Paul Lawrie feared the worst after hitting a spectator late in his third round at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.
Lawrie, who is competing in the event for a first time in decade, hit his tee shot at the par three, 17th way left to easily miss the an alligator infested water hazard but hitting a 40s something gentleman.
However when Lawrie and his caddy, Dave Kenny arrived the spectator was laying stretched out on the ground and with two bags of ice already over his head.
Paul Lawrie feels 'horrible' at the sight of flattened spectator. (Photo - Eoin Clarke.www.golffile.ie)
Lawrie’s errant shot hit the spectator on the side of the head and immediately drawing blood.
“I thought the ball had hit a TV tower but when I saw this fellow lying on the ground I felt horrible,” he said.
“It’s the second time my career that’s happened and it’s just horrible when it happens.
“He was flat out on the deck and there was a bit of blood on his shirt but he started chatting away to me.
“I then put my next shot in the bunker because I wasn’t feeling very good but I just felt so sorry for the poor guy.”
And after the spectator convinced Lawrie he was fine, the Scot pulled out one of his gloves and wrote ‘Sorry’ before autographing it.
Lawrie commenced his round on four over par and got a good third round start in putting a bunker shot ‘stiff’ at the par five second hole for the first of four birdies in his round of 71 to get back to three over par.
The Scot, who will return to the States in five weeks for the Ryder Cup, then bogeyed the third with a lob wedge after being in the middle of the fairway and just 90-yards out.
He then holed a good 20-footer for birdie at the fifth but dropped a shot at the sixth after finding a hazard.
Lawrie then landed a 9-iron to 12 feet at the par four 12th to birdie the hole and holed a four-footer also for birdie at the par five, 16th.
Then after dropping a shot at 17, Lawrie missed the green right at 18 but chipped to five feet and holed a good par-saving putt.
“I played lovely but putted like a clown, yet again,” said Lawrie.
“I hit a lot of good shots and should have been at least three to four under par but still it’s a decent a score.”
And after a second round more friendly to kite flying or wind surfing, Lawrie felt the course was playing two to three shots lower on day three compared to Friday’s carnage when 41 players shot scores in the 80s and the average for the field was a six over par 78.
