“Just like the 2011 at Augusta.” Five simple words with a resounding impact. Luke Potter might not have thought his words through, but the fact that he said the same, will be held against him for some time. And maybe, Rory McIlroy could have reacted better to the taunt.
So, trash talk from the stands can sometimes be noise, and sometimes motivation. But it can totally be annoying in a moment of focus. In this case, it hit straight to McIlroy’s sour spot, the 2011 Masters. What really happened and what did the Northern Irish golfer do next?
Rory McIlroy and the TPC Sawgrass Chaos
The incident happened on Tuesday at the 18th Hole at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course. McIlroy’s first shot landed in the water. Potter, who was watching, shouted out the comment about the 2011 Masters. McIlroy hit his next shot, which was good, and went to Potter right after. He asked the young NCAA golfer, “Can I see your phone?” and proceeded to grab the phone and walk away.
However, grabbing Potter’s phone and walking away was not a reaction people expected from McIlroy. Potter, for his part, acknowledged his mistake and wrote out apologies to a host of people which included McIlroy, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, and Brendan von Doehren, the director of PGA Tour University. He was given his phone back later.
“Look, I just made a mistake, and I take ownership for it. I apologize for it. That’s about all that needs to be said. … It’s just a good learning experience. Yeah, I apologize.” Potter told GolfChannel.com by phone. Unfortunately, once a word leaves your mouth you cannot chase it back even with the swiftest horse. Smylie Kaufman, who was present at the PLAYERS Championship discussed the incident in detail in The Smylie Show with co-host Charlie Hulme.
Luke Potter’s moment of madness
Potter was at the TPC Sawgrass after an incredible few days. He won his first NCAA individual title at the Hayt Collegiate Tournament, while also leading the University of Texas Men’s team to a comeback victory after trailing by 12 shots before the final round. That was last Monday, merely three days before the start of the PLAYERS. “Luke Potter is a really good golfer. He is somebody I have covered in the US Junior and the US Amateur. A player that I’ve had my eye on for a very long time.” Kaufman stated.
And Potter is not just a random collegiate golfer. He is a promising prodigy who was the first high school golfer since Tiger Woods to be named California Freshman Athlete of the Year. At 16 years of age, he also became the youngest winner of the Southern California Golf Association Amateur. His entire record screams future talent. Which is why the incident was highly surprising for Smylie Kaufman. “The fact that this turned out to be someone like him blew me away.”
Potter’s talent is undeniable. So, if and when he comes on the PGA Tour, he will face the repercussions of the incident. Trust and respect are not things that are guaranteed just like that. It takes time to build them and with this incident, Potter has set himself back by a few steps. “When you make it to the PGA Tour, it’s a family, it’s many players that support each other week in and week out. Whether they are competing against each other or not. When he gets on tour, when he asks for advice from other players, it is going to take a while for him to earn the respect of the players again.”
#UPDATE — College golfer Luke Potter was booted from the grounds yesterday after heckling Rory with a reference to the 2011 Masters. McIlroy took his phone +had him removed by TOUR security. “Look, I just made a mistake, and I take ownership for it” pic.twitter.com/E5OuTe3IO5
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) March 13, 2025
While Kaufman does not completely agree with what McIlroy did, i.e. grabbing Potter’s phone and walking away, he still feels that it was a good lesson for the young golfer to learn. That there are consequences to actions. And for him to make a name for himself in the golfing world, he would need to show that he is more mature than he was at the Stadium Course in TPC Sawgrass. “Kids these days think they can say whatever they want and get away with it. I am actually very happy that Rory walked over there. Because if this kid didn’t get this learning lesson early on in life, he probably was going to go down a spiral of a kid who would have never learned what he can and cannot do in this world,” Kaufman added, indicating that Potter needs to be a bit more of a professional.
Despite the whole incident with Luke Potter, McIlroy stayed razor-sharp and focused to claim a very eventful victory at the PLAYERS Championship.
Rory McIlroy stands tall despite practice round shenanigans
McIlroy, to his credit, did not let the practice round incident affect him in the slightest. The Northern Irish golfer was a model of consistency across the four days of play and the fifth day of playoffs. He never dropped outside the Top 10 en route to his score of 12 under par, tied with American golfer JJ Spaun.
Then, the four-time major winner outfoxed his rival in a three-hole playoff. He carded a birdie and a bogey in the first two holes against a par and triple bogey from Spaun, giving McIlroy a comfy cushion heading into the final hole. He made a bogey at the hole to confirm his second PLAYERS title, becoming one of only eight players to have won it twice.
Now, he will be focussed on the Masters Tournament next month. The wounds of 2011 have been reawakened and he would like to put all criticism to rest, by winning the elusive title at the Augusta National Golf Course and completing a Career Grand Slam. With the form that he is in right now, this year should be the time to do it. What do you think?
The post NCAA Golfer’s Career in Jeopardy as Messing With Rory McIlroy to Have Grim Consequences, Per Insider appeared first on EssentiallySports.
