Jon Rahm accidentally struck a volunteer with a flying divot during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 14, 2026. The incident occurred on the par-four 7th hole after Rahm grew frustrated with a poor second shot from the rough and took an angry air swing into the ground, unintentionally hitting the volunteer in the shoulder and then the face [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Rahm described the moment as "inexcusable" and said he felt deeply sorry. "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 said. Rahm added, "Unfortunately it hit him in the shoulder and then the face, which I couldn't feel any worse. That's why I was there apologising." He committed to tracking down the volunteer to offer a gift in apology [2].
The two-time major champion and LIV Golf League captain started his round on the back nine. After the mishap on the 7th hole, he struggled initially with bogeys but recovered with birdies on holes 8 and 9 to finish with a 1-under 69 score [2, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Rahm noted, "I got a flier on my second shot that went long. It's not a good spot." [6]
The PGA Championship round took place at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Rahm apologized immediately to the volunteer on site following the incident and expressed his intent to find him afterwards to make amends with a gift [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
