Former U.S. Masters champion and current Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson found himself in hot water Friday at Augusta National when he allegedly told patrons to “fuck off,” Golf Digest reported.
Before the alleged incident there were some semi-sarcastic cheers when Johnson holed out for a triple-bogey 6 on the twelfth tee, Golf Digest reported. Such a cheer seemingly implied patrons were saying, “Finally, he’s done,” according to the outlet.
Video shows Johnson, apparently perturbed, turning back toward the tee and telling the patrons to “fuck off.”
Zach Johnson legitimately told the Masters patrons to fuck off after a triple on 12. You can hear it as clear as day here 😳 pic.twitter.com/vPMadfVPUt
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) April 12, 2024
It’s unlikely a golfer would get away with dropping the expletive at Augusta National unless he owns a green jacket, like Johnson, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Zach Johnson, Billy Horschel Verbally Brawl It Out With Fans At WM Phoenix Open)
Zach Johnson is trying to deny that he didn’t tell the patrons to “Fuck off” after his missed putt on #12 yesterday (where the video shows that he clearly looked at them after they cheered when he missed his putt, and then yelled at them to “Fuck off.”)
— Tour Golf (@PGATUOR) April 13, 2024
When Johnson was asked about the comment during an interview after his round Friday, the golfer denied the words were directed at patrons, according to the outlet.
After Johnson asked, “What are they saying that I did or said?” a reporter replied, “It’s been reported that you swore at some of the patrons,” according to Golf Digest.
“That I swore at the patrons? That’s laughable,” Johnson said. “That’s completely laughable. I can’t hear the patrons, number one. Number two: I just made a triple bogey on the twelfth hole that evidently is going to make me miss the cut, which, at the time, I knew was pretty sensitive in the sense that I needed to keep making pars. If I’ve said anything — which I’m not going to deny, especially if it’s on camera — one, I apologize, and two, it was fully directed towards myself entirely because I can’t hear anything behind me. Does that make sense?”
Johnson is not a stranger to controversy, having expressed similarly charged remarks at the Ryder Cup earlier in 2024 as well as other comments reportedly made at TPC Scottsdale, Golf Digest reported.
“This fucking guy. I never felt a specific way about Zach Johnson, that is until the Ryder Cup,” Barstool Sports’ Bobby Reagan wrote. “I was livid at Zach Johnson during the Ryder Cup. Then Scottsdale happened … But now we’re talking about 12 at Augusta … And Zach Johnson can’t handle clapping. Clapping! We’re not talking about heckling or a screaming match, clapping — sarcastic or not.”
