Football colours have no place at a golf tournament

Golf fans should be banned from wearing football strips at every tournament, writes Martin Dempster.

Si Woo Kim of South Korea was victorious at The Players Championship, a tournament which saw football colours on show. Pic: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

What is it about British people seeming to be obsessed with wearing football strips at non-football events? The Players Championship at Sawgrass was the latest such occasion and there’s no need to even identify the two matching strips in question spotted in the crowd close to the 17th tee as that is irrelevant.

What really bugs me is why on earth do people heading to a golf tournament think it is either necessary or acceptable to be donning football colours in the first place? They are not permitted at golf clubs in this country and rightly so. They should also be banned at every single tournament around the world.

Put it this way, have you ever seen an American wearing a New England Patriots top or Green Bay Packers jersey at an Open Championship at St Andrews or any of the other venues on the R&A’s rota for that event? I doubt it very much and let’s hope it stays that way.

Yes, of course, there’s a connection between golf and football, in this country in particular, due to both being a passion for so many, but that’s still no excuse for a football strip being someone’s choice of clothing when they are attending a golf tournament. Keep that for the right environment, please, because, on this particular occasion, it stuck out like a sore thumb in a sea of pink being worn to mark Mother’s Day in the US.