However that’s what we heard to the handful of LIV Golf gamers who had been early starters at St Andrews – a few of them, not less than. Ian Poulter and Patrick Reed, two signatories to the Saudi-backed insurgent tour, bought the unusual response.
Booing on the first tee on the primary morning of The Open? These are fractious occasions in golf, certainly.
Golf crowds on the Open are often extremely well mannered – effectively, for some solely earlier than the day-long consuming takes impact. You actually don’t hear a discouraging phrase on the vary or the stands at 7.30 am on Thursday morning.
The heat of the welcome for the 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie at 6.35 am as he bought the a hundred and fiftieth championship began is typical. Solely at this sporting occasion do you get 4000 folks as much as watch in individual at the moment of day.
And Paul is an exemplar of Scottish golf – our Open champion, benefactor and mentor. All of the R&A bigwigs – chief government Martin Slumbers, guidelines chief David Rickman, captains previous, current and future – had been there.
However Poulter, in distinction, is at all times a lightning rod. He could also be a Ryder Cup legend, however he’s undoubtedly a Marmite golfer if ever there was one.
There was a coolness to him from the galleries final week on the Scottish Open, however no actual antipathy. Which made the reception on the first gap at St Andrews on the primary morning an actual shock.
Numerous it was pantomime booing – folks hiding giggles as they did it. However he actually appeared affected, virtually duck-hooking his tee shot and flirting with the out of bounds left on golf’s widest fairway.
Because the morning progressed, it appeared the primary tee crowd had been selective with their disdain. Phil Mickelson, the preliminary poster boy for LIV, confirmed up logo-free and fully in black.
The announcement of his identify by the beginning introduced one manic cheer for one over-eager fan and well mannered applause, however no boos.
Coming immediately after Phil, nevertheless, was the USA’s Patrick Reed, one other lightning rod for the golf galleries.
Reed’s perspective has at all times been daring. This time he’s defiantly changed the sponsors which have abandoned him with LIV Golf logos, and bought as many boos from the gang as Poulter did.
