How a lost golf ball ended in a punch-up
By Alex Perry
Helping your playing partner look for a lost golf ball. It’s just good etiquette, isn’t it? An incredible story emerged from a Korn Ferry Tour qualifier this week courtesy of the Fire Pit Collective’s Ryan French – a Monday Qualifier enthusiast who runs the brilliant Monday Q Info Twitter account.
It all started with this tweet:
Which led to this tweet:
So what happened?
French explains that Austen Dailey, Derek Fribbs and Luke Smith were grouped together in the qualifier in a bid to make it to this week’s Wichita Open at Crestview Country Club in Kansas.
The group had struggled for much of the round and had fallen off the pace.
Then, on the par-3 seventh, the tensions bubbled over.
Dailey missed the green and Fribbs went to help his playing partner look for the ball. Smith, whose father Oliver was caddying for him, did not.
After completing the hole, Dailey told the Smiths that if they helped look for the ball then the group would be able to move a bit quicker. According to Fribbs, Smith Sr said his son wasn’t there “to look for balls”.
As Dailey tuned to walk to the next tee, Smith Jr allegedly jumped on him and started punching him. Fribbs attempted to calm the situation down but Smith Sr waved a putter at him – and anyone else – who attempted to break up the fight.
Players in the group behind called the pro shop and staff came out take Dailey and Smith back to the clubhouse, where the latter was arrested.
Fribbs, meanwhile, carried on playing – and even had to give a statement to police officers while walking down the 10th fairway.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you golf is boring.
You can read the full story on the Fire Pit Collective website.
(Please note the main image is for illustrative purposes only.)
Have you ever seen a fight on a golf course? Let us know in the comments below – or you can tweet us.
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Alex Perry
Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.
