Golf is often called the gentlemen’s game, a sport where players are supposed to report rules infractions on themselves and doing so is seen as a sign of respect of the game. It is rarely the seen of real controversy, which is why the recent Brooks Koepka-Bryson DeChambeau beef has taken over the golf world because they so rarely get players who are willing to talk about how much they dislike each other.
However, while Koepka and DeChambeau might trade barbs, no one would ever expect that to turn physical in any way, but the greatest rarity in the sport happened on Monday at a Korn Ferry Tour qualifier: a full on fight on the golf course. The details come from Ryan French of the Fire Pit Collective, who does tremendous work detailing the weekly battles to get into tournaments across the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, and elsewhere in golf.
Per French, at Sand Creek Station Golf Club in Kansas, Austen Dailey was paired with Luke Smith and Derek Fribbs and the group quickly began to have issues with pace of play. Frustrations with Smith and his father, Oliver who was caddying for Luke, were building on the front nine for a variety of reasons before they came to a head on the seventh green after the Smiths refused to help Dailey look for an errant tee shot and Dailey commented on their lack of help when they were already struggling with pace. At that point, all hell broke loose.
After Dailey completed the hole he said something to Smiths about how helping to look for shots might help speed the group up. This was apparently a bridge too far for the Smiths. According to Fribbs, Luke and Oliver Smith started yelling at Dailey about his quality of play and how it was affecting the group. Oliver went on to make it clear that his son Luke, “wasn’t here to look for balls.”
Dailey then turned his back and walked away towards the eighth tee. Little did he know that in a matter of seconds all hell would break loose. It was at this point that Luke Smith allegedly jumped on Dailey and started to throw punches. Fribbs, who was standing on the eighth tee, ran back to try to and play peacemaker. But Oliver Smith had other plans. The elder Smith allegedly waved a putter at Fribbs- and anyone else with an eye on jumping into the fracas. (Oliver Smith’s putter-waving was was later confirmed by another PGA Section official on site.)
Dailey and Smith were taken to the clubhouse where the latter was arrested after Dailey said he wanted to press charges, marking maybe the first time a player has been arrested for fighting their playing partner. Fribbs went on to finish the round by himself — and had to give his official statement to police on the 10th hole — in what was surely the most insane day he’s ever had on the golf course.