Tommy Gainey won the first Korn Ferry Tour event of the year on Wednesday, with an 11-under-par performance at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic. The tournament victory comes just one month after Gainey was arrested in Florida for soliciting a prostitute and charged with a first-degree misdemeanor, as part of a massive prostitution sting called “Operation Santa’s Naughty List.”
Well, the Golf Channel broadcast chose to completely ignore that piece of information during their coverage of the tournament (and after Gainey won it). Even if it’s an uncomfortable subject to talk about on a golf broadcast, it’s still a pretty important detail about a recent national story. As Golf Digest’s Joel Beall put it on Twitter: “Be it psychological, emotional, etc., what happened—and [Gainey’s] response to it—is relevant to his play.”
The Golf Channel *website* at least mentioned the arrest and featured a quote from Gainey, in an article from Will Gray.
The victory also comes one month after Gainey was arrested for solicitation in Florida as part of a widespread prostitution sting. He tied for 76th the following week at Korn Ferry Tour Q-School.
“With the injuries that I’ve been through, the other troubles that I’ve had, I’m very lucky and very blessed,” Gainey said. “This means everything.”
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.