A spectator who boasted about heckling the golfer Ian Poulter during a tournament was "no longer an employee" of a US college after the player used social media to inform the man's bosses about the incident.

After watching play at the Valspar Championship this weekend, a Twitter-user called JJ Downum bragged about an on-course altercation with the 40-year-old English Ryder Cup hero.

Mr Downum, whose online biography said he was assistant athletic director for development at Florida Southern College, wrote that he yelled at the player who was walking from the 12th green: "You will NOT make the Ryder Cup team" and "YOU WILL HIT IT IN THE WATER!"

And on the next hole, Poulter did just that.

Before the mis-hit, Poulter asked for the spectator and his friend to be escorted off the course, Mr Downum wrote, but instead they went to the "Hooters tent".

Mr Downum claimed he was "swimming circles in Ian Poulter's brain" and hoped the Englishman would not qualify for Europe's Ryder Cup team later this year.

Poulter, 40, saw the tweet and took screen shots, then tagged college accounts in his response, which said: "I'm sure @FSC_Athletics & @FscSports are really proud of your professionalism. I wish you the very best Ian."

A Florida Southern College spokeswoman said: "Mr Downum is no longer an employee of Florida Southern College."

The @JDownumFSC account was no longer working on Twitter.

Poulter finished in 67th place in the tournament, 16 shots behind the winner.

The top nine European golfers will automatically compete in this year's Ryder Cup, with captain Darren Clarke making three wild card picks. Poulter is currently 32nd in the rankings.