Jordan Spieth came within inches of catastrophe on Sunday after nearly striking fans with a shot during the final round of the Memorial Tournament.
On the first hole of the final day, the American hit his approach to the green from the rough to right of the fairway. But Spieth’s shot barely made it off the ground.
Instead the ball flew low – and right – towards the hundreds of fans gathered between him and the hole.
Remarkable footage showed his ball soaring just inches over the head of supporters, who ducked and fell to the floor in panic.
The three-time major winner has built a reputation for putting supporters through the ringer with rollercoaster rounds over recent years.
And remarkably, despite the scary scenes, Spieth recovered to make a remarkable par at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.
Jordan Spieth came within inches of hitting a fan with a shot at the Memorial Tournament
The American, a three-time major winner, managed to escape the hole with a remarkable par
He had begun his round with a wayward tee shot that flew well right – towards the rough and the same group of spectators. Spieth reacted by letting go of his driver and signaling for the spectators to watch out.
Then, after narrowly avoiding the fans once more, Spieth hit his third shot safely on the green and the world No 51 then rolled in a long par putt to escape with a four.
It’s not the first time that spectators have found themselves in the line of fire at major events in recent weeks.
At last month’s PGA Championship, a fan was struck on the head by a shot from LIV Golf star Jon Rahm.
Thankfully, he avoided serious injury and Rahm apologized by giving the fan a signed glove. They then shared a handshake and a hug.
Only a day earlier, Englishman Aaron Rai came within inches of hitting a fan in another terrifying incident at the PGA Championship.
The world No 29 was taking a shot from the rough during his second round, with a bunch of spectators gathered to his right.
A giant tree stood between Rai and his target and the Englishman attempted to keep the ball low to avoid the overhanging branches.
Unfortunately, he miscued his shot, which flew perilously close to one fan before cannoning into the tree trunk and rebounding in the opposite direction.
