PGA Championship

Valhalla Golf Club



Highlights

DP World Tour pro pulls off all-time recovery shot from the middle of a lake

November 13, 2023

It's been a fantastic year for Marcel Siem, who in February won for the first time in more than eight years on the DP World Tour, nearly shot 59 last month, and also gave golf fans the best visor toss since Tiger Woods. And this past week he added arguably the shot of 2023 to his resume.

During Friday's second round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the 43-year-old German found the water with his approach shot on the 17th hole at the Gary Player Country Club. But somehow, enough of his golf ball stayed above the surface to allow him to attempt a bold recovery shot. Think Bill Haas at the 2011 Tour Championship—only Marcel was way out in the water.

No, really. It's not like you needed a boat to get to his ball, but he looks to be a good 15 feet from dry land. And yet, he pulled off a splashed shot to perfection, leaving a tap-in for par. Have a look:

/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2021/231113-marcel-siem.png

Obviously the water was really shallow there (Marcel didn't even take off his shoes!), but still, that's incredible. Even the play-by-play described him as playing from the "Water":

Also, how about that sponsor banner reading LIQUID right there? And in addition to hitting a great shot, Siem gave a great reaction. What a showman this guy is!

So why wasn't the golf world buzzing about this shot more? Good question! Finishing T-20 and 14 shots behind winner Max Homa didn't move the needle as much as Haas winning $10 million back in the day, but c'mon, folks. That's one heckuva shot right there. Anyway, we're all impressed, Marcel.