Trending
Fan behavior at professional tournaments has become one of the hottest topics in golf today.
Typically known as a sport filled with sportsmanship and good manners, recent years have seen a marked change in what can be seen and heard at events across the country from some of the more unruly fans.
Maybe it's just a reflection of our society as a whole, but what started just a few years ago as loud shouting after tee shots, like "you the man!" and "mashed potatoes!" has morphed into something more alarming.
Just last month, eventual U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark had to absorb a slew of ugly comments.
Similar comments would have been unheard of just a few years ago.
The increase has caught the attention of many professional golfers, including PGA Tour star Jordan Spieth, who is worried that the sport's open embrace of on-line betting may be the cause.
He recently shared his thoughts on the subject.
"In golf, it's tricky because you could actually impact the outcome if you wanted to," Speith said. "It may not last long, but you could impact a shot if you wanted to. I don't know of another sport that you could impact as a fan like you can golf."
Fellow pro Matthew Fitzpatrick echoed the same thoughts.
"It's definitely becoming a problem, particularly in golf," he said. "It would be very easy to influence a bet, whether it's you're shouting on someone's backswing or shouting on a putting stroke. It's very easy."
In recent months, several spectators have been removed from PGA tournament sites after being suspected of doing that very thing.
The Tour has attempted to address fan behavior by identifying unruly fans and removing them at every turn, but it's unlikely this alone will fully eliminate the unwanted behavior.
I'm looking for the PGA Tour to find a more impactful way of reversing this unfortunate trend. The game of golf deserves better.
Park Hills Classic
The 59th annual Park Hills Classic will crown another championship-winning team this weekend with five-time champions Artie Fink Jr. and Todd Homan back to defend their title from 2025.
Last year's championship-flight match came to a thrilling conclusion when Fink and Homan, down by five holes at one point, stormed back to defeat the team of Sean Brannan and Mike Macionsky.
As usual, this year's championship finale will be decided on Sunday afternoon, with public viewership welcome.
PA championship
Scotch Valley's David DeGol Sr. and David DeGol Jr. competed in the Pennsylvania Golf Association Father-Son championship earlier this week at Westmoreland Country Club in Export.
The unusual format in this annual team event involves both golfers teeing off and alternating balls until each is holed out. The resulting, better score is then recorded for each hole.
The DeGols played well and finished the event in a tie for fourth-place with scores of 73 and 71 (in the handicap division they finished second, just one shot out of first-place).
130 years ago
During the third week of July in 1896, a nine-hole golf course was opened on the grounds of the Cresson Springs Mountain House resort.
This par-32 layout happened to be designed by Scottish professional John Reid and featured holes ranging from 137 to 276 yards in length. The course, located in a wooded grove behind the hotel, included holes that were named "Trouble" (hole #5), "Despair" (hole #7), and "Hell's Half Acre" (hole #9).
The Cresson Springs course was open for play for less than a decade. The Mountain House itself, which could accommodate up to 900 guests, fell into despair by the early 1900s. It was razed in 1916.
Ken Love covers local golf for the Mirror. He can be reached at GLTR777@atlanticbb.net.