Inches From Disaster
Stray golf ball flies directly through Talor Gooch's legs at Waialae in wild video
Coming off his maiden win at the RSM Classic this past fall, Talor Gooch has set himself up to have a breakout year on the PGA Tour. That year almost got derailed pretty quickly on Thursday at Waialae when a stray golf ball came inches from hitting Gooch on the first tee.
Where the ball came from, or who hit it, remains unclear. What is clear, though, is that it went directly through Gooch's legs, which, not to get NSFW, could have ended in utterly disastrous fashion. We're talking irreparable damage, folks. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and Gooch lived to fight another day. Check out the wild clip:
"Did that go right between my legs?" Why yes, Talor, it did. Impressive nonchalantness (is that a word?) from the 30-year-old here. Lesser men may have gotten very dramatic and theatrical over this. Perhaps a few deep breaths and a reset would be required. Gooch just made sure what just happened actually happened and then carried on with his round. He went on to par the first, birdie the second, and par the third, so he doesn't seem to shaken up by the experience.
Again, not to oversell it, but we're having a very different conversation if that hits Gooch in the shin, the head, or, um, somewhere else below the belt. Not something you see every day on the PGA Tour, that's for sure.