PGA Tour’s Nick Hardy Destroys Iron On Tree While Pulling Off Miraculous Shot

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The typical golf course features plenty of hazards with the potential to derail your round, including more than a few that can take a serious toll on your club if you attempt to play the ball as it lies.

You have to be a particularly devoted stickler for the rules of golf if you don’t opt to give yourself some relief after discovering a tree root or a similar threat will interfere with your swing, as the average amateur hack isn’t going to risk damaging a club (or their wrists) by attempting to play a shot like that.

However, players on the PGA Tour don’t have the luxury of throwing the rulebook to the wind when they find themselves in an unenviable situation—including the one Nick Hardy ended up facing during the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on Thursday.

Hardy kicked off the tournament with a bang and rocketed toward the top of the leaderboard with the -6 he posted in his opening round with the help of the eight birdies he recorded during his first 18 holes.

However, none of them were as improbable as the one he managed to secure to cap off his day at the course.

Hardy (who teed off on the back nine) saw his final drive of the day go slightly awry, as the 321-yard shot on the par-4 9th went right off the tee before landing directly behind a tree that stood between his ball and the green.

After weighing his options, Hardy decided to sacrifice the club he pulled out to hit a 186-yard approach shot that landed less than 12 feet from the cup before making his way to the green and sinking the putt to head to the clubhouse with a 65 under his belt.

Hardy can take solace in knowing the folks at Titleist will have a fresh iron he’ll be able to use when he kicks off his second round on Friday, which is a luxury most people who end up in a similar situation probably can’t afford.