Zach Johnson faced scrutiny on social media during the second round of the 2024 Masters Tournament.
The 2007 Masters champion was seen expressing frustration on the par-3 12th hole after scoring a triple-bogey 6. In a moment of displeasure, he threw his golf ball into Rae’s Creek and was alleged to have yelled profanities at the spectators.
Addressing these claims with the media after carding a three-over 75, Johnson firmly dismissed the idea that he had sworn at the fans. “That’s completely laughable,” he stated, as reported by Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine. He explained his inability to hear the patrons due to the noise at the moment and emphasized that any outburst was self-directed due to the frustration of likely missing the cut after his performance.
“I can’t hear the patrons, number one. Number two, I just made a triple-bogey on the 12th hole that evidently is going to make me miss the cut, which at the time I knew was pretty sensitive in the sense that I needed to keep making pars,” Johnson said. He added, “If I’ve said anything, which I’m not going to deny—especially if it’s on camera—one, I apologize. And two, it was fully directed towards myself entirely because I can’t hear anything behind me.”
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This incident comes after Johnson has already experienced several confrontations with fans, including a notable altercation at the Phoenix Open earlier in the year.
With a score of seven over par after two rounds, it appears that Johnson will not make the cut at Augusta this year.
