A tee shot ended up in a spectator’s bag in a wild moment at the Masters that was caught on camera.
Xander Schauffele was teeing off on the par-5 eighth hole Thursday at Augusta National when his ball came to rest in somebody’s merchandise bag, just a few feet to the left of the fairway.
Video from ESPN showed Schauffele taking the ball out of the bag as an analyst quipped “that’s a first for me.”
Schauffele used a tee to mark the spot, removed the ball and then handed off the bag to a woman in a pink and white outfit.
He was able to play on without penalty and made par.
Schauffele finished the front nine in 1 under, but he had his shaky moments. His tee shot on the par-4 ninth ended up in some pine straw and his second shot found a bunker.
Then he splashed out to within inches of the hole.
Masters fans were quick to react to the eighth hole swing on social media, with several writing, “Play it where it lies!”
Another viewer wrote, “Only at The Masters,” and a third quipped, “Bag secured.”
The fan-favorite tournament kicked off Thursday with three former champions, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson, hitting the ceremonial opening drives at 7.25am.
The trio have 11 green jackets between them but of the three, only Nicklaus has ever successfully defended his title, a task which Rory McIlroy faces after teeing off at 10.31am local time (3.31pm BST).
McIlroy is looking to join Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Sir Nick Faldo – whose six-major record he could also equal – in an elite club of players who have won back-to-back at Augusta.
