“Shocking Moment: Aberg Shot Sends Opponent’s Ball Flying at Scottish Open”
Ludvig Åberg made a remarkable and unusual shot at the Scottish Open, unintentionally causing his opponent’s ball to veer off the green. The young Swedish golfer had a 148-yard approach to the par-four eighth hole, aiming for a spot near his playing partner Collin Morikawa, who had successfully landed on the green. Åberg’s shot was…
Ludvig Åberg made a remarkable and unusual shot at the Scottish Open, unintentionally causing his opponent’s ball to veer off the green. The young Swedish golfer had a 148-yard approach to the par-four eighth hole, aiming for a spot near his playing partner Collin Morikawa, who had successfully landed on the green.
Åberg’s shot was on target to land about 12 feet past the hole. However, as his ball hit the green, it struck Morikawa’s ball, sending both balls off the green in opposite directions. Fans were bewildered, unsure of the consequences of Åberg’s hit. Morikawa, ranked world No. 4, had to play from where his ball ended up, transforming a potential birdie into a bogey due to the difficult spot on the right of the green where his ball landed.
Fortunately for Morikawa, he was able to replace his ball in its original position and putt for birdie, thanks to Rule 9.6 of the PGA Tour. This rule states that if it is known or virtually certain that an outside influence, including another player’s ball, moved a player’s ball at rest, there is no penalty, and the ball must be replaced in its original spot.
Reflecting on the incident, Åberg said, “I’ve never seen it before. Probably not going to see it for a long time again, but it’s just one of them. I felt like I hit a good shot. It was probably going to be, what, 12 feet, something like that, where Collin was. You can’t see the ball, or the flagstick from the fairway. We saw the ball shoot off to the right, and I didn’t really realize what it hit. Once those things happen, I can’t do anything about it.”
Despite this misfortune, Åberg managed to recover impressively, carding an opening-round six-under 64, leaving him two strokes behind leader Justin Thomas. He excelled on the back nine, going five-under 30, including an eagle on the par-five 16th hole.
“All I try to do is just make good swings, and I did,” Åberg added. “Checked that box. Obviously, I would have wanted it (the shot on the eighth) to stay on the green, but this time it didn’t.”
A Sky Sports commentator described Åberg’s effort as “one in 10,000,” emphasizing the rarity of such an occurrence. The incident, given how many golf balls are hit at each event, left even seasoned professionals astonished at its improbability.
