Time to hit pros who don’t care with forepay
AS the old saying goes, it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
But, please, let us not allow it to get that far before professional golfers wake up to their responsibility to respect the safety of spectators.
What a jolly wheeze Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler had on Twitter on Sunday night, poking fun at their mate Justin Thomas for his spectacular club throwing display during the final round of the WGC event in Mexico.
Sure, the video still of his driver flying through the air in perfect alignment with the red line tracking the path of his ball was amusing.“It was so on a plane though,” as McIlroy tweeted. “Should be proud of that.”
No, Rory. He shouldn’t. He should be embarrassed – and, more importantly, he should be fined for it by the PGA Tour.
For where some competitors will look at Thomas letting go of his driver on his follow through and see a guy simply frustrated, there are plenty who see more.
Like disrespect for the etiquette that underpins the game and yet another example of the disregard too many players have for the safety of the paying punters behind the ropes.
Thomas couldn’t have known where his club was going to end up when he let go in disgust and in mid-swing on the 11th tee.
But there’s a strong chance the tightly-packed group of spectators and photographers gathered 10 feet to his left was the likely destination.
Thankfully it landed a foot short of the crowd but luck is no defence and the fact that no one was hurt should not excuse the American from punishment.
It was sadly an all-too familiar example of the growing disconnect between some pros and the average Joes who pay to watch them.
Just last month another American tour pro Pat Perez was condemned for not bothering to shout fore as he carved his ball into the crowd, not once but twice in the final round of the Genesis Open.
Remember Ernie Els at Hoylake in 2014? Clattered a boy with his opening drive and was so ravaged by guilt that he three putted from 18 inches.
At least Ernie shouted fore. But not Perez. Three holes later he was at it again, blasting off line and just standing watching it arc towards another group of spectators.
Fortunately there was no serious injury second time round but the damage to Perez’s image left a permanent mark.
Maybe these guys will start shouting fore when the injured parties start asking for personal injury settlements.
But before we get to that extreme stage, let’s have the Tour step in to hit them in the pocket first.
After the R&A and USGA unveiled a raft of new rule changes to be brought in from January 2019, let’s see the game’s rulers bring in a few more to protect the punters and uphold the integrity of the game.
When asked two weeks ago if we should be treating etiquette breaches almost as seriously as breaches of the Official Rules, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers was non-committal.
He said: “I don’t see any reason why any player at any level should not follow that etiquette.”
But the evidence is there that some are not following it. And if action isn’t taken, brace yourself for bad habits to seep down the game.