Golfers do dumb things

[golf_junkie27]

I came across this article, today.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/...720036,00.html

What do you think his punishment should be? Should the PGA suspend him?

[Shindig]

  golf_junkie27 said:

I came across this article, today.

ESPN had this article too. All the usual wackos who comment whenever anything short of perfect citizenship happens on the PGA Tour (but never on other golf stories) broke in, just as they did with Arjun Atwal's car incident, Kelly T's lynch comment, and so on.

I bring this up solely because I'm glad to be discussing it here with golf fans. To read some of the comments on ESPN, you'd think PETA posted a link to it. First, I don't think the PGA Tour (I assume you meant the PGA Tour with your question) should do anything to him unless he's convicted of a crime for this. Second, I'd like to point out the bird has the least protection possible. According to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-shouldered_Hawk ), it is listed as "least concerned." It's not like he killed a spotted owl. Third, I'd understand a criminal punishment if he deliberately inflicted harm on the animal. The bird was 75 yards out? Can Isenhour - or Tiger, or any pro - hit anything moving from that distance? I doubt it. Unless I hear more, I'm going to classify it as warning shots gone bad. "Get out of here you damn bird." According to the article, "[t]he charges carry a maximum penalty of 14 months in jail and $1,500 in fines." If he gets sent to jail, I'd actually like to see the tour treat this as though it were a medical thing - give him the tournament time next year to make up equivalent money to regain his tour card. Send a message that this is (likely) a bogus conviction. In my mind, there's no intent. The bird is protected as a migratory species. Why aren't TOUR players protected as migratory species? They wander all over the world in search of food. This creature wanders sub-part of a single continent. Finally, my favorite quote from the article, from Jethro Senger, a sound engineer at the shoot:

  None said:

He just kept saying how he didn't think he could have hit it, which I think is a stupid thing for a PGA Tour golfer to say. He can put a ball in a hole from hundreds of yards away, and here he is hitting line drives at something that's, I don't know, a couple hundred feet away?"

I'd understand saying that Andrew Magee can put a ball in a hole from hundreds of yards away (he did...

once ). Why are we getting comments in articles about tour players from someone who plainly doesn't follow golf? In conclusion, I believe: * There was no harmful intent on Isenhour's part. * The bird in question is not an important creature.

[golf_junkie27]

Shin

What about the part where Tripp says "I'll get him now" and then got excited when he nearly hit him?

Additionally, the bird is protected as a migratory species.

[Shindig]

  golf_junkie27 said:

What about the part where Tripp says "I'll get him now" and then got excited when he nearly hit him?

He was hitting towards the bird. I get excited when I nearly hit near my target too. Warning shots sent wherever don't have much effect.

My reading tells me the goal was to get the bird to leave, not to get the bird dead. There's a difference in intent there.

  golf_junkie27 said:

Additionally, the bird is protected as a migratory species.

The article writes it to make it seem as though it's endangered. It isn't. It isn't even "near threatened." My understanding of "least concern" - the category in which the bird in question was listed - is that it essentially means an attempt to count the quantity of the animals in existence has been done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_Concern According to the Wikipedia article, humans qualify for the same level of protection afforded under least concern.

[boothyuk123]

If it is true that Isenhour was intentionally hitting balls at the bird and trying to harm or kill it, then he deserves everything he gets thrown at him! It is absolutely disgusting to read on ESPN what he did, the hawk was doing him no harm - it is an endangered species and was obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it was not aware of that!

Absolutely disgusted by the event!

[Avid Golfer]

  golf_junkie27 said:

I came across this article, today.

My thought is that there should be some sort of punishment, but I don't know that it is the PGA's responsibility to do the punishing. The $1500 fine wouldn't even phase him with the amount of money he makes from sponsors like Taylormade. I've heard of other people doing the same type of thing, hitting golf balls at animals, and to me it shows that those people have both a lack of common sense and lack of respect for other living creatures.

[sacm3bill]

First of all, the article does not "make it seem as though it's endangered". It clearly states the facts: It's "protected as a migratory species".

But more importantly, "endangered" or "protected" is completely irrelevant here. I don't care if it was a squirrel he was intentionally hitting balls at. (Shindig, you need to reread the article if you think he wasn't intentionally trying to hit the bird.) This was nothing less than animal cruelty, which is exactly what he was charged with.

At least Michael Vick's dogs had a chance to fight back.

[Shindig]

  boothyuk123 said:

the hawk was doing him no harm - it is an endangered species and was obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it was not aware of that!

Hold on. The hawk in question is a Red-shouldered hawk and is

not endangered.

  Avid Golfer said:

I've heard of other people doing the same type of thing, hitting golf balls at animals, and to me it shows that those people have both a lack of common sense and lack of respect for other living creatures.

Despite my defense above, I agree that hitting the balls at the animal lacked common sense.

[TourSpoon]

This was a dumbass move no matter how you slice it. It reflects poorly on Tripp and I am sure looking back that he would have done things differently.

I am not sure what the Tour's policy is on players getting arrested for harassing wildlife, but I am sure with all of the marketing that the golf community does on how we are friends with the environment it doesn't sit well at all.

[Dent]

Thats sick. to purposely injure an animal for no reason is disgusting. I think he should be suspened for some events for that and have to go through legal and serve the criminal time or pay the fine.

[crissmillputters]

what? not an important creature? no harm done? he aimed at a hawk and killed it, (shindig) thats really sad to hear......

[walk18]

It's a freakin bird!! I bet half of you ate chicken for dinner last night.. get a grip.

[crissmillputters]

maybe you and shindig could open a.... lets kill animals driving range........

[TourSpoon]

  walk18 said:

It's a freakin bird!! I bet half of you ate chicken for dinner last night.. get a grip.

I guess it would have been different if it happened at KFC.

[ganjagolfer]

trip killed another being that was gracefully living its god given freedom and callously took that hawk's life away

trip should face the death penalty or at life imprisonment without parole (so he won't kill anymore birds)

[PB1973]

I think it's interesting that everyone that was there just stood and watched while he hit almost a dozen balls at the bird and didn't say anything. I'm sure he got "lucky" that he actually hit it. It can't be cheap to have a camera crew standing around while he trys to scare a bird off.

[CPHoya]

Keep in mind that that really isn't *that* hard a shot. It sounds like he hit twenty balls or something - this wasn't an extraordinarily improbable thing.

You ever hit a punch shot at the 75 yard flag? How about two? I bet you if you tried you'd come real close a couple times out of 20. Just like Trip.

This was stupid. He's a moron.

[DirtCheap]

20 balls to hit a 75 yard shot.. Yep, the PGA should throw him out.. Tiger could have done it in 5.. Chuck Norris would have done it in one, then bought a round at the clubhouse.

It was dumb. It showed poor judgement. No punishment needed, his reputation is ruined and his name will forever be linked to his bad decision.