On today’s edition of “things you don’t see very often”, Morgan Hoffmann hit a bunker shot that wound up hitting his own hat.
After his tee shot at the 165-yard par-3 16th hole plugged in the front lip of the bunker, Hoffmann’s only play was to swing hard and hope for the best.
As it turns out, the best he could do was pop it straight up in the air, where it ricocheted off his hat and rolled to the bottom of the bunker.
Hoffmann was not penalized for the ball hitting him after the shot was played, as it was an accident. Players are only penalized if they intentionally make contact with the ball.
To his credit, Hoffmann made his way to the bottom of the bunker and rattled his next shot off the flagstick before rolling in a 5-footer for bogey.
The former No. 1 amateur in the world is playing this week’s John Deere Classic on a sponsor exemption that was originally designated for three-time champion Steve Stricker. Hoffmann was the next man up after Stricker withdrew for an unknown reason.
Hoffmann shot a first-round 1-over 72, leaving work to do Friday afternoon if he hopes to play the weekend.