The Loop

Golf hardos won't let Houston-area chemical fire keep them from a productive range sesh

There are golfers and then there are die-hards—the rain/shine/Washington-has-fallen-but-screw-it-I-have-a-tee-time maniacs who won't let anything come between them and their hard-fought 81. In our line of work, we come across this rare breed every so often, braving volcanic eruptions and escaped Jurassic Park attractions for a couple extra hacks. These two fine (if slightly imbalanced) gentlemen, however, are perhaps the craziest yet, laughing in the face of an enormous Houston-area chemical fire earlier this week while grinding out some stingers from the 'gram. Needless to say, this photo, captured by the Houston Chronicle's Melissa Phillip at Battleground Golf Course on Tuesday, is one of the wildest sports snaps you're going to see this week, month, and possibly year.

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Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

According to the Houston Chronicle, the blaze began on Sunday at the Intercontinental Terminals Company facility in Deer Park, Texas when several tanks of Naphtha, Xylene, and Toluene— chemicals used in the production of gasoline and nail polish remover—ignited. If giant black clouds of burning nail polish remover sound toxic to you, well, that's because they are, with sources telling the Chronicle they can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting in the short term, plus even worse ailments (the big c word) down the road. That doesn't exactly make a post-work nine seem worth it, but to each their own.

Houston-area Chemical Fire

China News Service

Thankfully for the sake of these hardos (and the rest of the local citizens, of course), officials don't believe the blaze poses much risk at ground level. So if you, like these crazy SOBs, absolutely must get out there and chop it around come hell, high water, or thermonuclear meltdown, just remember to keep the trajs low and the bump n' runs in play and you should be fine...probably.