Or swearing at not one but two officials when a ruling didn’t go his way. In fact, imagine Thomson calling for a second opinion having already been given a decision by a rules official.
Try to conjure in your mind’s eye the image of Thomson incredulously laying down his putter after holing out to indicate to an opponent that his short putt should have been conceded.
Such entitled and undignified behaviour would never have crossed Thomson’s mind, no matter the circumstance, nor that of Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer or Nancy Lopez.
Raucous crowd behaviour is – sadly – part and parcel of the Ryder Cup but something happened at Whistling Straits this past week that was much more concerning.
"To indulge in frat boy behaviour – as Thomas and Daniel Berger did on the first tee Friday afternoon – or abuse rules officials as Brooks Koepka did during Saturday’s foursomes is (or should be) beneath them." - Rod Morri.
All the above behaviours were exhibited by players. Players who should know better.
According to the world rankings, there are only five players in the world better at golf than Justin Thomas and only nine superior to Brooks Koepka. Daniel Berger is ranked 16th.
Yet the actions of all three in the instances described above would be considered unacceptable at a suburban pennant match.
To indulge in frat boy behaviour – as Thomas and Daniel Berger did on the first tee Friday afternoon – or abuse rules officials as Brooks Koepka did during Saturday’s foursomes is (or should be) beneath them.
As many American fans have pointed out on Twitter this week, crowd behaviour is a problem on both sides of the pond, a problem that needs to be addressed for the sake of the event.
But it is more difficult to see how one might solve the problem of poor player behaviour in a game that has historically been self-policing.
Thomas, Berger and Koepka no doubt all feel justified in their behaviour this past week, and none will likely lose any sleep over their actions. And that is the bigger problem.
Like it or not, how these players behave publicly is an example to the generations that will follow, just as the behaviour of the rest of us has a direct impact on the youngsters we interact with.
More than perhaps any other sport golf has a wonderful and long list of great role models, from Bobby Jones and Joyce Wethered to Lorena Ochoa and Rory McIlroy.
Thomson sits comfortably among them, but I couldn’t help wondering this week what he might have made of events at Whistling Straits.
Ironically, this Ryder Cup saw the birth of the Nicklaus/Jacklin award for one player from each team ‘who best embody the spirit of the event: seeing the bigger picture and making decisions critical to sportsmanship, teamwork and performance’.
Sadly, it was a race among 21 because at least three of the U.S. players ruled themselves out.
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September 27, 2021 at 07:22AM
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Morri: Behaviour not just a crowd issue - Golf Australia Magazine
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