Jon Rahm was visibly unhappy with hecklers as he attempted to pitch on hole 16 at LIV London. The Spaniard twice backed away from his shot to stare down members of the crowd at the Rocester course in the capital.
An eventful day saw Rahm hit an opening-round 8-under 63. He is yet to win a LIV Golf event since joining the Saudi Arabian-backed tour and was agitated by fans in the grandstand at the London venue.
Lining up his pitch on the 16th hole, Rahm initially went to take the shot before being interrupted by an inaudible heckle. The 29-year-old shouted “Hey man!” before stepping away from the ball and slapping his thigh in frustration.
He then stepped towards the ball to line up his shot again but the shouts from the crowd continued. Rahm had clearly identified the people trying to put him off.
The two-time major championship winner stared them down, hoping to stop their heckles. He continued to look towards the crowd for several moments before deciding to approach the ball again.
But just as he moved into position to line up his next shot, another heckle was heard from the crowd. Rahm immediately looked up and extended both of his arms as if to ask what the issue was.
He placed one hand on his hip and shook his head in exasperation. The microphones dotted around the course then picked up some swearing from the playing party, which was clearly aimed at the crowd.
Rahm finally pitched but he was clearly impacted by the exchange with those watching on. His shot failed to clear the slope and rolled down, moving further away from the hole. Some individuals in the crowd sarcastically reacted to the ball rolling down the hill by shouting: “Oooooh!”
It is not the first time in recent months in which Rahm has been angered by distractions on the LIV Golf circuit. In Nashville last month, microphones picked up the golfer bemoaning drones flying over the course.
Rahm attempted to tee off but was interrupted by drones flying overhead. The devices have been key to broadcasters’ coverage of golfing events at huge courses for several years.
His shot fell straight into the water bunker and he was heard complaining: “Every tournament. It’s f****** incredible. Right on my backswing. These f***** drones every time.”
