After years of experience in the golf industry, there are many things that do not faze me. I wasn’t even surprised by that little scandal a couple of years ago, what was it again…..? But this one that happened at this year’s PGA Championship (held at the Atlanta Athletic Club) that none of us heard anything about, has caught my attention.
Apparently there was some damage to the 14th & 17th greens that was repaired and play went under way as scheduled. No one knows exactly how or why it happened, but it did. The greens were tore up during normal maintenance and it was suspected, by the director of grounds, that it was due to humidity levels changing and the brush of the mower grabbing which caused it to dig into the ground, damaging the two greens. Sounds like a legitimate excuse. Perfectly harmless. Not so says the manufacturer of the brush! The company is now suing the PGA of America, Atlantic Athletic Club, and the director of grounds—Ken Mangrum, for unspecified actual and punitive damages AND a trial by jury. Wow!
I’m not sure how I feel about this case. While I don’t support discrediting a person or company (the director does say it was not a mechanical error), I’m not sure the extent to which the claimant has gone is right either. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out in the Mississippi court system. And in years to go from now, will I remember this story or the winner of the PGA Championship? Perhaps this is why this story has gone so nicely unmentioned and untelevised: so that I will remember Keegan Bradley won the 2011 PGA Championship.
By the way, does anyone remember who won last year? I’ve still got that previously mentioned scandal that reigned supreme in golf clouding my memory…..
Follow the link to read the AAC article:
http://www.golfweek.com/news/2011/sep/04/brushmaker-sues-pga-and-atlanta-athletic-club/
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