Jon Rahm Hits Volunteer with Grass Clod After Frustrated Swing at PGA Championship

Jon Rahm, one of golf's top players known for his fierce competitiveness on the course, hit a volunteer with a flying clump of grass during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, outside Philadelphia.

Rahm showed his self-critical side Thursday after pulling his drive on the seventh hole into the left rough. He caught a flier lie and went long with his second shot into the right rough. Frustrated, he swung his club at tall grass, dislodging a clump that struck a nearby volunteer in the face, according to reporters on site.

The Athletic's Gabby Herzig posted on X that Rahm took a swing at the rough after his approach on No. 7, causing grass to fly into the volunteer's face. She noted that Rahm looked upset about it and apologized right away.

Unable to recover from the tough spot, Rahm made bogey on the hole. Viewers saw the incident on ESPN's Featured Groups coverage.

In his post-round news conference, Rahm addressed the moment. "Thanks for reminding me of that," he said. "I got a flier on my second shot that went long. 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."

He continued, "Yeah, it hit him, and unfortunately it hit him in the shoulder and then the face. Which I couldn't feel any worse. That's why I was there apologizing. 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."

Earlier, Rahm noted that Aronimink, a par-70 layout, played harder than expected. Leaders sat around 3 under par as play wrapped up. "There was somebody earlier in the week where there was some chatter where people thought 15- to 20-under was going to win," he said. "And I think that got to somebody in the PGA, and they did something about it. Because if the golf course stays like this and it keeps firming up, yeah, obviously it's not going to be anything like that."

Rahm bounced back to shoot 1 under for the round, staying in contention for his third major title. He holed out twice, once from over 100 yards.