The PGA Tour has described as "inappropriate behaviour" an incident involving one of its members last December in which a protected migratory hawk was killed by a golf ball.
American professional Tripp Isenhour was charged in a Florida court earlier this week with cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird during the filming of a golf instructional video.
"We are aware of the incident involving Tripp Isenhour at the Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando last December that resulted in the death of a protected migratory hawk," PGA Tour executive vice-president Ty Votaw said in a statement on Friday.
"Obviously, any set of facts which involve an individual hitting a golf ball at a living target is clearly inappropriate behaviour.
"Tripp has publicly apologised and has expressed remorse and regret about his actions. We find this entire incident regrettable and unfortunate."
Isenhour, a 39-year-old who has bounced between the PGA Tour and the satellite Nationwide Tour over the last decade, issued an apology through his management company on Thursday.
"As soon as this happened, I was mortified and extremely upset and continue to be upset," he said.
"I want to let everyone know there was neither any malice nor deliberate intent whatsoever to hit or harm the hawk. I was trying to simply scare it into flying away."
"he described it as `a shot in a million".
He had shot a few balls at the bird and one hit it, with the hawk falling about 10 metres before dying...
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