European Tour pro and 2018 European Ryder Cup team member Thorbjorn Olesen was arrested upon arriving at Heathrow Airport in London on Monday for suspicion of sexual assault, being drunk on board an aircraft and failing to comply with the orders of cabin crew, before being released under investigation, according to the Metropolitan Police Service.
Olesen was believed to be heading to his home in London following a T27 finish at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
According to The Sun, Olesen went on a “tirade” before molesting a woman on the British Airways flight from Nashville to London. Olesen is alleged to have verbally abused fellow passengers and the flight crew before fellow Tour pro Ian Poulter calmed him down.
When Poulter returned to his seat and fell asleep, that’s when Olesen was accused of molesting a woman as well as urinating in the aisle.
EXCLUSIVE: Golfing ace ‘sexually assaulted a fellow passenger’ on a BA flight https://t.co/hg07kInlVf
— The Sun (@TheSun) August 1, 2019
“He started abusing some of the passengers and crew and then made a pass at one of the female passengers before taking a leak in the aisle,” a witness told the British paper. “It was shocking behavior. You would expect it maybe on a budget airline but not in the first-class cabin on B.A.”
Poulter’s agent, Paul Dunkley, told The Sun on Wednesday that Poulter had helped to calm down a “slightly intoxicated” passenger. “He then went to sleep and the first he knew of anything else was when the police were waiting at Heathrow,” Dunkley said.
Olesen was released “under investigation” by the MPS.
“This sort of behavior will not be tolerated,” British Airways told The Sun in a statement.
Olesen, 29, has won 12 times as a professional, including 5 times on the European Tour. As a member of the victorious 2018 Ryder Cup team, Olesen went 1–1, including defeating Jordan Spieth in singles, 5&4. He is currently ranked No. 62 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
