[PHOTO: Michael Reaves]
The final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii was already sufficiently dramatic, when one of five co-leaders hit a second shot at the par-5 18th at Waialae Country Club that, well, mysteriously disappeared.
Carl Yuan, seeking to become the first Chinese player to win on the PGA Tour, was 16-under par and tied with Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, Byeong Hun An and Grayson Murray.
He hit his tee shot at the 18th into a bunker left of the fairway, leaving him 219 metres (239 yards) to the hole. His second shot sailed wide right towards the grandstand running parallel to the fairway and vanished.
Even slow-motion television replays on Golf Channel failed to show where the ball descended, whether it cleared the grandstand or bounced off the tented roof. Apparently his ball was never located, though fans reportedly confirmed to rules officials, who relayed the information to television producers, it had hit the grandstand roof.
Given that the grandstand was a temporary immovable obstruction, Yuan was given a free drop in front of it, leaving him a pitch of 45 yards to the hole. He hit his third shot 15 feet past the hole, then took two putts for a par.
It briefly enabled him to retain a share of the lead, though he eventually finished a stroke behind. Still, he tied for fourth, equalling his best finish on the PGA Tour.
