Removing college golfer Luke Potter from The Players for heckling Rory McIlroy was a bush league move by the PGA Tour and terrible look for the Championship. This is not how you elevate fan experience and engagement. Commentary from galleries is part of the game and that includes heckling. It doesn’t fit the perfect ideal of golf etiquette but it’s also far from rampant where you’d need to make a feeble-minded example of Potter and remove him. Potter’s comment about Rory’s 2011 Masters meltdown was scathing which also made it funny as this kind of sharp-tongued chirping is relatable to anyone who plays the game. You hear far worse at events like the WM Phoenix Open. And at the Ryder Cup this year heckling will be downright hostile. However nothing Potter said was racist or homophobic or anything approaching a level of inappropriateness that everyone would agree has no place in golf or anywhere. Potter’s heckling didn’t even happen during actual tournament play. It was a practice round. And you would think if there was ever a moment to cut a heckler some slack this would be it. In 2019 Potter was the California Freshman Athlete of the Year (the last golfer to win this award was Tiger Woods). His resume of remarkable golf achievements include being the youngest-ever winner of the Southern California Golf Association Amateur, earning three-time All American status, and reaching the semifinals of the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur. I’m not advocating heckling but I am saying in this case the punishment did not fit the crime. Potter is a young man who let his adrenaline get the best of him. It’s a life learning experience. And to his credit he apologized and took full responsibility. But this could have been handled the same way privately on-site and then never become sensationalized at all. Rory also let his emotions get the best of him. I like Rory. I’ve enjoyed the times I’ve been able to ask him questions like during the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. His answers have always been incredibly thoughtful and genuine. It’s water under the bridge now but I’d guess Rory wishes he also handled the heckling differently. Confronting Potter and his teammate after the heckling and taking his teammate’s phone was an emphatic overreaction. At the same time it was a sympathetic overreaction reminding us all just how deep and haunting his Masters scars run. It’s one of the reasons we cheer for Rory, one of the reasons we admire Rory. Heart and soul it matters to him. And this transcendent, doggedly-competitive fire will bring Rory that elusive green jacket before he hangs up his spikes. Ironically there’s a shared bond and core mentality between Rory and Potter that matters infinitely more than their unprosperous clash. And it’s arguably the most crucial aspect of success in golf and in life. They are both in their own right uncommonly focused. I remember asking Potter during the 2022 East Lake Cup if coming close in Stroke Play (he finished 2nd) was any extra motivation for the next day’s Championship Round of Match Play. Potter said to me, “No, not really. Every new day is its own new day.” Keep that in mind young man as you continue your extraordinary journey.