Golf Match in Davao City

Pinol explains recent golf scuffle

Davao City being marketed to the world as a golf destination is one aspect for tourism and enthusiasts are most welcome to come to the city.

Except for an incident last November 9 at the Davao City Golf Club where North Cotabato Vice-Governor Emmanuel Pinol allegedly struck a South Korean with a golf club causing injuries.

The police identified the Korean national as one Young Yong Yun.

The incident was already reported through international news but Pinol said the media trivialized the incident and made it appear like an ordinary fracas between individuals.

“Had the media investigated deeper, they would have appreciated a bigger picture that would explain why it had to happen,” he said.

He said it was a Filipino friend golfer who approached him and complained that a South Korean national who was playing behind him with two others (an elder man a woman) hit a ball towards him and even shouted at him.

“That is a no-no in the game of golf which is considered as a gentleman’s game. But more than that I thought that it was very rude on the part of the foreigner to do that to a Filipino right in his homeland,” he said.

He said he advised the Filipino golfer to talk to the Korean which he did as soon as the three got off the 9^th green. Instead of apologizing he heard the Korean shout at the Filipino saying that the reason why he did it was because the Filipino was playing slow.

There was an exchange of heated words from the two prompting Pinol to step forward and tell the Korean that if the Filipino was playing slow, he should just have told his caddy to advise the player in front of him to play faster.

He said instead of heeding his advice the Korean turned to him and started shouting at him.

“I was carrying a putter which I was using on the practice green and as I was nearing him he shouted “common hit me, hit me !”. I wanted to hit him right there and then but his older companion came to me and appeased me. It was at this point when he poked his golf club at my face, prompting me to parry the club and hit him. He tried to fight back but people nearby pushed him back,” he said.

In press statement it said that the Davao City Golf Club Board of Directors has issued an order banning that South Korean from ever playing in the golf course not only because of the November 9, 2007 incident but also because of previous incidents on arrogance, lack of courtesy and respect to other players.

Pinol said many foreign nationals look down upon us simply because Filipinos cannot even stand up and fight for their dignity as a people. “I thought I imparted that message to that rude and arrogant South Korean,” he said.

Pinol said he has nothing against Koreans in general as many of them are his friends but this particular Korean should be taught a lesson on how to behave in a country where he is just a visitor.