Pro golfer penalized for hitting the ball too straight

    I have been on the road all day.  Dan, one of our readers, was kind to send me an email, which I just read at my hotel, regarding pro golfer Tripp Isenhour.  Isenhour, a journeyman who has rarely popped his head above the Nationwide Tour, was filming an instructional golf video in Florida in March.  A bird in a nearby tree continuously interrupted the shooting with loud squawking, something birds have a tendency to do.  In the ultimate display of how to hit the ball where you want it, Isenhour teed one up, took dead aim at the bird and delivered a direct and fatal hit.
    The bird, it turned out, was a red hawk, which is on the "protected" list.  Charged with animal cruelty, Isenhour pled no contest today and accepted one year of supervised probation, four hours of anger management classes and 100 hours of community service, of which 40 hours will be at an animal shelter or wildlife preserve.  He will also pay a $500 fine.
    No doubt Isenhour learned more from his own instructional video than anyone else will.