Golfer throws tantrum after caddie’s move
Australian golfer Rhein Gibson has apologized for throwing a putter cover at his caddie and “firing” him for picking up his ball on the 18th hole of the final round of the Web.com’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on Wednesday.
Gibson was one shot off the lead in the tournament before slipping out of contention in controversial fashion.
It began when Gibson, who was tied for second, hooked an approach on the par-5 18th into some rocks beside the green.
Caddie Brandon Davis, in a video posted on social media titled “I Got Fired,” said: “We looked for the ball. I’m thinking ‘there’s some rocks here, a few other things … maybe we can find it, maybe we can hit it.’ ”
Davis said a tour official then found the ball.
“Rhein and I go over, look at it, I say ‘it’s under two rocks, we got nothing.’ Rhein turns around and walks to his bag as if to say ‘forget it’ — clearly intending never to play the ball.
“Supposedly we’re a team in this game. The ball is dead, Rhein is clearly not hitting this golf ball, so I go over and pick it up.”
Gibson, 31, took a penalty drop, and Davis said the problem was exacerbated when an official claimed Gibson was also due a one-shot penalty for his caddie “not getting consent” to pick the ball up.
That extra stroke meant the Australian, who removed the cover off his putter and threw it at Davis in frustration, dropped to third.
“I cost my player $16,000 because I went over to a hazard and picked up a golf ball,” Davis said.
Gibson has since apologized, saying his actions “were less than professional.”
“He plays a lot better when he’s mad. We’re friends off the golf course,” Davis said.
Paying him back
New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan has gifted a local World War II veteran and Saints fan tickets to next week’s Super Bowl.
Reports cite a team Facebook video as showing 108-year-old Lawrence Brooks being presented with the tickets Wednesday while Jordan chatted with the veteran.
Jordan said in the video that he’s trying to thank Brooks for everything he’s done, especially his service.
Brooks was born in 1909 and served with the U.S. Army’s predominantly black 91st Engineer Battalion that was stationed in the Philippines and New Guinea during the war.
Rapping along
After Lonzo Ball’s rookie season comes to an end, the Los Angeles Lakers rookie will showcase his musical talents with a rap concert in Lithuania.
Per TMZ Sports, when Lonzo’s father, LaVar Ball, was presenting an award at an awards show in Lithuania, he introduced his son in a prerecorded video who announced he would travel to the country this summer to show off his rap skills with a concert.
Ball has dabbled in music, releasing two singles under his rap alias “Zo.” His first single, entitled “Melo Ball 1,” debuted Sept. 8 and has received more than 2 million views on YouTube.
Lonzo’s brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo, are playing professional basketball with Prienu Vytautas in Lithuania. The team withdrew from the Baltic League earlier this month to take part in the Big Baller Brand Challenge, sponsored by the apparel company started by LaVar.