Dustin Johnson DUI

[Shindig]

ESPN is reporting that Dustin Johnson got picked up for a DUI recently: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4031149


Whenever a top golfer is in the news regarding a brush with the law, it shocks me. I was surprised when Boo Weekley was stopped at the airport a while back, as was I for Danny Lee in a similar situation.

But I've only been following golf for about 3 years. For those of you who have been following golf longer: how often does it pop up for a PGA Tour player to be on the wrong side of the law? I'm used to hearing it for other major sports, but it still surprises me for golf. Am I just being naive?

[iacas]

It happens every now and then, but in golf they tend to be DUIs or inappropriate joking around at the airport. In other sports, someone seems to have been shot or killed most of the time.

[denver_nuggs_15]

I would guess that pro golfers get in trouble less than pros in other major sports. (There are more pro baseball, basketball, and football players than pro golfers, so there's probably the main reason.) And I think pros in other major sports have been made into examples for their behovior. Because of that, we'd hear about them more. Cases take longer, larger punishments, etc. Plus, not many golfers have household names that would even be worth reporting for some news/sports station. Anyway, DUI is pretty serious. In New Jersey, it's very serious and can lead to jail time. I really don't care what Dustin Johnson or really any pro athlete does outside of their sport, so whatever.

[golf_junkie27]

I believe Arjun Atwal was involved in some sort of street racing where the other driver lost control of the wheel and was killed. Other than that, I can't remember where a golfer has done much worse.

Also, in other sports, more of the athletes are recognizable so going out becomes more of a big deal. They also bring some of it onto themselves by going out with 10-15 other guys.

I worked in the music business and my brother is a Sports TV Producer. The more established the star, the more low-key they are. Usually, it's the ones who are new to fame and don't know how to behave or it's some knucklehead who would always be in trouble regardless of what they did for a living. See Mike Tyson.

[Ben]

I believe Arjun Atwal was involved in some sort of street racing where the other driver lost control of the wheel and was killed. Other than that, I can't remember where a golfer has done much worse.

Whoa, I just happened to read about that today in GolfWorld. I didn't read that is was street racing though. I used to drive pretty hard. Lucky that hasn't been my fate.

About Dustin Johnson, I saw him at the practice round for the Northern Trust. He'd won the week before at Pebble. He gave off the vibe of being up for a party. Not that that's a bad thing. Except the DUI part, that kinda hurts. Hope it works out for him. I've had a couple of friends get them. Not the end of the world, but certainly not cheap.

[Emma]

Don't forget about all of John Daly's brushes with the law... I'm thinking specifically of when he passed out drunk in a Hooters and spent the night in jail sleeping it off.

[Uber$winG]

I especially like his comment concerning the DUI, “I made an error in judgment that I deeply regret.” Wow... Does he mean that imbibing alcohol to the point of being intoxicated could impair his judgment? That’s a brilliant statement. This Coastal Carolina catamite should be put in a Pebble Beach pillory and be beaten with his putter.

[golf_junkie27]

Whoa, I just happened to read about that today in GolfWorld. I didn't read that is was street racing though. I used to drive pretty hard. Lucky that hasn't been my fate.

Yeah, man, he was racing. The other guy, who he did not know, lost control of the wheel. He was not charged because the cars did not make contact and the Orlando police forgot to issue him a citation so the DA never charged him with anything. IIRC they were both going close to 100MPH.