LOS ANGELES – The viral moment of the young year came last Sunday at the WM Phoenix Open when Joel Dahmen and Harry Higgs ignited the outsized crowd around the 16th green with a shirtless celebration.
Although the viral moment has been celebrated across traditional and new media it seems the PGA Tour is not so happy with the two players.
“I may be fined. I’ve heard whispers of both but nothing official yet,” Higgs said. “There was a phone call [from the Tour] and a, ‘Hey, you know you’re not supposed to do that.’ I know I’m not supposed to do that. I’m 30 years old, I know I’m not supposed to lift my shirt up on national television in front of thousands of fans.”
Full-field scores from The Genesis Invitational
Higgs said he and Dahmen plan to make the most of any potential fine by creating a GoFundMe page with an eye toward charity.
“We may end up having some fun with it. If we are fined, and we deserve to be, we would pay our fine but kind of raise money to donate to charity,” he said. “I’m never going to do it ever again. I regretted it almost immediately.”
Higgs said he will have to come up with an alternative celebration for next year’s WM Phoenix Open where the 16th hole has become the most unique and raucous party on Tour.
“I have to come up with something to do so I don’t get booed when I don’t take my shirt off,” laughed Higgs, who rallied to make the cut Friday at the Genesis Invitational with two eagles and a birdie on his closing nine. “I have to get a little creative so I don’t take my shirt off.”
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