Friday 18 March 2016 23:45, UK
A heckler who taunted Ian Poulter during last week's Valspar Championship has been sacked, highlighting the precarious nature of social media.
JJ Downum jeered Poulter during the third round at the Innisbrook Resort in Florida as the Englishman made his way to the tee at the par-three 13th.
Downum boasted of shouting "you will not make the Ryder Cup team", followed by "you will hit in into the water", and Poulter asked tournament security to remove the heckler and his companion.
Poulter then obliged by hitting his tee shot into the water and running up a double-bogey five, but he then received a tweet from the offender which read: "We're still here swimming circles in your brain ... hit it in the water AGAIN."
The Ryder Cup star responded and made sure Downum's employers at Florida Southern University, where he worked in the athletic department.
Downum has since deleted his Twitter account, and Florida Southern's director of athletics Pete Meyer told the Ledger newspaper: "He's no longer employed at the institution."
Jordan Spieth also had a confrontation on social media following his disappointing opening 76 at the Valspar Championship after a user described him as "garbage" when the world No 1 was not putting well, claiming that "every other aspect of his game is very average".
Spieth replied: "Couldn't be further from the truth troll. Go do research before hating" - a comment that he later deleted before he expressed his regret for the response the following day.
The incidents have highlighted the pressures that high-profile athletes face on social media, and Rory McIlroy admitted it can be "a strain" when dealing with criticism and abuse.
Watch the video to hear McIlroy's views on the dangers he faces on social media ...
