PGA Tour veteran Kris Blanks was arrested Sunday at a Florida airport, charged with carrying a concealed weapon after a loaded gun was found in his carry-on luggage.
A resident of Jupiter, Fla., Blanks was looking to board a flight from West Palm Beach, Fla. to Charlotte, N.C., early Sunday morning. According to a Palm Beach Post report, when the 40-year-old sent his carry-on bag through screening at a security checkpoint, airport officials found a fully-loaded .40-caliber Glock 27 in his possession.
According to the report, Blanks told authorities that he had forgotten to remove the gun from his bag after a ‘road trip’ the week prior, and also admitted that he did not have a concealed weapons permit. He was released around 8 a.m. Sunday after posting $3,000 bond. While Blanks has yet to acknowledge the incident on his Twitter account, messages posted Monday indicate that he participated in a charity event the day after his arrest:
18 at Trump International in DC. Waterfall behind the green. Great charity event for Duke Cancer Institute pic.twitter.com/BRUOKYV16o
— Kris Blanks (@krisblanks) July 1, 2013
Heading home from DC. Had a great time helping raise money for cancer research today. Capital city pro-am. Cool part of the job!!!
— Kris Blanks (@krisblanks) July 1, 2013
A full-time player on the PGA Tour since 2009, Blanks has recorded seven top-10 finishes in 103 career PGA Tour starts but has battled injury this season. His lone start this year came at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he missed the cut after rounds of 74 and 75. Blanks opted to have shoulder surgery on Feb. 28 and has not played competitively since; as a graduate of Q-School last year, he’ll likely be eligible for a major medical extension for the 2013-14 season upon his return to action.