Kristen Park, Buena Park, Ca., was cleaning her 58 degree wedge before her final round at the Greyhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, when she noticed something attached to the back of her wedge. After checking more closely, she was surprised to find several piece’s of lead tape attached to the back of her club.
Kristen had complained to her coach, George Pinnell that she had problem’s with her wedge play with the 58,the first 2 day’s. Kristen said, “everything was long, it did not matter if it was a chip, pitch or full shot, I was long.” Kristen removed the tape and played her final round at the prestigious Thunderbird, shooting a 1 over par 73 (38-35). Kristen had 3 bogies and 2 birdie’s on the front and 1 bogie and 2 birdie’s on the back side. Following the round she told George that after “removing the tape she was short on her 58 wedge shots all day.”
Kristen finished in a tie with Jessica Korda for 9th place in the invitational tournament that was won by Yueer Cindy Feng of Orlando, Fl.
Kristen, still perplexed by the “tape” on her club, called George to discuss the issue. Kristen said, “that I had not noticed the tape in the previous round’s, and wondered why?” Kristen and Coach Pinnell, decided that either the manufacturer had put it on the club or someone “unknown” had placed it there. Coach Pinnell contacted the tour rep for the manufacturer and the representative was equally perplexed as to how the tape would have been added without Kristen’s asking. Furthermore, Kristen had stated that the tape was applied in an “unprofessional manner and appeared, kind of rough and bumpy”. The rep told Pinnell that if they had put the tape on it would have been transparent to the eye.
On Tuesday morning, the rep called the Tour Dept, to ask if they had taped her wedge before sending it to her with her other wedge’s. They indicated that they had not added tape and would not have done so without Kristen, asking for it. All club’s are weighed and swing weighted to make sure they meet whatever spec is required. They added, “the extra weight on the club would certainly affect the performance of the club and they could understand why Kristen said she had problem’s with distance control.”
Sooooo-, after all of the discussion and follow-up on the “mysterious tape”, we still do not know how the tape attached itself to the club. The only other possibility is that an “unknown person” intentionally placed it there. But for what reason? We may never know.
