European Ryder Cup player Thorbjorn Olesen was arrested Monday in London on suspicion of sexual assault and other crimes while on an airplane that departed Memphis, according to a report in the Independent and other British websites.
The 29-year-old Dane, who has five European Tour victories and who played in the PGA Tour’s WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis over the weekend, became drunk and verbally abusive on the flight, according to the Independent report. The report states he urinated in the first-class aisle of the British Airways plane, made a pass at a female passenger and is being investigated for sexually assaulting a female passenger who was sleeping.
Olesen was arrested at the gate then released several hours later under investigation, according to police statements in the Independent.
Ian Poulter, who was Olesen’s European teammate at the 2018 Ryder Cup, tried to calm Olesen earlier on the flight. Poulter’s agent, Paul Dunkley, told the Independent that Poulter then fell asleep for the long flight and was unaware of Olesen’s behavior until police arrived at the landing gate to take Olesen into custody.
Olesen has played in 11 PGA Tour events this season and finished T-27 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. His best finish this year on the European Tour was a tie for seventh at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
“These are very serious and deeply troubling allegations,” the PGA Tour said in a statement Thursday. “Even though he is not a member of the PGA TOUR – and regardless of whether or not he is officially charged – a claim of this magnitude is something we take very seriously. We are in close contact with our counterparts at the European Tour, and we will not provide further comment until additional information is available from the authorities.”
A spokesperson for the European Tour declined comment because it is an “active police matter.”
