While in Boston last week, I came across a story which was of no more than passing interest at the time. After the appalling climax to the Ryder Cup at The Country Club, however, it took on a fresh relevance. And it got me thinking about justice in golf, from an administrative standpoint.
It concerned South Africa's Fulton Allem, a veteran of the USPGA Tour, whose three tournament victories include the 1993 World Series. Anyway, having been found guilty of unprofessional conduct at the Reno-Tahoe Open on August 26th to 29th, he has been suspended by the Tour for four weeks.
The suspension, for four events, culminating in the Buick Challenge this weekend, was based on two letters of complaint to the Tour. One was from a female spectator who claimed she heard Allem use abusive language on the course and the other came from a 15-year-old driver of a buggy who alleged that the player created a dangerous situation by stepping on the accelerator when being shuttled down an incline at Montreux Golf and Country Club.
The buggy incident was hotly disputed by witnesses but, either way, Allem was not given the chance to defend himself nor to appeal the suspension. Seemingly, this was because he had been on probation after hitting a hazard stake with a club at a tournament last April when, incidentally, he was fined $5,000. It will be recalled that a month earlier, Davis Love III was fined only £1,000 at Bay Hill for smashing a sprinkler head, whereby gushing water halted play and altered the course conditions.
In the wake of events last Sunday, Michael Bonallack, outgoing secretary of the Royal and Ancient, likened the atmosphere in Brookline to a "bear pit". Bonallack added: "I felt embarrassed for golf. It went way beyond the decency you associate with proper golf. I love the Ryder Cup and I don't want to see it degenerate into a mob demonstration every time we play it."
Now the point is, in terms of the integrity and enjoyment of the game, how would last Sunday's mob demonstration - by both players and spectators - compare with the actions for which Allem and Love were punished? And if punishment were to be administered, who were the culprits?
Clearly, it's not possible to punish 35,000 spectators. And despite the efforts at diplomacy earlier this week by Jim Awtrey of the PGA of America, it would be impossible to pinpoint the troublemakers in the crowd. But we don't have to look far for the ringleaders.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, incitement means to urge on, stir up. On that basis, American players such as David Duval, Hal Sutton and Tom Lehman, not to mention team captain Ben Crenshaw, were guilty of incitement in the calculated manner they set about working up the crowd during those climactic, singles matches.
How did their behaviour compare with the offence caused to a female spectator by Allem's blue language? And what about its potential for an outbreak of fighting, resulting in some serious mishap? One thing is certain: the situation was a lot more serious than the American authorities seem prepared to acknowledge.
"Many observers would have sworn that every man on the American team had married the same woman." London Evening Standard columnist, Kate Battersby, writing about the "uniform" female contribution to the US Ryder Cup effort last Sunday.
In looking through the latest list of Ireland's top- 30 courses, I found myself disagreeing with about a third of them. Which is what democracy is all about. And I sup- pose I should have been satisfied that the top-10 were largely the same in content, if not in order, as my submission.
But I was greatly surprised at the omission of two specific courses from the top- 30. They are Glasson and Mount Wolseley, both of which represent the admirable design skills of Christy O'Connor Jnr. It would be invidious of me to suggest which they should replace, but I consider their absence to be decidedly odd. Is that undemocratic of me?
Anyway, the top-30 are: 1 Royal Portrush; 2 Portmarnock; 3 Royal Co Down; 4 Ballybunion Old; 5 The European Club; 6 Co Louth; 7 Waterville; 8 Mount Juliet; 9 Lahinch; 10 The K Club; 11 Co Sligo; 12 Druid's Glen; 13 Killarney (Killeen); 14 Ballyliffin (Glashedy); 15 Royal Dublin; 16 The Island; 17 Carlow; 18 Portstewart; 19 Donegal (Murvagh); 20 Con- nemara; 21 Malone; 22 Enniscrone; 23 Belvoir Park; 24 Portmarnock Links; 25 Castlerock; 26 Tramore; 27 Killarney (Mahony's Point); 28 Cork; 29 Hermitage; 30 Tralee.
At 55 million, NBC television viewing figures for the climactic stage of the Ryder Cup last Sunday were up 62 per cent on 1997 at Valderrama and 43 per cent on the last American staging at Oak Hill in 1995.
Fuzzy Zoeller will be familiar as the winner of two major championships and a man of infinite jest. The latter attribute came under some scrutiny, however, when he made a decidedly unfortunate reference to the staple diet of poor, black Americans after Tiger Woods captured the US Masters in 1997.
Since then, the faux pas for which he later apologised, has been largely forgotten. Which may explain why Zoeller thought it timely to release his own, 216-page book of golf jokes this autumn, titled "Fuzzy Zoeller's Have You Heard the One About . . ."
Those who felt the reaction to the Woods business was somewhat overblown, however, are now having a major re-think as a result of Zoeller's recent attempt at wise-cracking. It happened when he grabbed a micro- phone at a pre-tournament clinic in Oregon and, in front of thousands of spectators, delivered what he thought was a joke.
"What does JFK Jnr miss most about Martha's Vineyard?" Zoeller asked. "The runway." Nobody laughed, which is small wonder. And the host, Peter Jacobsen, looked mortified. All of which augurs rather poorly for the success of his joke book, I think you'll agree.
Whatever about a week in politics, six weeks would appear to be an eternity as far as Ryder Cup thoughts are concerned.
US team captain, Ben Crenshaw, August 11th, 1999: "I've been on two winning teams and two losing teams and I've played against some fabulous opponents and I can call them friends to this day. We have great recollections of what we played and how we played and who was the best that day. I don't see how golf, especially matchplay, can get any better than that. That's what it's about."
European team captain, Mark James, September 27th, 1999: "A lot of players will not be bothered competing in America again. Certainly that is the case with me. It's not something I would look forward to. We don't need to be treated like this."
Teaser: It may be appropriate to look at events on the 17th green at The Country Club last Sunday and their implications viz a viz Rule 1-2 - "No player or caddie shall take any action to influence the position or the movement of a ball, except in accordance with the rules." So, if an opponent or a fellow-competitor accidentally steps on the player's line of putt, what is the ruling. Decision 16-1a/13 states: There is no penalty. Rule 1-2 is not applicable. But what about this: In a strokeplay competition, a fellow-competitor holes a long putt for an eagle. His caddie jumps in the air in excitement and makes a deep footprint on the competitor's line of putt. Is the competitor entitled to any relief?
Answer: Yes. The competitor would be justified in requesting the committee to grant relief. The committee should repair the damage or, if it is not possible to do so promptly, declare the damaged area to be ground under repair, in which case the competitor may take relief under Rule 25-1b (iii). If the committee is not readily available, the competitor may repair the damage without penalty. Food for thought? Finally, under etiquette and consideration for other players, the rules state: "No one should move, talk or stand close to or directly behind the ball when a player is addressing the ball or making a stroke."
