Golf is not a contact sport, but that doesn’t mean injuries don’t occur. Backs tweak, wrists get sore, blisters burst and sometimes, on rare occasions, innocent bystanders get golf ball dimples permanently tattooed on their foreheads.
That’s what happened on Saturday afternoon at Quail Hollow, when Jon Rahm lost his approach on the par-4 11th left of the green, where it struck a fan square in the ol’ dome piece. The ball took an almost Looney Tunes-like kick back across the entire green before coming to a rest in the rough on the other side. Strap on your hard hats and check it out.
Jon Rahm's approach took a big bounce after hitting a fan. Thankfully, the fan appeared alright and Rahm gifted him an autographed glove. pic.twitter.com/r1kAuchLju
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 17, 2025
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Initially this looked really bad, but thankfully the fan appeared more surprised than concussed and seemed mostly coherent as tournament officials came over to check on him. Rahm arrived on the scene shortly after, offering the fan a token apology glove for his sacrifice.
Funnily enough, the incident was foreshadowed moments before by CBS’ Ian Baker-Finch, who said “look at that flag, it’s almost missed the green it’s so far over there.” Seconds later, THWACK. Anyway, here’s hoping this fan is OK and that the rest of the fans on 11 avoid the dreaded “line-drive section” (shoutout Pat Reed) as the afternoon progresses.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com


