"There's a lot worse stuff that goes on out here," said Matt Every in response to questions about his three-month suspension for conduct unbecoming a professional golfer.

James Corrigan writes, “Every was caught in a packed hotel room emitting a strong whiff of marijuana. For this unforgivable sin the courts told him to stay out of trouble for a year. Meanwhile, those righteous crusaders on the PGA Tour banned him – without telling anyone, as they do – meaning the rookie essentially lost his card...”

Matt’s honesty didn’t go down too well with the “righteous crusaders” when he said,  "If one of my friends likes to smoke marijuana now and then, I'm not going to say, you can't be my friend any more. Honestly, I know more people who smoke marijuana than who don't. That's probably not the politically correct thing to say, but it's the truth."

And it’s not too far from the truth when James Corrigan suggests that Matt should have sounded like most of the PC clones on the tour and, “rehearsed a statement of total contrition which would satisfy corporate America.”

Kelly Tilghman the Golf Channel presenter who was instrumental in dragging up the past with her questions didn’t pursue the, “lot worse stuff” out there comment. But methinks maybe it’s not over yet for Matt. Who incidentally finished an admirable sixth at the Sony given the heat of the unwelcome publicity.

And the news has just come in that perhaps V J Singh might be charged with conduct unbecoming.

Karen Crouse at the NYT reports, “Singh and Sabbatini Have Verbal Clash Over a Caddie… According to volunteers who said they witnessed the incident, Singh, just after missing a 6-foot par put on the first hole of his third round, swore at Doran for moving while he had lined it up. When Sabbatini spoke up in defense of Doran, Singh swore at him loudly enough for volunteer marshals near the gallery ropes to hear. Singh and Sabbatini continued to jaw at each other. A security volunteer, Alan Awana, said he had never seen anything like it in his more than two decades working on the tournament.”

Here’s the links to James and to Karen 
 

Quote of the Day

The course (Royal Portrush) is almost too good to have spectators on it.”

- Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club while talking to John Huggan