Golf News : Golfer Thorbjorn Olesen arrives for Crown Court trial

Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen arrived for his trial in London on Monday where he is contesting charges of sexual assault, being drunk on an aircraft and assault by beating.

The 2018 Ryder Cup winner is accused of intentionally sexually touching a woman without her consent during a flight from Nashville to London on 29th July 2019. Olesen also faces one charge of assault by beating of a second person.

The five-time European Tour winner, of Chelsea, south-west London, was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport immediately after his return from the World Golf Championships St Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee two years ago.

He was suspended by the European Tour pending resolution of the criminal charges which was initially valid until the end of the legal proceedings.

In July 2020, the European Tour lifted the suspension because his court date, original scheduled for May 2020, was postponed until December 2021.

But Olesen has struggled to find form, slipping as low as 509 in the world rankings in October after missing the cut for his sixth successive tournament at the Spanish Open.