‘I could hear you man’: Pro chirps fan for … eating chips?

The list of things not to do when a golfer is in their backswing is long, if not yet compendious.

When a golfer addresses the ball, it is expected that you will not speak, yell, swear, move quickly, sneeze, cough, take photos or otherwise disturb the peace. Should you do these things, you will be publicly shamed. Should you do them repeatedly, you might even be asked to leave.

On Saturday at the Wells Fargo Championship, the list of backswing no-goes grew one offense longer … and the loud eaters among us might want to listen up.

It all started on the 14th green at TPC Potomac, a drivable par-4 that has played as one of the easiest on the course throughout the week at the Wells Fargo. It was a rainy Saturday in the DMV, with blustering winds and chilly temps contributing to brutal moving day conditions for the pros.

James Hahn, a 40-year-old two-time Tour winner, stood on the 14th green with a 20-footer for birdie that would have moved him to even par for the day and within two strokes of the mark set by 54-hole leader Keegan Bradley.

Hahn surveyed his putt for a long time, then finally rocked his putter back and struck his ball. He watched as the ball rolled up to the hole and skipped past, coming to rest three feet long of the flagstick.

But before approaching his par putt, Hahn stopped what he was doing and stared off into the crowd, where he had some choice words for a fan.

“I could hear you eating those chips man, for like two minutes,” he said, the frustration spread across his face.

On the telecast, the CBS crew laughed.

“Too much crunch, man,” Nick Faldo said as he tossed to break.

You can check out the full video of the interaction below.

Fortunately, the munching stopped for long enough for Hahn to make his par putt.

He would go on to shoot a two-over 72 on Saturday, and entered Sunday’s final round in a tie for 4th. As for the fan? Well, hopefully he’s enjoying the rest of his meals at TPC Potomac from a safe distance … or chewing with his mouth closed.

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is an assistant editor at GOLF, contributing stories for the website and magazine on a broad range of topics. He writes the Hot Mic, GOLF’s weekly media column, and utilizes his broadcast experience across the brand’s social media and video platforms. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow, during which time he cut his teeth at NFL Films, CBS News and Fox Sports. Prior to joining GOLF, James was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from.