Golf pro claps back at heckler after disastrous shot lands in lake

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During the PGA tournament in Florida this weekend, a golfer had a tense exchange with a spectator after hitting a ball into the water. The golfer then had the disruptive fan removed from the event.

I’m watching the Cognizant Classic right now, and it’s awesome seeing some of the best golfers compete. But let me tell you, as someone who’s spent hours on the course, things never go exactly as you hope! Even the pros have tough shots and unexpected moments.

During Saturday’s play on the 15th hole, Billy Horschel chipped his shot over the green and unfortunately into the water.

Billy Horschel argues with crowd at Cognizant Classic

While Billy Horschel made it to the weekend at the Cognizant tournament, he’s struggling. He shot two over par in the second round and is currently near the bottom of the leaderboard, tied for 54th place, heading into Sunday’s final round.

A particularly frustrating moment for him during the weekend happened on the 15th hole. An easy shot onto the green ended up going too far and landing in the water surrounding the hole.

Billy Ho responds to a chirping fan at @the_cognizant. 👀

— Skratch (@Skratch) February 27, 2026

Following his shot, someone in the audience yelled something at Billy Horschel. Although the exact words couldn’t be made out, it seems they were referencing Horschel’s previous complaints about the golf course and its practice of heavily seeding the grass.

Either way, the player was clearly not happy and confronted the fans in the grandstand.

“Who said that?” he asked, then continued, “I suppose that comment was meant to make you all feel better about yourselves, wasn’t it?”

A security guard warned the disruptive fan that another outburst would result in their removal, just before Horschel asked if he could finally resume his shot.

People were surprised to hear Horschel, a Florida native, being heckled while playing in his home state.

Heckler ejected from the event

Following his round, Horschel explained to reporters what happened, and it was revealed that the fan who caused the disruption had been removed from the tournament.

Wow, I just heard about what happened with Billy Horschel and a fan at the PGA National! Apparently, there was a pretty heated exchange on Friday, and security actually had to remove the fan. Horschel said the officers told him they’d already taken care of it after he finished the 16th hole. I’m really curious to hear what everyone thinks about this – it sounds like things got pretty intense!

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) February 27, 2026

Horschel explained that the man also claimed he was criticizing the golf course, which Horschel strongly denied. He pointed out that if he disliked the course, he wouldn’t return to play it annually.

He wanted to say something, so I asked him to review my feedback to ensure he had all the information. After that, I finished the hole with a score of six and walked off – no further conversation happened. Later, on the 16th hole, the officers told me they had removed him from the area.

I explained that I hadn’t requested any intervention, but staff informed me he’d been making inappropriate comments all day, so they asked him to leave. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, it’s important to be respectful of others.

It’s normal for golf fans to cheer or playfully shout, but it’s important they wait until after a player has hit the ball. Because golf requires a quiet atmosphere, this fan was asked to leave for being disruptive.

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2026-02-28 14:49