Cellphones outlawed on fairway

BANGKOK — Golfers have always found themselves embroiled with the war against the cellphones in every competition they are into. At the current Johnnie Walker Classic 2000 Golf Tournament at the Alpine Golf and Sports Club here, top golfers from the US, European, Australian and Asian professional circuits always express this concern right before they tee-off. This prompted every marshall assigned to each of the 18 holes to be more aggressive in warning the crowd "No cellphones, no pagers, no cameras please!" while the player concentrates and aims to make the intended shot. This stern, continuous warning comes on top of the placards they flash and signs all over the place signifying the same dictum.

The spectators composed of different nationalities were generally obedient as you’ll find most of them turning their phones off or putting it in silent mode just before they dash to the viewing area to watch the likes of Tiger Woods or Sergio Garcia tee-off. But somewhere along the way to the 18th hole, the curse of the mobile phones would strike the crowd’s adherence to the silence code. Woods has been all too vocal about his disgust over the sudden burst of tunes while on the greens.

"The cellphones were okay during the first day but it got a lot worse today," he said after the second round. "They got Michael Campbell on the downswing a few times."

The bigger story unbeknownst to Tiger though was the near action-drama that happened in the 16th hole when one culprit nearly got lynched when his phone burst a tune just as Michael Campbell was about to putt. Several people who perhaps were as cold as steel in sticking to the letter of the law took offense and almost initiated an umbrella-spiking spree. The offender was quickly saved when a course marshall quickly came to the scene and pacified the angry crowd.

When asked whether cellphones should be banned in the fairways, Woods immediately snapped a positive approval saying, "I’ve always been a proponent of that."