Heading into Merion, Sergio Garcia was naturally a bit nervous for the reception from the notoriously vociferous Philly crowd, but he knew he had to deal with the consequences of his “fried chicken” comment. The U.S. Open is always the most mentally grueling test in golf without distractions. If he had shot 80, it would have been no surprise and even understandable.
Garcia encountered the predicted troubles, but not per se by the occasional heckler — the spectators were tamer than kittens, relatively speaking. On his first tee, the 11th — no, that’s not a typo; it’s a logistical thing — there was a lone “boo.”