Mike Lorenzo-Vera lines up a putt during the 2022 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters. | Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez/Getty Images
Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera received a nasty message on social media, so he decided to clap back with a NSFW response.
Mike Lorenzo-Vera has been around the block.
At 38 years old, the Frenchman is in the midst of his 12th full season on the DP World Tour, despite never winning.
But he has also learned how to deal with unruly and obnoxious fans.
Lorenzo-Vera most recently missed the cut at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, marking his seventh missed cut on the DP World Tour this season.
Perhaps his struggles are why he received such a heinous direct message on his Instagram account:
Instead of blocking this individual, Lorenzo-Vera produced a fiery response: “Go f*** yourself, you piece of s***. I’m happy you lost your money on a bet!”
He then posted the exchange on social media, which immediately went viral.
The Frenchman eviscerated this fan while exposing him too.
Perhaps this individual bet on Lorenzo-Vera to make the cut or to win the whole tournament.
Or maybe he did not place a wager but instead wanted to make his feelings known about Lorenzo-Vera’s poor play.
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Mike Lorenzo-Vera tees off on the 11th hole during the first round of the 2023 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
Regardless, gambling in golf has been a popular topic of discussion among players, fans, and media alike this year.
At the BMW Championship in August, Max Homa had to deal with an intoxicated gambler while putting late in his round. That same fan also yelled obscenities towards Chris Kirk, Homa’s playing partner that day.
Jon Rahm later commented on this incident at the following week’s Tour Championship.
“I feel like we hear it every single round,” Rahm said.
“That happens way more often than you guys may hear. I mean, it’s very, very present. In golf, spectators are very close, and even if they’re not directly talking to you, they’re close enough to where if they say to their buddy, I bet you 10 bucks he’s going to miss it, you hear it.”
Professional golfers are being asked to deal with heckling gamblers on the course, and on social media too.
Perhaps they should take Lorenzo-Vera’s Not-Safe-For-Work approach. Screenshotting the conversation does wonders too, as it not only shows the real messages but uncovers the accounts of the guilty parties.
Nevertheless, Lorenzo-Vera will need a strong finish to the DP World Tour season as he is currently ranked 113th in the Race to Dubai standings—the European equivalent of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
