Steph Curry drained a long eagle putt to defeat former tennis pro Mardy Fish in the American Century Championship on Sunday, but the Golden State Warriors star may have also gotten a big assist from a heckler.
Fish led Curry by three points heading into the 18th hole at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. The event uses the Stableford scoring system, which awards six points for an eagle, three for a birdie and one for a par. As Fish went to hit his drive on 18, someone in the gallery let out two obnoxious screams.
#CLOWN Someone yelled in Mardy Fish’s backswing on 18 & it cost him a chance at winning the @ACChampionship
“Somebody screamed right in his backswing, that was awful…. Was it on purpose? Yes”. pic.twitter.com/HGLDmFbxnS
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 16, 2023
It looked like the scream impacted Fish’s swing, as he pulled the ball way right. Even Curry looked disgusted with the fan.
Fish went on to save par, but he probably could have done better if not for the yanked drive. The par would have been enough to hold off Curry had the two-time NBA MVP not buried a clutch 18-foot eagle (video here).
Curry obviously deserves credit for the clutch putt, but he probably wishes that bird-like scream didn’t play a role.
