Jon Rahm has vowed to track down a volunteer and buy him a gift after a moment of frustration at the PGA Championship saw the former world No 1 accidentally strike the man in the face with a divot.
The 31-year-old was left mortified during the opening round at Aronimink Golf Club after an angry swipe at the turf produced an unintended and painful consequence.
Rahm had just played a wayward approach to the seventh hole when he attempted what he described as an "air swing" in frustration.
Instead, his club caught the ground and sent a chunk of earth flying towards a nearby tournament volunteer.
The clod of turf struck the man on the shoulder before hitting him in the face.
Rahm immediately rushed over to apologise and later admitted he felt terrible about the incident.
"I couldn't feel any worse," Rahm said after signing for an opening-round 69.
Jon Rahm has vowed to track down a volunteer and buy him a gift after a moment of frustration at the PGA Championship saw the former world No 1 accidentally strike the man in the face with a divot
|GETTY
"I need to somehow track him down to give him a present because that's inexcusable and for something that could be completely avoidable.
"Whether it was my intention or not, it was just not good."
The two-time major champion explained that his frustration stemmed from receiving an unexpected flyer from the rough, which sent his second shot long of the target.
Jon Rahm hit a flyer on the 7th hole today and then took a swing in frustration at the grass and ended up hitting a volunteer with his divot.
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) May 14, 2026
After the round he was incredibly apologetic and fully owned up to his poor etiquette:
“Thanks for reminding me of that. I got a flier… pic.twitter.com/4bxJKSWXEX
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Five quirky facts about golf | GBNEWS"I got a flyer on my second shot that went long," he said. "It's not a good spot.
"Just out of frustration, I tried to make an air swing, just over the grass, and I wasn't looking, took a divot, and unfortunately, I hit a volunteer."
Fortunately, the incident did not appear to cause any serious injury.
The Spaniard recovered impressively from the mishap and carded a three-under-par 69 to keep himself firmly in contention after the opening day.
One of the standout moments of his round came at the second hole, where he holed out from the fairway for a spectacular eagle.
Jon Rahm recovered impressively from the mishap and carded a three-under-par 69 to keep himself firmly in contention after the opening day
|GETTY
That brilliant shot came moments after he had dropped a frustrating bogey at the first.
"It was a phenomenal shot, a really good wedge shot," Rahm said. "I came off that first green kicking myself because it was the wrong choice of shot for such a good drive."
Now representing LIV Golf, Rahm is chasing a third major title and his first PGA Championship crown.
The 31-year-old has already won both the US Open and the Masters Tournament.