The swarming crowds at the PGA Championship had the potential to put a sour note on a splendid sports moment.
As the final group of Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka walked towards the 18th green at Kiawah Island, they were engulfed by fans wanting to be part of Mickelson’s historic moment. One fan grabbed Mickelson by the shoulders, while Koepka feared for his surgically repaired knee.
Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America, apologized for how the situation was handled.
“While we welcome enthusiastic fan engagement, we regret that a moment of high elation and pent-up emotion by spectators on the 18th hole during the conclusion of [Sunday’s] historic PGA Championship briefly overwhelmed security and made two players and their caddies feel vulnerable,” Waugh wrote in a statement on Monday night.
“We always put player safety at the top of our list and are grateful that order was restored. I have spoken to both players and apologized on behalf of the Association.”
Mickelson had a two-shot lead and the tournament was essentially over, barring an unlikely Koepka putt and a Mickelson meltdown. Mickelson, 50, went on to win by that two-stroke margin to become the oldest player to win a major.
Koepka, though, was frustrated by the lack of awareness from the crowd he had to fight through.
“It would have been cool if I didn’t have a knee injury and got dinged a few times in the knee in that crowd, because no one really gave a s–t,’’ Koepka said afterward. “Yeah, it’s cool for Phil, but getting dinged a few times isn’t exactly my idea of fun. I was trying to protect my knee.’’