Ernie Els last night called for golf’s ruling bodies to issue suspensions to players who don’t shout fore.
An incident involving Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and PGA Tour player Kyle Stanley caused a major stir at The Open Championship with MacIntyre lambasting his playing partner for not issuing a warning after an errant tee-shot sailed into the crowd
Stanley’s wayward ball injured the mother of MacIntyre’s caddie and the Scot admitted afterwards that “harsh words” had been exchanged between the players.
MacIntyre’s stance on golfing etiquette earned him widespread backing and Els insisted that players who don’t issue a warning should face a heavy punishment.
READ MORE: Stanley hits back in fore row with Scottish golfer
The two-time Open champion said: “When you hit a wayward shot and you don’t shout fore, I don’t get that. I don’t know why people would do that.
“They take video recordings of everything. If they get a video recording of an incident like that, then fine the players accordingly. Maybe suspend the player even because it’s really dangerous.
“I’m not a rules man, but if there’s video evidence, they should take action. We as players, and the governing body, should do something about it.
“Robert has taken a good stance there because it is uncalled for.
“People shouldn’t be so selfish. There are things bigger than the game going on.”
The dangers of golf were highlighted at last year’s Ryder Cup when a spectator lost an eye after being hit by a shot from Brooks Koepka.
Els himself had an incident at the 2014 Open at Hoylake when he hit a member of the public from the first tee
“Oh God, it was my first tee shot,” he said. “I actually stayed in contact with the gentleman and I sent him a lot of wine and goodwill stuff.
"A golf ball is a very dangerous object. I read in the paper the other day about a six-year-old child in the US who was sitting on a golf cart. Her father hit a ball, it hit her and she died.
“These things can happen. People think golf is not a dangerous sport, but it can be because the ball is coming at speed and, if it hits you in the wrong place, something bad can happen.”
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