Advertisement

Watch: Fan hit by Tiger Woods' ball was filming

For a moment there, Tiger Woods was leading the British Open all by himself. It was an astonishing moment in sports, a chance for a bygone legend to recapture a bit of lost glory … and, alas, it didn’t last. Woods faltered coming down the stretch, and Francesco Molinari ended up winning the whole dang thing.

But along the way, Woods gave us another vintage moment when he fired a shot into the gallery at the 11th hole … and the ball somehow spanged rapidly back toward the hole. The only way a shot would do that is if it hit something hard with velocity — something like bone or a cell phone.

Turns out, both were right! Woods’ shot rebounded off the phone of one Colin Hauck (among others, possibly) and saved him from potential out-of-bounds catastrophe. Unfortunately, Woods wasn’t able to take advantage of his good fortune; he double-bogeyed the hole, dropped out of first place, and wouldn’t ever get back.

Check out this video here from Hauck:

Woods gave Hauck a signed glove for his troubles, which is a nice gesture. But one thing you can notice from that video: you can’t see the ball. All you can hear is a growing sense of dread in the crowd, and then: boom. In other words, next time you’re at a golf tournament, keep that head on a swivel, everybody.

Tiger Woods meets a fan he hit with a ball. (Getty)
Tiger Woods meets a fan he hit with a ball. (Getty)

____
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

More from Yahoo Sports:
Longtime NFL coach Tony Sparano dies at 56
Fan yells during Tiger Woods’ swing at British Open, angering everyone
Noah Syndergaard’s unusual illness gives Mets yet another odd injury
Golfer somehow shot a 67 while hungover at the Open