Ryder Cup star Thorbjorn Olesen opens up over not playing golf with ‘plane sexual assault’ case set for next year
RYDER CUP star Thorbjorn Olesen has opened up for the first time since his arrest for alleged sexual assault.
SunSport told you how the Danish golfer, 30, is alleged to have gone on a tirade before molesting a woman on a British Airways flight in July last year.
Olesen appeared in court in September to face charges of urinating on a first-class fight and groping a stewardess.
The five-time European Tour winner pleaded not guilty to touching a woman without her consent and being drunk on an aircraft.
Olesen, who was part of the victorious European side at the 2018 Ryder Cup, was suspended from the European Tour in light of the allegations.
But he made his return to competitive action in the Jyske Bank Danish PGA Championship at Himmerland Golf Club last week.
There, he spoke about his break from the game and the impact the court proceedings have had on him.
He said: “I am incredibly sad about what has happened and would like to apologise to all the Danes who have supported me for so many years.
“I basically haven’t played golf in a year.
“I played for a week in November in Spain and then I’ve been playing for the last couple of weeks – that’s it.
“Since I started playing, I’ve never had anything like that where I haven’t played in such a long time. It’s hard.
“I can only say that the trial is set for December 2021 and I can’t say that much anymore.
“I hope, of course, that I will be able to come out and play again.”
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Rav Chodha, prosecuting, said that, if convicted, Olesen should face a “mid to high level community order” or even a three-week custodial sentence.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police were waiting for Olesen, of Kensington, West London, when his flight back from the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational landed at Heathrow last year.
Olesen, who has been as high as 33 in the world rankings, has won more than £10million in prize money throughout his career.