Man treated after shooting at golf course

CLEARWATER -- A 72-year-old man was shot in the chest Saturday while golfing with his family at the Glen Oaks Golf Course.

Police said they did not know where the bullet came from, but it did not appear that Albert S. Michalczyk, had been targeted. No suspects had been identified late Saturday, said Clearwater police Lt. James Steffens.

Michalczyk was treated and released from Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.

After the shooting on the seventh hole, police sealed off the course and scoured the scene but found no physical evidence, Steffens said. He said the bullet may have passed completely through Michalczyk.

"We're trying to develop exactly where the victim was standing and confirm the angles, and there's just a lot of possibilities," Steffens said. "We think it was a shot fired nearby from the ground."

He said police were focusing on the west of the course for clues.

Officers canvassed the surrounding neighborhood into the evening hours Saturday but uncovered nothing that would lead to a suspect, Stefens said. No one with Michalczyk or nearby saw anything suspicious, he said.

The golf course, at 1345 Court St., was not crowded when the shooting happened, police said. It has a capacity for 160 golfers, and about 40 were playing Saturday when the shooting took place, said course co-founder Bill Hayes.

Hayes said Michalczyk is a tourist from Arizona who was golfing with his son, grandson and wife.

Steffens said there was no indication of trouble before the shooting and there had been no arguments involving Michalczyk.

The course will be closed today, Hayes said, and will probably remain closed until police find out what happened.

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