Less than 24 hours after his first college victory, a University of Texas men’s golfer was reportedly escorted out of TPC Sawgrass following an incident with Rory McIlroy during Tuesday’s practice round for The Players.
Luke Potter was attending The Players with his teammates, a day after the Longhorns junior won the John Hayt Invitational across the street at Sawgrass Country Club. Standing behind the 18th tee box with a teammate, Potter watched as McIlroy rinsed his tee shot, and then, as first reported by Golf.com and confirmed by GolfChannel.com, Potter heckled McIlroy with a reference to the 2011 Masters.
A video posted on X didn’t catch Potter’s comment, though it did quote him as saying, “Just like the 2011 Masters.” McIlroy, of course, was the 54-hole leader at that Masters before he hooked a drive on Augusta National’s 10th hole during the final round and triple-bogeyed the hole as part of a closing 80.
The video did show McIlroy hitting a second drive and then walking over to Potter and the teammate. “Can I see your phone?” McIlroy asked Potter’s teammate, as Potter stood silently next to him. Without pause, McIlroy took the phone and walked away. Per Golf.com, the phone was returned, but Potter was forced to leave the grounds.
A PGA Tour spokesperson declined to comment on the incident.
The PGA Tour’s fan code of conduct prohibits spectators from “making rude, vulgar or other inappropriate comments or gestures.”
“Look, I just made a mistake, and I take ownership for it,” Potter told GolfChannel.com by phone. “I apologize for it. That’s about all that needs to be said. … It’s just a good learning experience. Yeah, I apologize.”
Added Texas head coach John Fields, speaking to Golf.com: “He’s got a hole in his heart. He had no idea that what was coming out of his mouth was going to result in this fashion.”
Fields added that Potter has written letters of apology to McIlroy, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, PGA Tour University director Brendan von Doehren and UNF coach Scott Schroeder, whose program hosts the Hayt and helps participants get Players tickets for the day after.
Potter had this to say of McIlroy: “He’s a great player, and I wish him the best.”
McIlroy was asked about the incident on Thursday after his opening 5-under 67, but he offered no comment.
“Can I ask you about the shenanigans with the fan yesterday?” a reporter asked McIlroy, who then replied, “No, you can’t.”
“Why?” the same reporter asked again.
“Because I don’t want you to,” McIlroy added.
Another reporter tried a similar question later, and McIlroy would only say, “I’m very happy with my 67 today.”
Potter was once the top-ranked junior in the Class of 2022, which also included Nick Dunlap, Luke Clanton and Caleb Surratt. He signed with Arizona State, but he decided to transfer after falling out of the lineup last spring. Having reached as high as 38th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, he is currently No. 60.
In winning the Hayt, Potter bested runner-up David Ford, the North Carolina senior who is ranked No. 1 in the current PGA Tour U rankings, by three shots. The Longhorns, ranked fourth in the nation by Scoreboard, took the team title as well.
