Crestfallen glamour golfer Nick Dougherty is facing a stiff fine after taking a club to a tee marker during the first day of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
The three-time Tour winner absolutely destroyed one of the fourth hole tee markers with his 3-wood.
Dougherty, who credits the 2007 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship among his wins, was level par at the time and initially reacted to sending his tee shot into the trees by tossing the driver aside.
Nick Dougherty in happier times - defending his Alfred Dunhill Links Trophy title.
He then played a 3-wood also right off the tee before moments later the Liverpudlian was advised his first ball had been located.
But then the frustration of having missed the cut all 10 events, and not having earned a Euro this year, boiled over with the normally mild-mannered Dougherty shocking those looking on by attacking the marker.
Pieces of the cardboard tee marker lay strewn all about the tee forcing officials to find a replacement.
Australia’s Brett Ogle was slapped with a hefty fine for doing the same in a co-sanctioned Heineken Classic in Perth, Australia after a piece of the ceramic tee just missed a spectator’s eye.
Then during the second round of the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie, and won by Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson was fined £500 by the R & A for destroying a tee marker during a fit of anger.
A Tour official said Dougherty’s actions were being investigated but it’s more than likely the player newly married to SKY’s Di Stewart will be heavily out of pocket.
Dougherty’s enduring one of the worse seasons of any European Tour member having missed the cut in three Middle East events and then missing three in a row in Sicily, Spain and Morroco.
He then travelled to the Far East to also miss three events in succession in Malaysia, China and South Korea.
Dougherty arrived at Tour HQ having also missed the cut in Majorca.
Now after first round 82 at Wentworth that included one birdie but also five bogey, two double bogeys along with the triple at four, he’s headed for an 11th weekend on the sideline.
