Angry young men! Treacherous ‘Black Knight’ layout brings out the aggression during Hero Indian Open

Add as a preferred source on Google

Gurugram, March 29: You must have seen 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic smashing his racket on the net post in a fit of rage during the 2023 Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz.

As the Serbian sensed the match was slipping away from him, particularly when his serve was broken in the third game of the fifth set, he couldn't control his temper. The match referee later reprimanded Djokovic for his action and even charged a whopping 6000 pounds fine.

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has been notorious for blurting out expletives and smashing his rackets during Grand Slams. One such incident comes to mind: Kyrgios lost to Karen Khachanov of Russia during the 2022 US Open quarterfinal. The 29-year-old Aussie smashed his racket thrice and blurted out in angst, following his loss in the five-setter, after shaking hands with the chair umpire.

Former India cricket captain Virat Kohli has been accused of having 'misguided aggression' on a number of occasions. His anger was a topic of discussion during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 when he had a shoulder bump with debutant Sam Konstas just after the Aussie hit a bold shot.

This led to a heated exchange between the players, forcing the umpires and captains from both teams to intervene. Kohli was later fined 20 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

While fines, reprimand and expulsion from the team are natural consequences for showcasing anger during competitions in tennis and cricket, the sport of golf comfortably absorbs the same.

The third round of the Hero Indian Open, being organised here at the DLF Golf & Country Club 'Black Knight' course, saw a clutch of players expressing their anger after their drive, approach or putting didn't fetch the desired outcome.

The treacherous nature of the Gary Player layout was on full display as both the European and local pros found it difficult to either manoeuvre the undulating greens or the criss-cross winds blowing across the course.

South Africa's Brandon Stone, who is tied second alongside Keita Nakajima of Japan at two-under 214, termed the layout as "borderline cruel." "It's just brutal. If you hit a shot that's subpar by our standards, there's no hope for it to be okay. You just know it's not. And it's happened over the last few days and you can see it through the field that we're hitting good shots and getting really penalized for it. And it is brutal at its best and it's borderline cruel at the moment," Stone said later.

Another South African Justin Harding blurted, "What a f***ing course" when his par putt on Hole 17 took the wrong line, only to result in a bogey. Harding ended Day 3 of the $2.25 million DP World Tour event in tied 45th place at 9-over 225. India's Ajeetesh Sandhu, who fell short of the green in his approach shot on the same par-4 hole, also threw the ball in the water after not being able to save par. In fact, Sandhu bogeyed the 17th on all three days.

Dubai-based Indian pro Shiv Kapur couldn't control his rage on the 18th hole. With 130-140 yards left for the flag, Kapur had the option of going straight for the pin placed on the left side of the 18th fairway, but instead landed in the rough on the other side of the green. This prompted him to smash his 7-iron into the fairway. The action brought out a thick layer of grass only for his caddie to rush to the position and put the layer back.

England's Marcus Armitage shouted in anger when his approach shot trickled down the slope on the 18th green after landing within four feet of the flag. However, the one-time winner on the DP World Tour saved par to finish the penultimate round in joint 33rd position. Dutch player Joost Luiten, a six-time DP World Tour champion, also threw his ball into the lake after a back-to-back bogey finish on the 18th.

Golf expert Rishi Narain, part of the Indian quartet who won gold in the 1982 Asian Games, had an interesting take on the subject. "Golf is different from other sports as it is more individualistic in nature. In tennis or cricket, you are playing against an opponent or a team and there losing your temper is seen as being disrespectful to the rival. In golf, you play against yourself and the course.

"There are penalties in place if you damage the tee boxes or greens, but not so much in the fairway, as one more divot won't make much of a difference. But I think the Tours and rule bodies are very observant of these actions and take appropriate measures so that it doesn't happen again as it isn't the right exhibition of the game if you behave badly, especially before the young fans," Rishi told myKhel.

Sport is all about emotions and passion. This is what makes it interesting - a good result ending in jubilation, fist bumps, ecstatic shouts and a bad shot resulting in a shriek or tears rolling down the eyes.

As the legendary Bobby Jones said, "Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots -- but you have to play the ball where it lies." So, keep swinging and trust the process!