‘Screaming, drunk’ thieves thwarted by 15-year-old at Open
After stopping two thieves during the Knoxville Open, volunteer Rachel Kobus, 15, joins Tournament director Patrick Nichol, left, and Ryan Ott, Fox Den Country Club general manager.
The 15-year-old Farragut Middle School student single-handedly thwarted their attempts to sneak off with four bags of golf balls while volunteering at this Web.com Tour event, held Thursday through Sunday, May 16-19, at Fox Den Country Club.
Helping with admissions early Thursday, she then was assigned to the driving range where she encountered the men that evening.
“It was almost 7 when five drunk guys came out of the main tent,” Kobus recalled. “They were just extremely drunk and were screaming, yelling and laughing. For them to be screaming and yelling like that at a golf tournament really put me over the edge.
“I couldn’t believe they thought it would be OK to do that.
“I was ready to go tell them to be quiet because we still had players (on the course), when two grabbled a couple of bags and ran down the breezeway,” she added.
Sizing up the situation, Kobus decided to give chase.
“I ran after them because I knew (Tournament officials) were going to donate those balls to some children who were wanting to learn how to play golf,” she said.
Kobus said when she finally caught up to the men, she “threatened to call security if they didn’t return (the balls).”
She said one of the men claimed to be a country club member, and tried to argue they were somehow entitled to take the balls that had been used in the Tournament.
“I just said, ‘You can’t,’” she recalled. “I told them they could talk to the manger if they wanted to, but no one was allowed to take the balls off the property.”
The two men holding the bags dropped them, Kobus said, “then they started running in circles and acted like 4-year-olds.”
Returning to the driving range, Kobus said she told “a superior” what had happened.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal, what I did, but I wanted to let them know they might want to put the ball carts away at night because this had happened,” she added.
Kobus was publicly recognized by tournament officials, who shared the story of her courage and willingness to get involved.
Her parents, Brian and Beverly Kobus, were especially proud.
“You always question, as a parent, how you’re doing at raising a child,” Beverly Kobus said. “It’s experiences like this that are extremely gratifying and we are very proud of our daughter.
“We would like to thank the Fox Den County Club for hosting the Knoxville Open and making the volunteers feel welcome and appreciated,” she added. “Rachel and our son, Hunter, both volunteered all four days and loved the experience.”
“It was an amazing experience, and I loved volunteering,” the Rachel said about her Knoxville Open experience. “It was really awesome.”
I met a lot of people who were willing to take the time out, during the day, to make it happen, and it was great.”
