A social media influencer has been banned for life from PGA Tour events after orchestrating a mid-swing heckle at the WM Phoenix Open.
Social media influencer Jack Doherty has been handed a lifetime ban from attending PGA Tour events after paying a spectator to shout during Mackenzie Hughes’ backswing.
The incident took place on the 18th hole of the WM Phoenix Open, with Hughes attempting to play his second shot from a fairway bunker. As the Canadian stood over the ball, a voice yelled “jackass” – a distraction Doherty organized live on his stream, offering a spectator $100 to shout during the backswing.
Security moved quickly, ejecting both Doherty and the individual who shouted. The PGA Tour subsequently issued lifetime bans to both parties, with officials making it clear that any future attempt by Doherty to attend an event would not be well received. “If you show up at a PGA Tour tournament again, you will be arrested,” insisted PGA Tour personnel.
Despite the disruption, Hughes himself appeared largely unfazed.
“You know, heard that, and then called security and they got the guys quickly, and then I hit my shot, and that was it,” Hughes said afterwards. “It happens at this tournament sometimes, and it’s not a big deal. This many people and alcohol, I mean, things happen.
Hughes also revealed the distraction wasn’t actually as well-timed as it had seemed:
“I was over my shot, and I do, like a free swing, like waggle, and that kind of saved me because the person yelled on my waggle. So I was kind of going to stop anyways,” he explained. “I hit a nice shot still, so that was nice.”
🚨 Jack Doherty gets BANNED from all future PGA Tour tournaments after paying someone $100 to yell “Jackass” mid-swing! 🚔⛳️🏌🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/jYrNSXst4B
— Bestfriend (@BestfriendKick) February 7, 2026
Video circulating on social media captured an exchange between Doherty and tournament security shortly after the incident. When warned he would be arrested if he attended another PGA Tour event, Doherty attempted to plead his case.
“How do we work this out then? Because I love golf. I don’t want to be banned forever,” he pleaded.
After being told the discussion was over, his tone changed dramatically.
“Alright, I don’t give a f**k that I can’t go to a boring golfing event for the rest of my life,” he spat.
Doherty later doubled down in a lengthy rant posted online, dismissing the punishment as excessive and accusing critics of being overly sensitive.
“I honestly think that was the most harmless prank I could have done,” he said. “What has the world come to? Saying ‘jackass’ on a golfer’s backswing is all of a sudden the worst thing you could possibly do. You guys act like I murdered someone. Like, grow up. You guys are the softest generation ever.”
He also attempted to distance himself from responsibility, pointing out that he didn’t shout himself.
“I didn’t even do it – I paid someone $100 to do it. Go get the guy who f***ing did it,” he added.
While Hughes brushed off the incident, the PGA Tour’s response sends a clear message about spectator behaviour. With players increasingly vocal about distractions and abuse from the ropes, tolerance for “pranks” that interfere with play appears to be wearing thin.
The issue, increasingly, is not alcohol or isolated hecklers, but spectators actively chasing viral moments.
With everything now recorded and shared on social media, shouting during a backswing has become a shortcut to online attention. We saw how quickly things spiralled at the Ryder Cup, where Rory McIlroy and other players were repeatedly targeted from outside the ropes, and this feels like a natural – and ugly – extension of that trend.
Golf crowds have always had their characters, but when fans attempt to turn themselves into the story for clicks, the line between atmosphere and disruption disappears entirely.
Whether Doherty views the ban as a badge of honour or an overreaction, the PGA Tour has made its stance clear: if your idea of entertainment is becoming part of the action, golf no longer has room for you.