A horrifying moment unfolded at the Valspar Championship on Saturday when a young girl was struck and pinned under a golf cart on the Copperhead Course in Tampa.
The incident happened right after Brooks Koepka and his playing partner Danny Walker hit their tee shots on the par-3 15th.
Play was briefly halted and Koepka immediately ran over and was among the first to reach the girl, staying with her and talking to her as medical personnel rushed to the scene.
Thankfully, on-course medics confirmed the child escaped without injuries.
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Former PGA Tour pro and on-course reporter Smylie Kaufman captured the frightening scene on NBC, describing how Koepka “went underneath the ropes to talk to the girl and comfort her.”
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Kaufman added: “She’s going to be OK after medical evaluation. Very scary moment… I’m sure Brooks’ head is still spinning a little bit.”
Koepka made par on the par-3 15th but then went on to make a double-bogey six on the par-4 16th.
He then made pars on the final two holes for a round of level-par 71.
The former World No.1 remains at 4-under par for the tournament, which is now seven shots off the pace heading into Sunday.
Koepka spoke about the incident involving the youngster after signing his card.
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He admitted the incident was unsettling for him but insisted it did not contribute to him making a double bogey on the next hole.
“No, not golf-wise, no. I just felt terrible for, I believe her name is Shay, so from all the reports you’ve got she’s okay, thankfully,” said Koepka.
“So that’s all that matters, as long as she’s okay, I know she’s probably a little scared and I just felt for her at the time. So it’s unfortunate, it shouldn’t have happened, but as long as she’s okay, no, nothing crazy happened to her, then it will be okay.”
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Sungjae Im leads the Valspar Championship at 11-under par following a third-round 69.
The South Korean holds a two-shot edge over American pair Brandt Snedeker and David Lipsky.
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English duo Matt Fitzpatrick and Marco Penge trail a further shot back at 8-under par.
Koepka has confirmed he will be in the field at next week’s Houston Open, where runaway World No.1 Scottie Scheffler will headline.
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