Rickie Fowler screams at fan after awkward tee shot at The Players Championship

Fowler pointed at the fan, whose phone was allegedly going off in his backswing

PGA Tour veteran Rickie Fowler had a confrontation with a golf fan during the third round of The Players Championship on Saturday afternoon. 

Fowler was ready to tee up on the par-5 16th hole, where he was 1-over on the tournament at the time. But, when he made contact, an awkward one-handed finish showed on the broadcast and he immediately fired his finger at someone in the gallery to his right. 

"You!" he yelled at an individual. 

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Rickie Fowler

Rickie Fowler plays a shot on the 14th hole during the third round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on March 16, 2024, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

"What are you doing?" Fowler’s caddie, Ricky Romano, said as well. 

There was allegedly an issue with the individual’s phone going off, to which Romano said to shut it off multiple times before Fowler stepped up to the tee. 

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However, the individual clearly did not silence the phone and Fowler heard it as he was going to swing. Of course, golf etiquette calls for silence when a player swings their club. 

Luckily for Fowler, his tee shot on the 523-yard landed on the fairway. But he continued to speak with the individual as the broadcast showed the ball land in the short stuff. 

Rickie Fowler swings

Rickie Fowler during the third round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on March 16, 2024. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

But Fowler ended up double-bogeying the 16th hole, shooting a seven which could get him to 4-over for the round. That’s the way things ended, as Fowler shot 1-over on the front nine and 3-over on the back after going bogey, bogey, birdie, double bogey from holes 13-16. 

Fowler’s tournament started off with a 2-over on Thursday after bogeying his final two holes of his round. But he appeared to be back on track when he shot a 3-under 69 in round two to make the cut and be under par heading into the weekend. 

Fowler, 35, is no stranger to reacting to stuff happening in the gallery, as he infamously shrugged at one bystander who commented, "What are you doing?" when he left a putt short during a past tournament. 

Rickie Fowler’s tournament started off with a 2-over on Thursday after bogeying his final two holes of his round. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

That situation led to a bellow of laughter from the crowd, but this moment was one that created a tense atmosphere at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.  

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Authored by Scott Thompson via FoxNews March 17th 2024