Jon Rahm, known for his fierce competitiveness, found himself in an apologetic position after the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. His frustrated reaction to a difficult shot resulted in a wayward divot striking a volunteer.
The Incident on the Seventh Hole
Rahm’s troubles began on the seventh hole. After pulling his drive into the left rough, he then went long on his second shot. Frustrated with the outcome, Rahm swung his club at some tall grass. This caused a clump of grass to fly and hit a volunteer in the face.
The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig reported the incident on X, noting Rahm’s immediate remorse. She stated that Rahm “felt pretty bad about it” and “he went over and apologized quickly.”
Rahm’s Reaction and Apology
Following the incident, Rahm bogeyed the hole. Some viewers witnessed the swing during Featured Groups coverage. Rahm addressed the incident in his post-round news conference.
Asked about the incident, Rahm said he “couldn’t feel any worse” about it. He stated, “Thanks for reminding me of that. I got a flier on my second shot that went long. It’s not a good spot. Just out of frust.
Course Conditions Contribute to Frustration
Rahm alluded to the challenging course conditions as a contributing factor to his frustration. He mentioned pre-tournament expectations that Aronimink would play easier than other major championship courses. However, he suggested that officials had made the course more difficult in response to those expectations.
“There was somebody earlier in the week where there was some chatter where people thought 15- to 20-under was going to win,” he explained. “And I think that got to somebody in the PGA, and they did something about it. Because if the golf course stays like this and it keeps firming up, yeah, obviously it’s not going to be anything like that.”
The leaders mostly hovered around three under after the first round.
The PGA Championship is taking place at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, just outside Philadelphia.