup was rowdy because it’s a team event. It’s apples to oranges.

Justin Thomas has the talent and the right instincts. My hunch is that he is going to be the most successful of this current group of young hotshots. He doesn’t need to apologize for doing the right thing.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com