Jon Rahm admitted a signed glove felt a somewhat inadequate gift after hitting a spectator with an errant shot during the third round of the US PGA Championship.
Rahm’s pulled approach to the 11th hole at Quail Hollow appeared to hit a male spectator on the back of the head and rebounded all the way across the green into the rough.
The man shrugged off what looked a sickening blow and shared a hug with Rahm after being handed a signed glove by the former world number one.
“I’m very impressed, I must say,” Rahm said after completing a third round of 67 to move into contention to win the third leg of a career grand slam.
“After I hit it and we saw the ball bounce out…I haven’t seen a ball ricochet like that in a while. I mean, if it was a driver, you would expect it, but for a 6-iron, I mean, that thing came in sideways quick.
“I told (my caddie) Adam (Hayes), well, get the Sharpie ready because I’m going to have to give him something, like a signed glove.
“His response was, ‘that may not be enough’. I’m like, ‘I don’t know what else you want me to give him’, right.
“We were kind of sorting through things between golf clubs and golf balls. I don’t think a glove and a tee is going to cut it.
“He took it great. I told him, if he was European and grew up playing football and he just aimed a little bit better, maybe just get it closer to the hole, but he took it great and he was a great sport about it.”
