NO Excuse For Not Shouting Fore

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

WE HAVE addressed this issue before, but I make no apologies for once again highlighting the idiocy of tournament professional golfers hitting balls towards paying spectators and failing to shout "Fore!"

It is inexcusable, and it continues to happen day after day on both the PGA and European Tours. To do it once in a round is unfortunate, to do it twice in the same round of competitive play is simply unforgivable - and that is precisely what Pat Perez did during the Genesis Open, while he was still in contention.

Let's not beat about the bush here. The reason that professional golfers do not shout when a ball is heading towards the gallery is because they know that if their ball strikes somebody it may end up back in the fairway, and will definitely be prevented from going further into trouble than had it not hit anybody.

Perez has form. He is one of the most volatile golfers on the PGA Tour, frequently throwing temper tantrums that make him look more like a spoilt two-year-old child than the 40-year-old grown-up adult he is meant to be. And his father told him to apologise to two young fans he reduced to tears because of his boorish behaviour as they attempted to get him to give them his autograph.

But  all of that pales into insignificance when put beside his behaviour at Riviera. At the par four 12th hole he hit a wayward drive that was clearly  heading towards the gallery, but he chose not to warn them. The ball hit a spectator flush on the head, drawing blood. The same thing happened at the 15th hole, but this time ball "only" hit some unfortunate individual's leg.

Unsurprisingly, his behaviour drew widespread criticism, with fellow player Shane Lowry tweeting about it.

What's it gonna take for players to start shouting fore. A signed ball or glove is no good to anyone if they are seriously injured???

— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) February 19, 2017

By that, he meant, does somebody have to die or suffer brain damage before action is taken? When you buy a ticket to attend a golf tournament it is made quite clear that you do so at your own risk. In other words, the organisers are absolving themselves of any blame should be struck by a wayward golf ball. We all understand that there is a risk, but what possible justification can there possibly be for not shouting "Fore"? None at all.

As club golfers, it is one of the first things that we learn before setting foot on a golf course. It is a matter of common courtesy.

It is not rocket science. If  somebody is struck on the head by a golf ball in full flight they could die. The time has come for golfers to be told that if they do not issue a warning call then they, and they alone, are responsible for any injury caused. Do the likes of Perez really believe that giving a wounded member of the public a signed golf ball or golf glove covers them and makes everything all right? They need to be taught the facts of golfing life once and for all.

Anybody who has been struck by a golf ball will not need us to tell them that it hurts. This practice must stop, and it must stop now.

Let us know what you think and share your experiences of being struck when the offender has not shouted "Fore".