An elderly man was forcibly escorted from a prestigious golf course in Florida on Wednesday after he disrupted a Pro-Am event by harassing WNBA star Sophie Cunningham, bizarrely claiming to be her boyfriend.
Unwanted Advances on the Fairway
The incident occurred at The Pelican Club in Belleair, Florida, during the Pro-Am ahead of the LPGA's The ANNIKA tournament. Cunningham, 29, was acting as an honorary celebrity caddie alongside her Indiana Fever teammate Lexie Hull to support fellow WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark.
As the group, which also included US soccer legend Briana Scurry and NASCAR’s Carson Hocevar, walked the tenth fairway, a man appearing to be in his 70s began repeatedly calling out to Cunningham. Using her nickname, 'Soph,' he tried desperately to get her attention. Cunningham ignored the pleas and continued walking, though she cast a worried look back towards the spectator before being pulled aside by a team member.
The Intervention and a Heartbreaking Scam Revealed
Organisers and law enforcement swiftly intervened. A police officer escorting the group stopped the man and demanded to scan his driver's licence. The gentleman complied but appeared confused, insisting the identification wasn't necessary because he was Cunningham's 'boyfriend.'
When the officer assured him that was unlikely, the man showed messages from a social media account that purported to be the WNBA athlete. The officer then broke the devastating news to him: he was likely the victim of a romance scam. Upon questioning, the man admitted he had sent the fake account nearly $2,000 in gift cards.
Despite the officer's calm explanation, the man remained in denial, insisting that if he could just speak to Cunningham, she would clarify everything. He was eventually escorted from the course in a sheriff's golf cart, still clinging to the fabricated relationship.
A Broader Problem and a Lighter Moment
The officer later revealed this was not an isolated case, stating her department has handled many similar scams where elderly people have lost up to $1.4 million to fraudsters. She noted that victims often only come forward after losing their entire life savings, by which point it is nearly impossible to recover the funds.
Fortunately, Cunningham was unharmed and continued with the round. Earlier on the same hole, she had a much lighter, though eventful, moment. Taking a turn to drive off the tenth tee, Cunningham enthusiastically celebrated hitting the ball, only to realise her shot had veered into the crowd on the right-hand side of the fairway and struck a man. She promptly jogged down to apologise, gave him the wayward ball, and posed for a photo, turning a mishap into a memorable fan interaction.
