HECKLE OF A SHOT
Fan's $100 putt sinks the pros
CHASKA, Minn. — He’s a nobody from North Dakota, but if America’s Ryder Cup team needs help, this golf fan is ready to chip in.
David Johnson created an epic moment Thursday by sinking a difficult 12-foot putt in front of a crowd of thousands after some famous European pros dared the heckler to try it during a practice round at the international competition.
The 30-year-old insurance salesman was among fans razzing the players for failing to make the same shot when major champions Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose asked if anyone in the crowd thought they could do it.
Johnson raised his hand and was called out of the gallery and given one of the players’ putters. Rose even jacked up the stakes by placing a $100 bill on the ground near the ball just before Johnson putted. But it didn’t matter.
“I closed my eyes, swallowed my puke and hit the putt . . . it happened to go in,” he said.
The crowd at Hazeltine National went wild as the ball — which was hit hard and would have gone well past the hole if it had missed — slammed into the back of the cup and disappeared.
Johnson celebrated like he had just won the Masters, doing a Tiger Woods-style fist pump.
Before he even got back to his place in the crowd, a video of his feat was going viral. He said he had no regrets about taunting the players at the US vs. Europe team event, which starts Friday and is known for fans being more raucous than usual.
“I razzed them a little bit, and they heard me, which was insane,” Johnson said. “They brought me out, which is more insane. I haven’t fully realized what just happened, but overall that was a pretty cool experience.”