PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – A potentially scary situation took on a more light-hearted turn for Henrik Stenson Saturday on the 16th hole at Pebble Beach.
Stenson was playing alongside fellow major champ Adam Scott during the third round of the U.S. Open when his approach to No. 16 sailed well right into the crowd, slamming into the forehead of an unsuspecting spectator.
“It was going to be a chippy 8-iron, but it was sitting up in the first cut,” Stenson said. “And I hit one of those famous like rockets, almost. It was a semi-shank, it wasn’t a full one. That would have been better, because then it would probably have hit the trees.”
When Stenson arrived to the scene, he found the male spectator still being attended to on the ground short and right of the green. Before too long, the Swede found himself lying in the same grass, snapping a picture alongside the injured fan to document the moment.
Henrik Stenson nailed a guy in the crowd with his second shot on 16. Guy was on the ground, down for the count. Henrik laid down for a photo this bloke will never forget. Henrik Stenson - absolute character 👏 pic.twitter.com/1YIE6pJUW4
— Evin Priest (@EvinPriest) June 16, 2019
“I walk up to him and I said, ‘I’m sorry.’ What else can you say?” Stenson said. “And he says, ‘Can you do me one favor? Can I take a picture with you?’ So next thing I’m down on the ground as well, taking a picture, a selfie, laying down with him and his girlfriend. It feels like he’s had maybe one or two refreshments that might have eased the pain before the strike.”
@henrikstenson thanks for posing for this beauty photo after striking a spectator square in the head #USOPEN2019 #usga happy everyone was ok pic.twitter.com/V8EfptLJZy
— Matt (@tour_fade) June 16, 2019
Stenson went on to bogey the hole en route to a 1-under 70, and at 4 under he’ll head into the final round at Pebble in a tie for ninth place, seven shots behind Gary Woodland. Stenson shared that he wasn’t sure if the fan had suffered a concussion, but he had asked for contact information and plans to follow up with him at a later date.
“I might send him more than just one golf ball next time,” Stenson said. “I might send him a couple dozen or something to try to make up for my poor shot.”