An alert marshal at the 16th hole of the Waste Management Phoenix Open cleared up a potentially embarrassing misunderstanding between Ian Poulter and the PGA Tour over the crowd’s sudden chant of “USA, USA” on the final day.
Poulter, of Stevenage, England, was leaving the tee in the rowdy 16th-hole coliseum when the chant erupted in the stands. Assuming it was an insult aimed at Europeans who played on the 2009 U.S. Ryder Cup Team, Poulter made an obscene gesture that was noted by TV commentators.
Meanwhile, the marshal in charge of the hole, whose job was to work behind the grandstands managing vendors and other marshals — which gave him access to a TV screen — realized the chant wasn’t about Poulter at all. Instead, it started as word spread about the USA Olympic Hockey Team tying the gold medal game game with 24 seconds left in regulation play.
“I ran down and told Hunter Mahan what had happened and he passed it on,” said Wes Bolyard, a long-time volunteer and contributor to Arizona Fairways magazine. “I called the PGA Tour and, I think, saved some embarrassment and misunderstanding for all involved.”
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