iStockphoto / ESPN / @rickflairyelir: X
Golfer Ryan Gerard appeared to hit a bird with his opening shot from the tee box on the seventh hole at the Cognizant Classic in Florida.
The supposed contact had little impact on the ball’s flight. It led many skeptics to question what they thought they’d seen.
Thursday represented Day 1 of the tournament, which is being held on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens.
Gerard, the field’s betting favorite, teed off a little after noon eastern time for his opening round. On the front nine, he’d go viral.
Did Ryan Gerard hit a bird?
🕊️💥🏌️ #WATCH — Ryan Gerard drills a bird on the par-3 7th hole during round 1 of the Cognizant Classic 😬
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) February 26, 2026
A bird flew in front of the golfer as he followed through on his first shot at the seventh hole. His ball appeared to strike the bird mid-flight.
Is that actually the case?
iStockphoto / ESPN / @rickflairyelir: X
Gerard’s ball was not impacted by the apparent contact. His shot landed on the green about 35 feet from the cup. He’d two-putt to record par.
That result led many to question what they believed they’d witnessed.
Upon further review, it appears the bird made it out scot-free. When slowing the video down, you can see the bird stop and dip below the danger zone.
What most thought was the ball making contact was actually the grass from Ryan Gerard’s divot.
iStockphoto / ESPN / @rickflairyelir: X
The ball sails left of the bird based on the path tracker. Though it’s difficult to make out at first glance, the bird can be seen continuing its flight on the left side of the screen after the near-miss.
As for Gerard, the seventh-hole par would do little to boost the golfer up the leaderboard. At last look, he is tied for 100th shooting +3 across 16 holes.