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NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — The wrath of Jon Rahm after a poor shot is not a new phenomenon, but Thursday at the PGA Championship, it took an unfortunate turn: Rahm caused a clump of grass to fly into a volunteer’s face.
On the seventh hole at Aronimink Golf Club, the site of the 2026 PGA Championship, Rahm faced a 170-yard approach shot from the left rough. He took a whack at it, and the ball headed straight for the pin. But instead of stopping there, it bounded forward and over the green. Watching the result unfold, Rahm paused for a moment before taking an aggressive and angry lash at the ground with his club.
Rahm said he meant to do an “air swing,” but that’s not what happened. It wasn’t so much a full divot, but Rahm took up a solid chunk of turf with his club face, which immediately soared toward the gallery. The grass hit the arm and face of a volunteer stationed along the rope line.
Realizing what had happened, members of the crowd surrounding the older volunteer looked on in shock. And when Rahm realized what he had done, he was just as stunned. His hand flew to cover his mouth before he walked over to the volunteer. Rahm put his hand on the volunteer’s shoulder and spoke to him for a few moments before moving on.
“Unfortunately, it hit him in the shoulder and then the face. I couldn’t feel any worse,” Rahm said. “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.”
The man was left with grass stains on his jacket as evidence of the force with which Rahm swung.
The PGA of America posted a new player code of conduct in the locker room this year, which states that players may be subject to warnings and potential penalties if they do something “egregious,” said Kerry Haigh, the PGA of America Chief Championships Officer.
“It’s really for the good of the game that we’re implementing it to try and make sure everyone is behaving appropriately, professionally, and as we would want our children and people watching to see the major championship,” Haigh said.
But a spokesperson for the PGA of America told The Athletic that the incident with Rahm on No. 7 did not qualify as a violation, and he was not issued a warning.
“Because there seemed to be no intent and that it was accidental, it was not a conduct violation,” they explained.
Rahm shot a 1-under 69 on Thursday. He tees off at 2:05 p.m. ET on Friday for Round 2.
