At the Zurich Classic Saturday, one fan forgot he was at a golf tournament, not a baseball game.
Things took a turn during the third round of the PGA Tour’s unique team event when Brant Snedeker, the nine-time PGA Tour winner playing this week with Chez Reavie, hit his tee shot on the par-3 3rd at TPC Louisiana.
With water left and wind whipping off the right. Snedeker sent his tee ball on the 203-yard hole hoping for a kickback left from the breeze and it just didn’t move.
His ball took once bounce and then was fielding on the short hop just inside the cart path.
Wait, what?
That’s right! A fan saw Snedeker’s ball incoming, ranged over to his left and skillfully snagged the Titleist off the bounce.
The fan quickly turned to his friends, who in appearance likely included an older relative (father, uncle, grandfather, etc.), to brag about the achievement possibly. Then the fans around him, and probably his own group, reminded him where he was.
Scrams from the crowd rang out.
“NO! No. No. No!”
The fan dropped the ball and quickly put his hand over his mouth in the way only sheer embarrassment can make you do.
“Oh no!” an ESPN+ announcer exclaimed. “He just caught the ball!”
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His group started laughing and quickly started dispersing. No one wants to be associated with the guy who just caught a ball in play at a PGA Tour event.
“It’s all good,” said another announcer. “That’s a kid who plays a lot of baseball. He just forgot.”
But indeed, it was all good.
According to the Rules of Golf, Rule 11.1a states, “If a player’s ball in motion accidentally hits any person (including the player) or outside influence, there is no penalty.” Since the ball was not at rest, Snedeker simply played his ball from where the fan dropped it.
In case you’re wondering, if the fan had carried the ball off somewhere, Rule 11.1b states, “The player must place the original ball or another ball on the estimated spot right under where the ball first came to rest on the person, animal or moving outside influence.”
Luckily, there was no harm no foul, but the gaffe is likely to be the source of many jokes for the fan and his buddies for years to come.
“The poor guy! The feeling of guilt he must have right now,” the announcers continued, laughing about it.
“Why did I do that?” the other replied. “He has a coach somewhere in his head saying ‘Get it! Get it!'”
Snedeker and Reavie were none the wise about it. They made par at 9 (we don’t know whose ball counted since the PGA Tour isn’t recording each score this week), but could only muster a 72 in the easier of the two formats this week. They sit in last place by six shots at eight under.