The 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans became sort of a baseball match when a fan in the crowd caught Brandt Snedeker’s off-target tee shot. During the third round at TPC Louisiana, the nine-time PGA Tour champ shot the ball 203-yard left from the hole to get a breeze from the left to right winds. However, the fan in attendance caught the ball forgetting that he was in a golf tournament.
Pardon My Take podcast host Jake Marsh shared the video on his X (formerly Twitter) which shows how much regret the poor fan had after catching the ball. This was truly one of the moments to remember in a golf tournament, after all, it does not happen often.
After catching Snedeker’s ball, the fan dropped it on the ground with a reaction of regret. It was not just the fan who was in shock, but also the ESPN+ commentator. He said,
“Oh, no, he just caught the ball.” Soon after that another commentator laughed and added, “That’s a kid who plays a lot of baseball. He just forgot.” Meanwhile, the third commentator said, “The poor guy! The feeling of guilt he must have right now”
Did Brant Snedeker get penalized after the fan interruption at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans?
The big question after the fan interruption at TPC Louisiana was if Brandt Snedeker got a penalty. That was certainly not the case as the golfer had to play the next shot from where the ball rested where the fan dropped it. The reason behind it is the Rule 11.1a of Golf that states,
“If a player’s ball in motion accidentally hits any person (including the player) or outside influence. There is no penalty to any player.”
What would have happened if the fan had taken the ball somewhere else or lost it? In that case, the nine-time PGA Tour champ would have to replace it and place the new ball in an estimated landing area since Rule 11.1b of Golf states,
“The player must place the original ball or another ball on the estimated spot right under where the ball first came to rest on the person, animal or moving outside influence, using the procedures for replacing a ball under.”
After Snedeker moved on from that hilarious moment at TPC Louisiana, he and his partner Chez Reavie managed to finish on scratch to finish dead last on the leaderboard.
