“On the fly!” the commentators exclaimed as Scottie Scheffler‘s 16th hole became the highlight of the day at the American Express. The golfer was back in action after finishing tied-fourth at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas at the start of December. And he immediately marked his 2026 return by giving a fan a not-so-cool souvenir.

Although he was dominating the field with a 9-under par score at the end of the first day, the 16th hole caught the most attention. He hit a long-range shot, and the broadcast showed the ball hitting a spectator standing behind the ropes. It seemed like the errant drive hit him right in the temple before bouncing onto the grass.

Would that be considered interference? Probably not. But the fan was certainly hurt, as viewers heard a loud thump at the moment of contact. Everyone in the crowd could be heard gasping loudly after they witnessed the incident.

The NBC Sports broadcast team immediately switched to a different pro after the incident was recorded. So far, no further updates have been given regarding the fan. However, considering the distance Scheffler covered on the par 4 hole with his driver, it looked painful.

Scheffler’s reaction to the incident wasn’t shown on the broadcast.

As unfortunate as it was, golfers accidentally hitting fans isn’t so rare. For instance, during the third round of the PGA Championship in 2025, Jon Rahm hit a mudball. The ball rocketed left and hit a spectator in the head. Thankfully, the man was fine. Rahm later apologized and gifted him an autographed glove.

As for Scheffler, he still had to continue his dominant run regardless. He managed a flawless round of nine birdies to end up at T3. The only two golfers who kept pace with him were Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody.

Interestingly, Scheffler unintentionally hitting a fan was not the only incident that occurred at the La Quinta Country Club.

After completing the round, he was on the green giving an interview. That’s when a sprinkler abruptly started spraying water at him. Laughing over it, the World No. 1 said that he might be standing in someone’s backyard.

Meanwhile, Scheffler also managed to set a new record along the way.

Scottie Scheffler breaks records even when the ball isn’t landing where he wants

He may not have intended for the ball to hit the fan on the 16th hole, but Scottie Scheffler was certainly focused on keeping up with the field. When it seemed like Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody might pull away, he chased them down to finish the day just one stroke behind them. In the process, Scheffler also managed to set a new record.

With his 9-under 63, Scheffler broke the record for the lowest first-round score in a season debut event by the reigning World No. 1. The previous record was a 6-under 66, which was set nine times in history. However, that barrier was never broken until this day.

“I think the hardest part about these tests where you have to shoot so low is you can only shoot so many under par in a round of golf,” Scheffler said. “The easier tests, where the scores are crazy low, if you start falling behind it’s a lot harder to keep up, so you have to keep pace out here.”

The golfer hit only five of 14 fairways. However, he was barely out of position until the end of his round despite being blocked by trees twice.

With three more rounds to go, Scheffler would be eager to continue his great run of form and secure a win at the Pete Dye Stadium Course. Notably, the best finish he has secured here is a solo third in 2020.