Chandler Phillips was involved in a scary incident with two fans on Sunday at the 2024 Valspar Championship.
Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
One PGA Tour pro and two fans were involved in a scary incident on Sunday at the Valspar Championship. The incident left the spectators injured and the pro shaken, but now we know that all involved are doing OK.
In the final round of the Valspar at Innisbrook, pro Chandler Phillips sent a wayward shot on the 8th hole into a line of fans, hitting one woman and ricocheting off her and hitting a man.
On Sunday, Phillips said the woman he had hit “didn’t look good” and he “wasn’t right” for the rest of the round.
‘I wasn’t right’: Shaken PGA Tour rookie gets candid after scary incident
On Tuesday in his pre-tournament press conference at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, Phillips provided an update on the incident, sharing that the two people he hit, a husband and wife, contacted him on Instagram to let him know they were alright.
“I got a message on Instagram from the guy that I hit and come to find out it was a husband and a wife,” Phillips shared on Tuesday. “He messaged me and told me that they’re all good and it happens and everything like that. Probably today I’m going to message him back and see what I can do for him.”
The Tour rookie then recounted how the incident impacted him as he was contending for his first PGA Tour title on Sunday.
“You know, I’m just glad they’re OK because I think it affected me the way it did just because it didn’t look good. The lady that I hit, I think it hit her first and it ricocheted off of her and hit the guy, or the husband. Yeah, I saw some blood and then when you see that, you don’t know how bad it is and everything like that,” Phillips explained. “I just wanted to make sure the EMS or trainers could get to her as quick as possible and get her whatever she needed.”
He continued: “It sucks, but it is golf and sometimes it happens, but when it does happen, you hope it’s not you, you know? Yeah, he did tell me that they’re OK, they’re fine.”
While the traumatic moment may have affected Phillips in the final round, he was still able to post a two-under 69. That gave him a T3 finish, the best result of his young PGA Tour career.
The 27-year-old rookie has another opportunity to secure his first victory this week at his hometown Texas Children’s Houston Open. He grew up playing this week’s host course, Memorial Park, but that was before it underwent massive renovation.
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