Second Thoughts

Heckler gives putting lesson to Europeans

European Ryder Cup teammates Rory McIlroy (left) and Andy Sullivan (right) encouraged a heckler to put up or shut up when they both missed putts on the 12th hole during a practice round Thursday at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. The heckler made the putt, and Justin Rose lost $100.
European Ryder Cup teammates Rory McIlroy (left) and Andy Sullivan (right) encouraged a heckler to put up or shut up when they both missed putts on the 12th hole during a practice round Thursday at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. The heckler made the putt, and Justin Rose lost $100.

When a heckler is called out by the hecklee, often it's time to put up or shut up.

David Johnson did that and more in front of a few of the world's best golfers and a full-sized gallery Thursday at the Ryder Cup in Chaska, Minn.

Johnson, a 30-year-old fan from Mayville, N.D., looked on with thousands of others as Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan repeatedly missed a 12-foot putt on the eighth green during Thursday's practice session.

Johnson let the group of European Ryder Cup players hear about it from the gallery, so Stenson invited him to come out to the putting surface and show the world how it's done.

For good measure, Justin Rose plopped down a $100 bill.

Using Sullivan's putter -- about 10 inches shorter than what he's used to -- Johnson gave the putt a ride toward the cup.

"A little pacey," he said later. "It was the putt I wanted to hit, just not the right speed."

Coasting along on the green, the ball rammed the back of the cup and dropped in.

An odd version of the chicken dance followed, along with hugs and handshakes from the four pros.

"It was poetry in motion," Stenson said. "If it doesn't hit the back of the cup, it's rolling all the way to [the] fringe."

McIlroy dismissed the notion.

"That's all the way in the water if it misses," he said.

Instead, Johnson became an instant internet sensation. McIlroy tweeted video of the putt and murmurs of the feat trickled through the Hazeltine National gallery like smoke from the hot dog grills.

"He's the man of the hour, the day, the week," Stenson said. "The boys were struggling with the line, so Dave here offered to come out and show us how to do it. And he certainly did; drilled that 12-footer right in the back of the cup.

"Now he can tell the whole world that the European team are the ones that have the most fun."

Johnson said he doesn't plan to spend the $100 bill -- which the pros signed -- but instead encase it in "a very expensive frame."

Asked if the show might be repeated this weekend when the Ryder Cup gets underway, Stenson didn't miss a beat.

"There will be a few more [fans] with a few more words, I am sure," he said. "We'll bring plenty of 100s."

Denver milestone

The Denver Broncos under owner Pat Bowlen have been one of the most consistently successful franchises in sports. With a victory against the Buccaneers in Tampa on Sunday, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post wrote the Broncos could pass a significant milestone.

Not only would the Broncos begin the season 4-0 for the second consecutive season, they would pass the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers for the second-highest winning percentage among American pro sports franchises since 1984, when Bowlen purchased the team. The Lakers are 1,588-988 (.616 winning percentage) in that time, while the Broncos enter Sunday with 316-197-1 (.616) regular-season record.

Sports quiz

Which American pro sports franchise has the highest winning percentage since 1984?

Answer

The NBA's San Antonio Spurs are 1,631-945 since 1984, good for a .633 winning percentage.

Sports on 09/30/2016

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