On Saturday, a fan at Quail Hollow was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Jon Rahm lost his approach shot on par-4 11th hole left, striking the man square in the head. Thankfully the fan was alright, or at least appeared to be, which is more than former SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele can say.
The last time Jon Rahm struck a fan with a shot at PGA Championship (no, this wasn’t the first time) was back in 2022 at Southern Hills. That unlucky bystander was Steele, who, much like the fan on Saturday at Quail Hollow, was struck in the face by an errant Rahmbo shot.
Sage Steele apparently got hit hard with a golf ball from a Jon Rahm tee shot at PGA Championship https://t.co/YEUMOLOuIK
— PiñataFarms: Meme Maker (@pinatafarms) May 20, 2022
Steele doubled over in obvious pain, blood pouring from her face. She was eventually escorted from the course and removed from the ESPN broadcast for the remainder of the week. It looked bad, but we never knew how bad until Steele saw Saturday’s incident and took to X to share her experience.
https://twitter.com/sagesteele/status/1924155008494293416
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Yikesssss. Eight lost teeth and three root canals. An injury like that would put most NHL blueliners out of commission, so we can’t imagine what Steele went through through not only in that moment, but for months afterward as her mouth was pieced back together. Thankfully she’s able to laugh about it now, but as someone who recently lost a tooth and had to undergo a nine-month, $7,000 implant process, I can safely say I wouldn’t wish that fate on my worst enemy.
There’s no real moral to this story. Just a grimace really. But if you’re headed to Aronimink next spring for the 2026 PGA Championship, make sure to keep your head on a swivel when Jon Rahm is on the tee.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
