Jon Rahm caught a big break on one of his tee shots during the opening round of the PGA Championship on Thursday, but the lucky bounce unfortunately came at the expense of ESPN anchor Sage Steele.
Golf reporter Geoff Shackelford was standing behind Rahm on the third tee at Southern Hills Country Club when Rahm pulled his drive way left. The shot was bad enough that Rahm yelled “fore left!” and pointed his club in that direction. However, the ball landed in the middle of the fairway after it struck Steele, who was covering the major for “SportsCenter.”
The ESPN broadcast made no mention of Steele being hit by the drive, but one eyewitness told Shackelford that he or she “saw (Steele) on the ground, holding her nose, mouth or chin area.” The witness said Steele’s face was “covered in blood.” Medical personnel were called over to tend to Steele.
ESPN has not formally commented on the incident. Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post was told by sources that Steele walked off the course under her own power. She has since traveled home to Connecticut and is not expected to be part of the PGA Championship coverage for the remainder of the weekend.
Steele has been with ESPN since 2007. She recently filed a lawsuit against the company but has continued to work there.
