Less than 24 hours after his first collegiate victory, Luke Potter, a golfer from the University of Texas, was reportedly escorted off TPC Sawgrass following an incident with Rory McIlroy during Tuesday’s practice round at The Players.
Luke Potter was attending The Players with his teammates, a day after the Longhorns junior won the John Hayt Invitational across the street at Sawgrass Country Club. While standing behind the 18th tee with a teammate, Potter observed McIlroy miss his tee shot and, as initially reported by Golf.com and confirmed by GolfChannel.com, made a provocative comment referencing the 2011 Masters.
A video posted on X did not capture Potter’s exact comment, though it quoted him as saying: “Just like at the 2011 Masters.” McIlroy, as you may recall, was leading after 54 holes in that Masters before sending his drive left on the 10th hole at Augusta National during the final round, resulting in a triple bogey and a final round of 80.
The video did show McIlroy hitting a second drive and then approaching Potter and his teammate. “Can I see your phone?” McIlroy asked Potter’s teammate, while Potter stood silently beside him. Without pause, McIlroy took the phone and walked away. According to Golf.com, Potter was then forced to leave the premises.
The PGA Tour spectator code of conduct prohibits “making rude, vulgar or inappropriate comments or gestures.”
“I made a mistake and take responsibility for it,” Potter told GolfChannel.com by phone. “I apologise for that. That’s all I have to say… It will be a learning experience. Yes, I apologise.”
Texas head coach John Fields added in statements to Golf.com: “He has a knot in his heart. He had no idea that what came out of his mouth was going to result in this way.”
Fields also mentioned that Potter has written apology letters to McIlroy, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, PGA Tour University director Brendan von Doehren, and UNF coach Scott Schroeder, whose university hosts the Hayt and helps participants obtain tickets for THE PLAYERS the following day.
Potter said of McIlroy: “He’s a great player and I wish him the best.”
Potter was once the top-ranked junior of the 2022 class, which also included Nick Dunlap, Luke Clanton, and Caleb Surratt. He signed with Arizona State but decided to transfer after being left off the team last spring. He reached as high as 38th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and is currently ranked 60th.
To win the Hayt, Potter beat runner-up David Ford, a senior from North Carolina and the current number 1 in the PGA Tour University ranking, by three strokes. The Longhorns also took the team title.
